Sweet Corn Soup with Bacon and Potatoes
This Sweet Corn Soup recipe is an ode to the end of summer. A time to revel in the bounty of the harvest and enjoy the last few warm days and nights with a chunky corn soup with bacon and potatoes.
Read on for all the tips and tricks for making corn broth and the easiest way to slice corn cobs without making a total mess. Or, if it’s winter, grab a bag of frozen corn, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make a sweet corn soup with potatoes and bacon!
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Ingredients
Fresh corn is the star ingredient in this corn and potato soup, but you can definitely use frozen corn if you have a hankering for corn soup in the middle of winter. I always keep frozen corn in the freezer to add to skillet cornbread, my Southwestern black bean burgers, or the taco salad we eat over and over.
You can thank or blame the mister for this soup recipe. When I suggested a corn soup during our weekly meal planning that’s a riff off my potato leek soup, he insisted it have bacon. If you love bacon as much as the mister, check out this fig bacon jam recipe, my apple pie baked beans, bacon and kale frittata, or bacon cheese puffs.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Shorten the cooking time by about 30 minutes by making a corn cob broth only. Add the cobs to a pot, cover them with water, and boil for 5 minutes. Or just use store-bought vegetable or chicken broth.
- Use leftover roast chicken. Shred or chop cooked chicken, add it in the final stage after pureeing to warm it, and you’ve got chicken and corn soup.
- Skip the bacon and use olive oil to cook the onions. To get some of that smoky flavor, you might consider garnishing the soup with some chopped roasted red peppers.
Recipe tips and tricks
Making the corn broth
Cutting corn kernels off of the cob is easy. The hard part is not making a mess.
To make this soup, first shuck the corn and try to remove as many of the silky threads as you can. I hold the cob vertically with my left hand and then slowly slice downward with the knife, keeping the knife at the base of the kernels.
The corn cobs plus carrots, celery, onions, garlic, potatoes, and herbs and spices will go into the corn broth. Cut the vegetables into pieces that are about the same size, but don’t stress too much about it.
Transfer the broth to a large pot and strain out the corn cobs and vegetables. Those spent vegetables are headed for compost.
Making the corn soup
The sweet corn soup ingredients are shown below. Start by crisping up the bacon, then cook the onions and potatoes in the bacon fat, add the corn broth and simmer.
I prefer a smooth soup, while the mister likes his chunky. Feel free to blitz as much or as little of the vegetables as you like.
ProTip: If you use a hand-held stick blender to purée soups, please make sure to unplug it before you clean it! You can read more about this and other hazards in the kitchen from a doctor’s perspective.
What to serve with corn and bacon soup
- When it’s late summer and my garden is overflowing with patty pan squash, my first thought is squash fritters.
- Make some biscuits, cast iron skillet cornbread, or Japanese milk bread rolls.
- Serve your sweetcorn and potato soup with a side salad like this rainbow salad bowl, raw carrot salad, or fennel apple kale slaw!
Recipe FAQs
The corn we eat is “sweet corn,” but there are other types of corn, typically labelled “field corn”. This is the corn you see in fields in early fall, which is destined to become feed for livestock.
When I was a vegetarian for over a decade starting in the 1990’s, traditionalists told me that “stock” is always made from bones, and so there could be no such thing as a vegetable stock. At this point, we’ve all been using the term “vegetable stock” forever, so in my opinion you’re fine to use it. But “vegetable broth” is never wrong.
Yay, another Venn diagram! In this case, “soup” defines the broad category. A chowder is a type of soup that is creamy and chunky. A bisque is another type of creamy soup, but a bisque is smooth. So think of chowders and bisques as non-overlapping circles within the big circle of soup.
Exactly. To make a corn and potato chowder, add a half cup of cream at the final stage after pureeing and gently re-heat the soup to warm it. Just know that cream-based soups don’t freeze well. So if you are planning to make a double batch of corn soup to freeze, separate out the part for freezing before you add the cream.
Absolutely. If you’ve decided to add cream, please read that FAQ. Otherwise this corn and potato soup can be frozen for 3 to 6 months. Crisp up some bacon for garnish and reheat the corn soup gently on the stove top.
Related soup recipes
Check out soups and other side dishes from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Sweet Corn Soup with Bacon and Potatoes
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
Corn broth
- 4 corn cobs from 4 ears of corn, kernels reserved for the soup or 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 3 to 5 small new potatoes quartered
- 1 medium to large carrot chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary or other herb
- 10 to 15 black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- water to cover
Sweet corn soup
- 4 strips bacon
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups corn broth from above
- 1 pound new potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- ½ cup cream optional
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 green onion green part only, chopped for garnish
Instructions
Corn broth
- Shuck the corn and remove as much of the silk as possible. Slice off all the kernels from the cob and save the corn kernels in a bowl.4 corn cobs from 4 ears of corn, kernels reserved for the soup
- Add the corn cobs and all of the remaining corn broth ingredients to a large soup pot, and cover with water.1 onion, 1 medium to large carrot, 2 stalks celery, 1 clove garlic, 1 sprig rosemary or other herb, 10 to 15 black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt, water to cover, 3 to 5 small new potatoes
- Heat the pot on high and cover. When boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Use a sieve to strain the broth into another pot, and discard the vegetables.
Sweet corn soup recipe
- Wipe out the soup pot and cook the bacon on medium low until crispy.4 strips bacon
- Remove the bacon to a plate covered in a paper towel and discard all but one tablespoon for bacon fat. Once it has cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces for garnish.
- Meanwhile, add the onions to the soup pot and cook on low until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes.½ yellow onion
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute.2 cloves garlic
- Add the flour and stir constantly for one minute so that the flour does not burn.¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Add one cup of the corn broth and use your spoon or spatula to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.4 cups corn broth
- Add the remaining broth and the potatoes, cover, and cook at a simmer until the potatoes can be just barely pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes.4 cups corn broth, 1 pound new potatoes
- Turn off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Then carefully transfer about one half of the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the soup pot. The soup can be held at this point, if necessary.
- Turn the burner to low and add the corn kernels, parsley, and cream, if using. Gently heat the soup until warm.¼ cup parsley, ½ cup cream
- Add the cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.1 teaspoon cider vinegar, salt and pepper
- Garnish with the reserved bacon and chopped green onions. Serve immediately.1 green onion
Notes
Nutrition
Bored with the recipes you’ve been cooking and baking lately? Get inspiration here:
I will likely be using CANNED or FROZEN corn – how many cups would that be?
Thanks so much for the question, Monika! The four cobs of corn should yield about 2 cups of corn kernels, which is about 12 ounces (3/4 of a pound). Personally, I hate being leftover with half a can of something, so feel free to add a bit more or a bit less, depending on your packaging.
Please let me know if you have other questions. And comment if you make it!
p.s. I’d choose frozen corn over canned, if you can get both.