Easy Instant Pot Zucchini Corn Chowder with Bacon
This chowder is shockingly good.
Have you found yourself drowning in excess garden vegetables towards the end of summer, like I do?
I didn’t even grow any of my own this year, and yet I had neighbor after neighbor offering me free produce from overabundant gardens all through July and August. (I have the best neighbors!)
So I created an easy recipe that would incorporate all my delightful, delicious garden gifts together in one amazing pot. My Instant Pot, the perfect soup machine!
Why this easy Instant Pot Zucchini Corn Chowder is shockingly good:
- Onion, celery, and garlic sautéed in bacon drippings
- Savory chicken broth is used for the base liquid (NEVER use water for your soups!)
- Cream cheese and a splash of half-and-half make this soup next-level good.
The best trick EVER for making chowders with cream cheese.
Finishing it off super quick and easy by blending the cream cheese with some of the hot soup in a blender for 8-10 seconds, then pouring it back into the pot. No more 10-minute stirring marathons trying to melt all that cream cheese into your chowder. I know it dirties an extra dish, but it’s 100% worth it. Ladle this chowder up and smother each serving with chopped bacon. (My family doesn’t sprinkle bacon; we smother our soup with bacon!) It is shockingly good.
It truly makes my heart happy to teach others how to build soups/stews loaded with flavor.
Take care and God bless,
Emily & Cookie
Instant Pot Zucchini Corn Chowder with Bacon
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
Description
Creamy Instant Pot chowder packed with sweet corn, garden zucchini, yellow squash, green chile, and potatoes, then smothered with chopped bacon. Plus, learn the secret for melting cream cheese into any chowder effortlessly (without any stirring).
Ingredients
- 1 whole package (12 oz) of bacon
- 1/2 large sweet or yellow onion
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 5 ears fresh (raw) sweet corn, cut off the cob
- 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini (between 8–12 inches) washed, seeds removed, and diced
- 1 large yellow squash (about the same size as the zucchini), washed, seeds removed, and diced
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4–1/2 cup canned diced green chile (more or less for your preferred level of heat)
- 2 cups half and half or milk
- 1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese
Instructions
- Chop the bacon strips and place them in an Instant Pot set to sauté on low. Stir often, until the bacon is cooked. Remove and put on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard excess bacon grease, leaving about a tablespoon or two in the pot.
- Add the diced onion and celery to the instant pot. Turn the saute function to medium heat by pressing the saute button. Cook until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the diced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the chicken broth, scraping any stuck food off the bottom of the Instant Pot.
- Add the corn, potatoes, zucchini, squash, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and green chile. Stir all the contents briefly, then fasten the cover onto the Instant Pot. Turn off the saute function. Turn on the pressure cook function and set to 4 minutes on high. While the soup is cooking, chop the cooked bacon into smaller pieces for topping the chowder. Once the Instant Pot is finished cooking, release the pressure and carefully remove the lid.
- In a blender, add the half-and-half and brick of cream cheese. Add a couple of ladlefuls of hot soup. Blend until smooth (about 15 -20 seconds). Pour the contents into the Instant Pot and stir to combine. If you don’t have a blender, simply add the half-and-half and cream cheese to the Instant Pot and stir for several minutes to allow the cream cheese to melt into the soup.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle generously with the bacon to serve up smiles all around.
Notes
Substitutions:
The fresh sweet corn in this recipe can be substituted with two (10 oz) bags of frozen sweet corn.
The amount of green chile is totally up to you and your preferred level of heat. I roast, peel, and freeze my own Hatch chile each year so I know exactly how hot it is and how much I want to use. If you don’t have green chile in your area, a pinch of cayenne pepper will do just fine as a substitute.
Any type of potatoes will work in this recipe as well, so feel free to use whatever variety you have on hand.
To freeze:
Store chilled (refrigerated) chowder in freezer bags, removing as much air as possible, for up to three months.
To reheat:
Place frozen chowder in the Instant Pot set to slow cook for 2-3 hours. Or, thaw overnight in the fridge and place in a large pot on the stove set to medium-low and stir often. The chowder may not be as smooth as the day you cooked it, but it will still taste great. Top it with some freshly cooked and chopped bacon.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
