Summer Corn Soup
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Smooth, creamy, and made without a drop of cream, this fresh corn soup is just as delicious hot as it is chilled.
With just a few simple ingredients, this corn soup is packed with fresh corn flavor and tastes like summer in a bowl. It’s delicious as is but easy to customize—try different fresh herbs, top it with chopped tomatoes or crisp bacon, or swirl in a little heavy cream for extra richness.
“What an easy and super tasty soup this was… it DOES taste like summer, and we enjoyed every bite.”
What You’ll Need To Make Summer Corn Soup
- Unsalted butter: Used to gently sauté the shallots and adds richness to the soup.
- Shallots: Provide a mild, slightly sweet onion flavor that complements the corn without overpowering it.
- Fresh corn: White or yellow corn both work well, though yellow corn gives the soup a prettier golden color. The cobs are simmered along with the kernels to extract as much corn flavor as possible.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Forms the base of the soup. Using low-sodium broth lets you control the seasoning.
- Salt & black pepper: Season the soup and bring out the sweetness of the corn.
- Fresh basil & thyme: Stirred in at the end for freshness and a pop of herbal flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the corn: Husk the corn and remove the silks. Set one ear aside. Working one ear at a time, stand the corn upright in a large bowl and slice downward with a sharp knife to remove the kernels—the bowl will catch them as they fall. Break the scraped cobs in half and set aside.
Cook the shallots and corn: Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the shallots until soft and translucent. Add the stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, reserved whole ear of corn, and seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Blend the soup: Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Continue simmering the soup for another 10 minutes, then remove and discard the cobs. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until completely smooth. This takes a few minutes, so be patient.
Strain the soup: Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour in the soup. Using the back of a ladle, press the soup through the sieve in a circular motion, then discard the fibrous bits left behind.
Finish the soup: Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should be smooth and creamy; if it’s too thick, add a little water or stock, and if it’s too thin, simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Cut the kernels from the reserved ear of corn and stir them into the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a pinch of sugar if the corn needs a little boost of sweetness.
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Summer Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 heaping cup chopped shallots, from 3 to 4 shallots
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson's
- 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 to 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.
Notes
- If you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, you may be able to skip the step of straining the soup.
- 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.
- Freezing 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.
Nutrition Information
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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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.