Instant Pot Vegetarian Corn Chowder

Delicious, hearty creamy vegetarian corn chowder made with potatoes and fresh or frozen sweet corn, all cooked in the Instant Pot!

This summer I was searching for a way to use up a large bag of corn from the farmer’s market. Corn chowder came up many times in my recipe searches, but most of the popular recipes used bacon or some kind of meat for flavoring. I decided to come up with a simple vegetarian version that I could make in the Instant Pot with fresh or frozen corn for year-round enjoyment!

What is an Instant Pot?

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Instant Pot refers to a brand name of multi-use, programmable electric pressure cookers.  The Instant Pot brand offers several different sizes and there are a number of other pressure cooker brands on the market as well with comparable features.

All of the pressure cookers brands and models are pretty similar; they just name things a bit differently, so refer to your manual if I reference a button that you don’t have on yours – or leave a comment in the notes and I’ll try to help you out! This recipe was made in the Instant Pot 6qt Duo, so all of my instructions are based on that one.

Equipment Needed

To make this Instant Pot corn chowder, you’ll need some special equipment:

1. An Instant Pot. As the name suggests, you’ll need a pressure cooker to make this recipe. This is the one that I used: Instant Pot 6qt Duo
2. An Immersion Blender. You don’t need this if you want chunky corn chowder. But if you prefer a creamier version, an immersion blender is the easiest way!

How to Make Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Start by chopping up all of the veggies. Roughly chop the onion. Cut the red potatoes into medium chunks – for smaller potatoes you can cut them in half and for larger potatoes cut them in quarters.  Cut the kernels off of the corn if using fresh corn.

Then prep the Instant Pot by placing the stainless steel pot in the Instant Pot.  Press the “Saute” button until it’s on “Normal”.  Add the butter, and then add the onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then add the celery and saute for another 2 minutes.  Make sure to scrape up any burned bits on the bottom.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the broth in a small bowl and add the rest to the Instant Pot along with the potato chunks and fresh or frozen corn. Lock the Instant Pot lid in place.  Close the pressure release valve and press the “Pressure Cook” button until it’s on “Normal” and press the “Pressure Level” button until it’s on “High” (“High” is the default for the Duo model).  Press the +/- buttons until it’s on 00:05 for 5 minutes.

The Instant Pot will say “On” while it’s coming up to pressure and then will start counting down.  When it’s done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes by just leaving the Instant Pot alone and allow the time to count up until it says L00:10. Quick release the remaining pressure by opening the pressure release valve.  When the float valve is down, remove the lid.

Turn the Instant Pot back on “Saute”. Add the cornstarch to the reserved broth and combine well.  Add the mixture to the Instant Pot along with the salt and the dried thyme.  Mix together for about 2 to 3 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly.

You can make the soup completely smooth and creamy, or go somewhere in between (my favorite!).  To make the soup creamier, blend with an immersion blender until it’s as creamy as desired. Finally, add the whole milk and heavy cream and mix together.  Then serve!

If you try this recipe for Instant Pot Corn Chowder, leave a comment and a review below! Looking for some more hearty Instant Pot recipes? Try this Instant Pot tortilla soup, Instant Pot fish chowder, or Instant Pot mushroom wild rice soup!

Print Recipe

4.84 from 6 votes

Instant Pot Corn Chowder

Delicious and hearty vegetarian corn chowder made with potatoes and fresh or frozen sweet corn, all cooked in the Instant Pot!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Danielle Howard

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes
• 8 ears of fresh corn or 6 cups of frozen corn
• 6 cups vegetable broth divided
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

• Start by roughly chopping the onion. Cut the red potatoes into medium chunks – for smaller potatoes you can cut them in half and for larger potatoes cut them in quarters. Cut the celery into thin slices. Cut the kernels off of the corn if using fresh corn.
• Place the stainless steel pot in the Instant Pot. Press the “Saute” button until it’s on “Normal”. Add the butter.
• When the butter is melted, add the onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the celery and saute for another 2 minutes. Make sure to scrape up any burned bits on the bottom.
• Reserve 1/4 cup of the broth in a small bowl and add the rest to the Instant Pot. Also add in the potato chunks and the fresh or frozen corn.
• Lock the Instant Pot lid in place. Close the pressure release valve and press the “Pressure Cook” button until it’s on “Normal” and press the “Pressure Level” button until it’s on “High” (“High” is the default for the Duo model). Press the +/- buttons until it’s on 00:05 for 5 minutes.
• The Instant Pot will say “On” while it’s coming up to pressure and then will start counting down. When it’s done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes by just leaving the Instant Pot alone and allow the time to count up until it says L00:10.
• Quick release the remaining pressure by opening the pressure release valve. When the float valve is down, remove the lid.
• Turn the Instant Pot back on “Saute”.
• Add the cornstarch to the reserved broth and combine well. Add the mixture to the Instant Pot along with the salt and the dried thyme. Mix together for about 2 to 3 minutes until the soup has thickened slightly.
• You can make the soup completely smooth and creamy, or go somewhere in between (my favorite!). To make the soup creamier, blend with an immersion blender until it’s as creamy as desired.
• Finally, add the whole milk and heavy cream and mix together. Then serve!