Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
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With only a few simple ingredients, this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer.
With just a few simple ingredients – fresh corn on the cob, chicken broth, shallots, butter, and herbs – this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer. It’s delicious as is but also easily adapted: substitute your favorite herbs, top it with fresh chopped tomatoes or red bell peppers, or swirl in some heavy cream to make it richer.
What You’ll Need To Make Summer Corn Soup
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, remove the husks and silks from the corn and set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the shallots.
Cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt, and pepper to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
Use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. Be patient; it takes a while.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pass the soup through, using a back of a ladle to push the soup through in circular motions. Discard the fibers and bits of kernels in the sieve.
Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should have a creamy consistency. If it’s too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock; if it’s too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.
Use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness).
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh basil and thyme, if desired.
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Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
With only a few simple ingredients, this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 heaping cup chopped shallots
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality
- 6 ears fresh corn (white or yellow are both fine, but yellow makes for a prettier soup)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, for garnish
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
- Off the heat, use a hand held immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. It will take a few minutes. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow steam to escape and cover with a dishtowel so it won't splatter.) Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pass the soup through, using a back of a ladle to push the soup through in circular motions. Discard the fibers and bits of kernels in the sieve. Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should have a creamy consistency. If it's too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock; if it's too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.
- Use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn's natural sweetness). Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh basil and thyme, if desired. Serve hot or cold.
- Note: If you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, you may be able to skip the step of straining the soup.
- Note: Be sure to get fresh-picked corn and cook it as soon as possible. As soon as it is picked, corn starts converting sugar to starch which reduces sweetness. If you're not going to cook it right away, store it in the refrigerator as it slows down the conversion process.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 370
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Sugar: 17g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 15g
- Sodium: 722mg
- Cholesterol: 31mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is another scrumptious soup that my family loved. The method is very close to the lemon asparagus soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
This was not a hit with my family. I have loved all the other recipes I tried on this website, but I won’t be making this again. The soup was super labour intensive (I made my own chicken broth, so that added another layer to it) and the result was blah. Kids left it in their bowls, my husband said it was way too sweet for a soup. We would much rather have eaten the corn simply boiled.
Would a Foley mill work instead of a fine sieve?
Sure, Carol – that should work.
Jenn, this was wonderful. I wanted to serve it cold in mugs on a 90 degree day, so I simmered it an extra 10 minutes. When cold, it was thicker than I had planned. Should I shorten the extra simmering time or not thicken at all as it obviously gets thicker on its own?
That’s a nice idea for a hot day! It depends upon how thick you want the soup to be. If it was a little thicker than you’d liked this past go-round, I’d skip the extra simmering next time.
I made this soup tonight and it took an hour and a half from going to the farm stand to buy the corn to serving it. I thought it was delicious. I did not use the ground pepper since that would have introduced dark specks into a light soup. Instead, in these instances, I prefer to use green Tabasco, which offers lots of forgiveness as you add heat. The soup really changes after going through the sieve, but is still thick enough. Opps, I forgot to say, after the shallots were sauteed, I added two tablespoons of flour to ensure the finished soup did not separate.
Comments, anyone?
Delicious!! My soup didn’t turn out as thick as yours, Jenn, and I didn’t have time to cook it down. Next time I’ll leave myself more time as necessary; and next time I will add the kernels of two cob, not one. The kernels (and herbs) really did make this a very special soup! My Blend Tech made fast work of the finished product. :0)
Terrific soup Jenn. I had a similar corn soup a year ago in the dining room of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and was delighted to try your recipe. I used a mix of shallots and leeks because we have leeks and basil from our CSA. And cooking the corn cobs amplifies the corn flavor. It was like tasting liquid sunshine in a bowl! Thank you for another winning recipe.
THIS SOUP IS AWESOME. I simplified it by cooking the cobs separately and cutting off all the kernels, saving a cup of them for the end. Threw out the cobs. I also added dried basil and thyme right away before simmering. You get the taste of fresh garden corn in this recipe. If you like summer harvest corn you will love this soup. I have never left a comment on a recipe EVER. That’s how good this is.
Hi Jenn – I love your recipes and have just started to try them! I have come across your blog and can’t seem to tear myself away. With corn so cheap on sale at my local store, this was the perfect time to make my first corn soup from scratch. Good-bye canned corn!! It took more work to make than opening a can – but so delicious. I used my hand immersion blender but after tasting, I also decided to strain it through a sieve. This made it so creamy and hubby said he really enjoyed the soup with those kernels added for texture. Igre my own herb garden this year and I was happy to run out and snip herbs for this soup to sprinkle on top. Tasted like something you would get at fancy restaurant! So yummy! Thank you! This is my 3rd recipe I made and you are my favorite chef!
I love this soup! I had to use a strainer because I could not get all of the kernel shells to puree, but it still worked and tasted great! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
Jenn, You’re going to love this. Last week we were having friends over for dinner. She is from Napoli and he is from India. They are serious food lovers, and as you know, it is such fun to cook for people who appreciate your efforts. Knowing how Italians LOVE their lemons, I decided to prepare an “Italian Meyer lemon cake.” I don’t know where I had found the recipe, but it was in my enormous pile of “things to try.” It required considerable work, expense, (had to find and buy Fiori di Sicilia), and time. I followed the recipe EXACTLY! I made it early in the morning — fortunately. After it was completely cooled, being concerned since it was something new, I cut into the cake only to find that the center of each slice looked like solidified jelly. It was disgusting, to say the least. The entire cake went directly into the trash. So here it is 1:30 PM, and I have no dessert for my dinner. I ran to the computer, dashed to your website and found your lemon bundt cake recipe. I dashed to the store, bought the buttermilk and more lemons, hurried home and made your cake; it was — OF COURSE– spectacular. My friends were so impressed; I even gave them part of the cake to take home. When I told my husband the whole story, he said, “Why didn’t you use her recipe in the first place? Everything you have ever made from her collection was good.” Duh. When will I learn? Once again, Jenn to the rescue. My three adult children are all cooks (as well as their spouses) and all are Jenn Segal fans. I have ordered your cookbook for myself and all three kids. Thank you, again, for making me look good.
I’m so happy it worked out, Susan — and thank you so much for supporting me! 💜
Made this wonderful soup couple of time, and now this is our family officially summer soup. It is absolutely delicious. Thank you Jenn, for another great and healthy recipe.
Could you add lump crab meat to the soup? If so, how/when should it be added?
Sure – I’d add it at the very end so it doesn’t overcook.
Thanks so much!!!
My husband LOVES this recipe. Have made it twice, thinking about buying a Vitamix blender, straining takes a lot of effort. Laurie J
Made this corn soup and it really was delicious. I added a Parmesan cheese rind while it was simmering and it added a nice saltiness which we thought was good opposite the sweetness of the fresh corn. Will definitely make this every summer when corn is in season. Thanks again Jenn for another fabulous recipe using fresh seasonal ingredients.
We are always on the look out for corn to hit 6/$1 and then we know it is time to make this soup. I usually up the shallots to 1 1/2 cups, and add a little bit of basil infused olive oil to the butter. If I can tear my family away from the pot we can freeze a few servings for later. Such an easy, yummy soup to make.
I made this over the summer with corn from the CSA we joined – absolutely delicious and fragrant; can’t wait for summer to roll back around!!
I have tried the soup several times. When I puree with my immersion blender, I can’t get it smooth (even after 15+ minutes). I end up putting it through a sieve and it fine. It still tastes wonderful!
Hi. I haven’t seen fresh corn on the cob much in the markets now. Can I substitute frozen corn, and if so how many packages would I need. Thanks. Pamela
Hi Pamela, This is definitely best with fresh corn, but I think you could get away with frozen. You’d need the equivalent of about 4 1/2 cups of corn. I’d love to hear how it turns out with frozen corn if you make it!
Hi
If using frozen corn should I defrost first?
Hi Nilly, This is definitely best with fresh corn, but if you want to use frozen, I think I’d defrost it first. I’d love to hear how it turns out with frozen corn if you make it!
I’m excited to make this soup! I think I’m missing something though– are the basil and thyme just garnish or do they cook with the soup? When should they be added in?
Yes Miri, both the basil and thyme are garnishes. Sorry that wasn’t more clear– I just updated the recipe.
Delicious. My husband couldn’t believe it wasn’t loaded with cream. I blended it in my Vitamix on the “hot soup” setting and the texture was like velvet. We tried a little of the soup cold but it doesn’t do the flavors justice so I reheated it. We enjoyed it even if it is a 93 degree day. Definitely making this again.
I’m wondering how this soup wuld be served cold. It’s still in the 90’s here every day so we love having cold soup as a meal option.
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried this chilled, but based on the ingredients in it, I think it could work. Worse comes to worse, if you don’t like it cold, you can always reheat it :). I’d love to know what you think of it chilled!
Made this wonderful soup yesterday. It was so delicious and healthy. Since I had some fresh homemade pesto on hand and didn’t have any more fresh basil leaves to add to the soup, I just added in some of the fresh pesto. Worked great! Thanks again for another delicious recipe, Jenn!
Loved this recipe-even without the fresh herbs!
Do you think you could use frozen corn kernels, maybe in conjunction with a few fresh ears? Want to make this for Thanksgiving and the corn isn’t that beautiful anymore. Thx!
Hi Donna, Yes, that should work just fine. Enjoy!
This corn soup was the fabulous!
Jen, you keep blowing my mind with your recipes!
The soup was thin after I blended it, but that was easily fixed by reducing. I added an extra cob at that point thinking the starch would also help thicken it up. It worked and I had extra kernels to add as well. It was delicious! Thank you!
Jen! This soup is incredible. We can never get enough corn in the summer and this is such a great recipe! Your recipes never fail and I can’t wait to see more! I added 2 tbsp 1/2 and 1/2 but it didn’t even need it. I’ll be making this again for family!
Hi Jenn,
Can I substitute yellow or red onion for the shallots and what would be the measurement? Same with the herbs – I only have dried ones, how many teaspoons for basil and for thyme? Thanks so much. I’m learning so much from your site!
Hi Shirley, Yes, it’s fine to substitute yellow onions. I would use the same amount. For the herbs, cut the amounts in half. Glad you are enjoying the site!
After the first time I made this soup for my family, we knew that every year we’d need to make several batches. It is so easy to make and the taste is phenomenal. One time I didn’t have enough butter (someone had made cookies without buying more) so I used 1T butter and 3T olive oil and it was still very good.
Would taste suffer if I made this one day ahead? Dinner Party todos are so many!
Hi Betty, The taste will actually improve so go right ahead 🙂
Jenn, this is just what I was looking for (I am in the Hamptons and trying to soak up the last of the season’s corn). Question: I’d love to throw in some jalapeño. Good idea? And if so, when should I put them in? With the shallots? Thanks!
Hi Lisa, Yes, definitely a good idea — and yes, with the shallots 🙂
Thank you, Jenn! I just made it with some chopped jalapeño added to the shallots. It is spectacular! I almost didn’t need to add the other ear of corn and the herbs.
Great, healthy and simple recipe. Loved it.
Delicious, will definitely make again! I added some milk and cornstarch to make it creamier and thicken it up a bit.
Just made this! It tastes wonderful! I’ve never cooked a soup from scratch before and I’m very happy with the results. It was just what I was looking for.
This soup is fantastic! And not too hard to make, as soups often can be. My family and I kept going back for more. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I made this soup and mine turned out thin. I cooked longer to thicken, even added a little cornstarch, but never thickened. It tasted good, but not quite what I wanted.
Are there any other substitutions. It is delicious with the chicken stock, however i have one vegan guest so thiught i would do some with the veg stock.
Hi Debbie, The only other option is water, but I think the soup will have much better flavor with veg stock. Please come back and let me know how it comes out. Thx!
Can this be made with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
absolutely
Whipped this up after Church two weekends ago. This soup was sweet enough, so I did not need to add any sugar. I made a mistake by adding the fresh herbs before I used my hand-held blender and it gave a the soup a slightly greenish hue…. still tasted great and made for a nice Sunday afternoon lunch with mini grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
This was truly excellent. We often overbuy corn when it is at it’s peak and when dinner is over we find that we have ears uneaten. This is the best use I’ve found for the leftovers. I’ve tried it as written and altering it to utilize the kernel cut from already steamed ears and it is equally delicious! And best of all it freezes with very little change of texture and taste. Thank You!
As you say, I’ve OD’d on corn on the cob. What a nice change.
Can’t wait to make this.
This soup is very healthy and good for health also.
I am saying this because I have lately prepared this at home and it is easy to prepare and have goodness of herbs also.
So perfect and so easy! This is my first time on your blog–I just googled fresh corn soup and found you. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
looks gorgeous- The color in itself is perfect!
Just crazy-delicious. I’ve made several corn soups over the years, this is my favorite! I too wondered whether a heaping cup of shallots would overpower everything else, but it doesn’t. The soup has a nice balance of sweet and peppery flavors. Fresh corn is a must, get some before it’s all gone!
Made this last night and it was simple and fabulous! We all really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I fixed a pot of this soup this afternoon–I love the recipe. At the end I added in some leftover cooked potato and mushroom and some cooked shrimp (my daughter’s idea). My family really liked it.
That is such a lovely soup. So glad you had a wonderful time in The Hamptons!
So simple yet it looks so great. I love corn chowders and soup so this is a definite will make.
Wow Jen, sounds yummy! I think my CSA is offering the last corn this week, so I am def. going to do that – I’m all corned out and it sounds like a yummy alternative – but a whole cup of shallots? That won’t overpower the soup?
This sounds simple and delicious! I’ve really gotten into cooking with fresh corn this summer and this will definitely be a recipe I try.