Easy Ham and Corn Chowder (2024)

Home Soups Easy Ham and Corn Chowder

By Natasha

Mar 15, 2020, Updated Feb 18, 2024

4.96

171

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This ham and corn chowder recipe is loaded with hearty potatoes, crispy bacon, and plenty of sweet corn! It’s creamy, comforting, and easy to make.

You may also enjoy my Salmon Chowder or Creamy Corn Chowder next.

Easy Ham and Corn Chowder (2)

Why you’ll love it

This corn chowder with ham is based on my popular Chicken and Corn Chowder. The ingredients and simple cooking process are fairly similar, but it’s great to use up leftover ham from Easter or Christmas. One lovely reader called it “the perfect cozy dinner”!

Cream gives this ham, potato, and corn chowder recipe that signature silkiness. This comforting chowder is made from everyday ingredients. Bacon, onion, celery, and garlic infuse a ton of flavor. The flour and potatoes thicken the soup and make it hearty.

What you’ll need

  • Bacon – it makes everything better!
  • Onion, celery, and garlic – tasty building blocks. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions here.
  • Flour – to thicken up the broth
  • Chicken broth – for more savory flavor
  • Heavy cream – to make the texture rich and luscious
  • Corn – I used frozen corn for convenience. You could definitely use fresh or canned corn if you wish.
  • Ham – use leftover, or you can also just buy a piece of ham and cut it up like I did. You can find smaller pieces of smoked ham (like around 1-2 pounds) in most major grocery stores.
  • Potatoes – Russets are my go-to in soups
  • Italian seasoning – my favorite all-purpose seasoning blend
  • Cayenne – it’s optional; it doesn’t make it spicy but it adds a little something-something to punch up the taste even more
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Tools for this recipe

Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

How to make ham and corn chowder

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

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Cook the bacon in a soup pot until crispy, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the fat behind. Stir in the onion and celery, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add in the flour and garlic, and stir until fragrant.

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Stir in the broth until the flour has dissolved while scraping up the browned bits. Add in the cream, corn, ham, potatoes, Italian seasoning, cayenne, and most of the bacon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender. If needed, season with salt & pepper. Top with remaining bacon.

Substitutions and variations

  • As with any recipe, substitutions are at your own risk. Someone made my other (similar) chowder recipe with half-and-half instead of cream, and the heat curdled it, so just be mindful if you’re doing a substitution.
  • Because ham and bacon can be quite salty, you may want to use low-sodium chicken broth if you have any concerns with salt content.
  • I like the starchiness of Russet potatoes, but you can use a different variety if you like.
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What to serve with this chowder

  • Pair it with fresh crusty bread, cornbread, or crackers. A slice of Garlic Bread is great as well.
  • For a salad, I like spring mix with my Homemade Ranch Dressing or this zesty Italian Dressing. This Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad always works too.

Leftovers and storage

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
  • Reheat over a low heat. The soup gets thicker the longer you leave it. You can add more chicken broth to leftovers to thin it out if needed.
  • You could freeze it if you want for up to 3 months, but since there’s dairy, there’s a chance the texture will change a bit. But it’ll still taste good!

More tasty recipes with ham

  • Ham and Potato Soup (Dairy-Free)
  • Easy Ham and Bean Soup
  • Ham Salad
  • Instant Pot Split Pea Soup (with ham OR vegetarian)
  • One Pot Ham and Pea Pasta
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Questions about this corn chowder recipe with ham and potatoes? Made it? Leave me a comment below! Tag me on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes.

Easy Ham and Corn Chowder (8)

4.96 from 71 votes

Ham and Corn Chowder

By Natasha Bull

This ham and corn chowder recipe is loaded with hearty potatoes, crispy bacon, and plenty of sweet corn! It's creamy, comforting, and easy to make.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients

  • 4 strips bacon
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 pound smoked ham chopped
  • 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Prep your bacon (I use kitchen shears to make cutting it up easy) and add it to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).

  • Meanwhile, prep your onion, celery, ham, and potatoes.

  • Once the bacon is crispy, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.

  • Add the onion and celery to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.

  • Stir in the flour and garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.

  • Stir in the chicken broth, and ensure the flour has dissolved and the flavorful brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pot.

  • Add in the cream, corn, ham, potatoes, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and most of the bacon (I save the rest for garnishing the bowls later on). Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it's gently boiling.

  • Cook with the lid slightly open until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir every so often. The soup will get thicker the longer you cook it.

  • Season the soup with salt & pepper if needed. Garnish with the rest of the bacon.

Notes

  • Serves 4-6 depending on portion size.
  • If you’re sensitive to salt, use low-sodium chicken broth. Ham can be quite salty.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 1624mg, Potassium: 1109mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 643IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

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171 Comments

  1. What do you think about subbing ham broth (from baked ham without glaze) for the chicken broth?

    Reply

    1. I think that’s a great idea! Let me know how it goes. 🙂

      Reply

  2. I’ve learbed to add the cream/milk when potatoes are cooked because it tens to stick if added earlier.

    Reply

Easy Ham and Corn Chowder (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken corn chowder after cooking? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

How to thicken seafood chowder? ›

Flour: Thicken the chowder up with all-purpose flour. Seasonings: Season the fish chowder with Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk makes the chowder even thicker and richer.

What to do with a ham bone after Christmas? ›

Make a Broth with the Ham Bone

To do this, simply place it in a slow cooker, cover it with water, and let it simmer for several hours on high heat (about 4). Now, when you boil the bones they will also add some juice to the pot.

How to use a hambone? ›

Just cover the ham bone with water and pot, bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for an hour before starting the recipe. You could probably also just put the bone in a slow cooker with some water overnight to make some ham stock. Whether you use chicken stock or not, both methods work fine.

What is the best thickener for chowder? ›

Soup Thickening Method: Cornstarch Slurry

Cornstarch is flavorless, easy to mix up, and versatile, which makes it a go-to pantry ingredient. I made a classic slurry by whisking cornstarch and hot broth until smooth in a small bowl.

Will heavy cream thicken corn chowder? ›

However, chowder can also get a bad reputation due to the large amounts of butter, bacon, and heavy cream that are often used to thicken it and add flavor. As a result, it can be a super-rich dish.

When to add heavy cream to chowder? ›

Lower the heat, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes, until broth has thickened slightly and the potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf from pot. Using an immersion mixer (or blender), blend soup to a fine consistency. Stir in the clams and heavy whipping cream.

Is it better to thicken chowder with flour or cornstarch? ›

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

How do you thicken ham chowder? ›

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

How long can you keep a ham bone to make soup? ›

A ham bone will keep in the freezer for at least a few months. That buys you some time to make full use of it and you have a few days to properly prepare it for long-term storage.

Is ham still good after 7 days? ›

Whole cured hams last in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, fresh ham only lasts a few days in the refrigerator, about three or four once you've cooked it. It doesn't matter if the ham is whole or sliced; the lack of preservatives allows it to spoil more quickly.

What to do with the juice from a ham? ›

Ham stocks generally go well with pulses and the stock could be used to make a black bean soup, a lentil soup such as the Yellow Split Peas and Frankfurter Soup (from Feast) or the Chick Pea and Pasta Soup (from How To Eat).

What kind of soup can be made from a ham bone? ›

This is a Ham Bone Soup made using the slow cooker which is the most effortless way to cook leftover ham bone. Set, forget, fall apart meat, flavour infused soup! You'll love the creamy broth (but no cream!), and how the tender beans absorb the flavour.

Can dogs eat ham? ›

Yes and no. Although ham isn't toxic for your dog, it's best to avoid it in large quantities. The odd small bite is unlikely to cause an issue (unless your dog has a known or underlying medical condition), but it's not the best meat for your pup to consume a lot of.

What animal does a ham come from? ›

Ham is the cured leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. Fresh ham will bear the term "fresh" as part of the product name and is an indication that the product is not cured. "Turkey" ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of turkey.

How do you thicken chowder after its made? ›

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

How much cornstarch to add to chowder? ›

How Much Cornstarch to Thicken Soup? Start by using 1 tablespoon of cornstarch at a time, mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. More cornstarch slurry can be added, but be sure not to add too much. Only mix in a small amount of slurry at a time to ensure that your soup will thicken properly.

What makes chowder thick? ›

Potato – For the thickest soup, be sure to use baking potatoes, such as russet. They break down as they cook a bit and act to thicken the soup naturally, without needing to add too much cream.

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