Shrimp and Corn Chowder

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This hearty shrimp and corn chowder features rich flavor in one quick and easy recipe. Filled with tender shrimp, sweet corn, potatoes, and bacon, this one-pot soup has the best thick and creamy texture (but is made without cream)!

Two bowls of shrimp and corn chowder next to a bowl of salad and a glass of water.

Last year we had the good fortune of stopping by my in-law's house on two separate occasions when shrimp and corn chowder was on their dinner menu.

Needless to say I started tinkering with my own version straight away.

Here's where I landed: with the same bold corn flavor, my version achieves a thickened soup without higher-fat dairy (cream or half-and-half). It also features a jazzed up, smokier spice profile.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

Using fresh sweet corn is the proverbial cherry on top of this chowder, but frozen honestly works great, too. See below for a full breakdown on which kinds work.
This shrimp and corn chowder thickens up so nicely without heavy cream or half-and-half. Just a broth/low-fat milk roux for cohesive, smooth texture.
The blend of pantry-staple spices produces a bold and smoky flavor that complements the creaminess perfectly.

Recipe Ingredients

Sweet Corn: Ideally you'll have access to fresh sweet corn for this shrimp and corn chowder, but frozen or canned is okay, too. Per The Kitchn, there is no difference in taste between white, yellow, or bicolor corn, though my preference is to use yellow only for its brighter color.
Bacon: Any is fine, but thick-cut has the most impact in soups or saucy side dishes like Instant Pot black eyed peas.
Shrimp: Thawed if frozen. Several sizes can work, but I prefer medium/large shrimp, which have around a 31-40 count per pound. Tail-off, peeled, and deveined shrimp are most convenient.
Oil: Joins with a portion of the bacon grease to sauté vegetables with delicious flavor.
Spices: Besides salt and pepper, dried thyme leaves, ground cayenne, paprika, and smoked paprika provide a smoky, zipped up seasoning blend that doesn't lean too spicy.
Flour: Necessary for thickening the chowder's roux.
Potatoes: Yellow potatoes are recommended for soups as their moderate starch level helps them hold their shapes better and not fall apart. A common variety is Yukon gold.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cook the bacon fully. Place it on a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble. Reserve for serving.
Sauté the vegetables. Remove half of the bacon fat and discard, then add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook celery and onion for 7 minutes, adding garlic during the last minute.

Four slices of cooked bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.

Sautéed onion, celery, and garlic in a Dutch oven.

Season. Add all dry seasonings and flour. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the raw flour flavor to cook off. Everything will get thick - that's okay.
Add the liquid. Deglaze with broth, then add the milk, diced potatoes, and corn.

Spices and flour worked into the sautéed vegetables.

Soup liquid, potatoes, and corn kernels being stirred into the pot of chowder.

Simmer. Partially-cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, or until a fork can be inserted into a potato chunk fairly easily.
Cook the shrimp. Bring the shrimp corn chowder up to a nice simmer (not a full boil) and add the raw shrimp. Simmer for 4-7 minutes, until fully-cooked. Serve with crumbled bacon over top.

Thickened chowder in a bowl after the potatoes have cooked.

Shrimp cooked in the chowder just prior to serving.

What Kind of Corn to Use in Chowder

In a perfect world, we would always have available fresh sweet corn on the cob, picked at the peak of the season. However that's often not the case!

If either it's not the right season, you've run out of the kernels you froze last summer, or your supermarket "sweet" corn is anything but, you have options.

Frozen Corn - I prefer frozen corn to canned corn. Frozen corn is often flash-frozen, locking in the freshness and flavor. My favorite variety is Trader Joe's Super Sweet Corn. I've used it several times in making this dish and the flavor was honestly leagues better than batches using lackluster supermarket corn on the cob. One 16-ounce bag does the trick.
Canned Corn - If you prefer to use canned corn and have a brand you like the flavor of, you can totally use it. It's not my favorite for this soup, but I keep cans on hand for easy roasted corn. Keep in mind it contains added salt, so you may want to drain and rinse it before adding to the recipe. Two cans will yield roughly the amount needed.

A Dutch oven of shrimp corn chowder after the shrimp has cooked.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Amount of corn can vary. The amount of corn kernels used doesn't have to be exact. I've tested this shrimp and corn chowder recipe with five ears of fresh corn (roughly 4 cups of kernels) as well as a one-pound bag of frozen corn kernels (a bit more than 3 cups), all other ingredients the same, and it was all good.
Prevent curdling. As this is a dairy-based soup, don't allow the mixture to come to a full boil as this can lead to a curdled texture.
Don't overcook the shrimp. Raw shrimp can cook quicker than you might think in a chowder. Exact timing will vary depending on size, so look for visible cues to know when they're fully-cooked: opaque and curled into a solid "C" shape.
Have a pet? Be careful with corn cobs. If slicing kernels from fresh corn cobs, make sure the cobs are disposed of in a secure garbage can if you have pets. The cobs are not digestible and can cause intestinal blockages and damage if eaten.

A bowl of corn and shrimp chowder topped with crumbled bacon.

Recipe FAQs

What kind of shrimp should I use in chowder?

Use peeled and deveined shrimp, ideally tail-off for convenience. While the shrimp size can vary due to preference, I like to use medium or medium/large shrimp (somewhere between 31-40 count per pound) so they can be eaten in one bite and aren't too unwieldy in soup.

How best to reheat shrimp and corn chowder?

Add leftover portion(s) to a saucepan and heat over low-medium heat until simmering. Adjust the heat if needed so that it doesn't come to a full boil, as this can lead to curdling.

Can I make this chowder even thicker?

While the roux thickens the liquid up nicely, you can produce an even thicker texture by immersion blending a portion of the chowder before you add the shrimp (I usually skip this step). This will blend up some of the corn, potatoes, celery, and onion and thicken things without needing additional ingredients.

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