Vegan Instant Pot Corn Chowder
This is the best corn chowder you will ever taste and it’s so easy, thanks to the Instant Pot! It’s a recipe from my cookbook, The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook! Featuring fresh corn and jalapeños, along with potatoes and cashews for a corn chowder that’s as creamy as a bisque!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 4 large ears fresh sweet corn, (husked, or 3 cups canned or frozen kernels)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, (chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 2 jalapeño peppers, (diced (omit seeds and membranes for less heat))
- 1 medium carrot, (diced)
- 1 cup diced celery, (2 to 3 medium stalks)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, (peeled and diced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 2 to 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 lime, (halved)
- Reserved corn kernels
- 1/4 cup chopped chives ((optional))
- Diced tomatoes or red bell pepper ((optional))
- Chopped cilantro or finely slivered basil leaves ((optional))
Instructions
- 1
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water while you prepare the other ingredients. Drain after 20 to 30 minutes.
- 2
Optional step: To enhance the flavor of the soup, place the husked ears of corn over an open flame and turn occasionally until the kernels are lightly charred, repeating with each ear.
- 3
Hold an ear of corn upright in a large bowl and shave off the kernels with a sharp knife. (If you charred the ears of corn, wait until the corn is cool enough to handle.). Repeat with the remaining ears. Place the kernels in a bowl and reserve a tablespoon or two for garnish
- 4
Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and let the pot heat up for a few minutes before adding the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
- 5
Add the garlic & jalapeños and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the carrot and celery with a pinch each of salt and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 2 more minutes, tossing frequently to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Select the Cancel setting.
- 6
Add the corn kernels, drained cashews, 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cumin, celery salt, 2 cups of the vegetable broth, the coconut milk, and nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine.
- 7
Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 6 minutes.
- 8
Once the 6-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release for 5 minutes and then carefully switch the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting to release any remaining steam.
- 9
Open the pot and discard the bay leaves. Squeeze the juice 1/2 lime into the soup, stir, and taste for seasonings. Add more lime juice or salt and black pepper as needed. The soup will be very thick at this point, so I like to thin it out a bit with additional vegetable broth during the blending stage (see next step).
- 10
Transfer the soup in two or three batches to a high-speed blender (don’t fill the blender to capacity). Be sure to remove the center cap from the blender to vent steam, but cover the hole with a kitchen towel. Start at low speed and gradually work your way up and blend until the soup is thick and creamy. I typically add 1 additional cup of broth, but if you prefer a slightly thinner soup, add more broth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the Instant Pot to blend the soup for a few minutes until the soup is pureed and thick, thinning with the additional broth as you blend.
- 11
Transfer the puréed soup to bowls and top each each bowl with the reserved corn kernels and other garnishes as desired.