This light and easy fresh corn soup, tastes creamy, but it is completely dairy free and vegan! A great way to enjoy Summer’s sweet corn.
This Summer Fresh Corn Soup makes the most of summer’s plentiful and flavourful sweet field corn, with lovely Summer tomatoes and basil, as well. While this fresh corn soup tastes creamy, it doesn’t have any added milk or cream, instead using corn “milk” and a bit of potato to add a creamy texture.
I love to serve this soup as a meal with a side salad and sometimes, with warm homemade buttermilk biscuits sprinkled with a little fleur de sel (Yes, my meal did just get a little less healthy there :) This soup would also be great as a starter soup for summer entertaining.
Cook’s Notes
If your soup ends up too thick, simply thin with a little water.
If you are not wanting to keep this soup strictly vegan, you can top this one with a dollop of sour creme, creme fraiche, or my personal favourite, goat feta cheese crumbles.
You can serve this soup hot, warm or at room temperature. I prefer it just slightly warmed or at room temperature, depending on how hot the day is.
Get the Recipe: Summer Fresh Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh sweet corn kernels, from about 5 ears of fresh corn, shucked and silks removed
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1 medium potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 sprigs fresh marjoram, or 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne
- 1/2 cup finely diced fresh tomatoes, for garnish
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the fresh ears of corn into a large bowl. You don't need to cut too close to the base of the kernels, as you want to leave a bit for the next step. You'll need about 3-1/2 to 4 cups of kernels for this soup. Set corn kernels aside.
- After the kernels have been cut off, stand one cob on end in a shallow dish and use the back edge of the knife to scrape the cobs and extract as much "milk" and solids as you can. Set this corn milk mixture aside as well.
- Break the cobs in half and put them in a heavy, large pot. Add 6 cups water and 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the cobs. Pour the corn stock into a bowl and set aside.
- Set the same pot back on the stove-top over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When it's hot, add in the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Reduce the heat to medium and add the celery a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Cover the pot and cook until the vegetables start to soften, stirring occasionally to prevent them from browning, about 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne and stir. Add the corn stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium low. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add most of the corn kernels, reserving about 1 cup. Simmer the soup for another 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender or in small batches in a blender (be careful to fill the blender no more than one-third full and hold a towel over the lid while you turn it on). Put the pureed soup back in the pot. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Add the reserved corn kernels and corn "milk," . Turn the heat off under the pot after adding corn/corn milk and let stand 5 minutes, so the hot soup cooks it slightly. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, garnished with chopped tomatoes and basil.
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I made this soup which came out surprisingly more corn tasting than I thought it would!
I went ahead with some modifications to the recipe to go with what I had already: I used my Instant Pot rather than a regular pot. Boiled the corn cobs with chicken stock (note: this makes the final stock brown, so if colour is of utmost importance, I would use broth or water as suggested) for 30 minutes on high pressure. I used carrot instead of celery and skipped the marjoram. Then I added the stock back and half of the corn before pressure-cooking it on high for twenty minutes. When it was done, I added the rest of the corn and let it sit for five minutes.
Worth a try when corn in plentiful and sweet on its own.
So glad you enjoyed it, June and yes, it is very much a corn soup :) Thanks so much!
I love this recipe! Thanks so much for it!
Glad to hear, Aileen :) Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, John. I hope to make it myself one more time before the (fresh, local) corn is gone for another year.
This is a great corn soup, easy to make and very tasty. I didn’t puree the soup at all, just prepared it as written and was extremely pleased with the tasty results. Thanks for the recipe, it is a keeper.
You’re welcome, Lisa and enjoy the soup!
This recipe rocks! I am going to try it for my family. The ingredients are simple and it’s healthy. Thank you!
Hi Sherilee, I am anxiously waiting for corn, as well. It’s into August here before we see much local corn, but it’s getting closer! :)
Just found your site from Where Women Cook, and can’t wait to try this soup when the corn is plentiful around here!
Thanks for the summer cooking inspiration.
Hi Taylor. I have always thought even a great soup is better with biscuits.
This looks like a delicious summer soup…especially with the buttermilk biscuits!
It’s a great use for fresh corn, Betty. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. It’s a lovely soup.
This sounds wonderful. I just brought home four dozen ears of freshly pulled sweet corn from my brother’s field. I know where some of them are going! Thanks!
Hi Jane, Yes, the recipe really is meant for fresh corn, only because you use the corn “milk” and pulp for the creaminess and the cobs for corn stock. It’s worth seeking out fresh corn for, if you can!
Whoops, just read more closely. Sorry!
If I want to use frozen corn for this, how many cups should I use?
Thanks!
Thanks so much, Dixie Caviar. I enjoyed looking around your blog, as well. This northern girl loves southern cooking! (We went to Mrs. Wilkes in Savannah a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much.) So do tell … what exactly, is Dixie Caviar?
You have a beautiful blog! Your interesting layout and beautiful pictures will keep me coming back for more.