This is a delicious vegan Southwestern sweet corn chowder recipe with potatoes, zucchini, New Mexican green chiles, ancho chili powder, cilantro, lime and more. As I do, I decided to give this recipe a refresh. So, if you’ve been a fan of this recipe, I made a few small changes to make it even better!
This vegan Southwestern sweet corn chowder recipe still works terrifically for any season. When sweet corn, tomatoes, and zucchini are abundant in the summer, this soup is a spicy, savory delight. In the colder months of the year, this soup is the right amount of fresh and comforting to chase away the gloomy days.
This recipe makes ~6 servings.
A few things..
- I have tested both fresh and frozen sweet corn in this vegan chowder recipe. Both work very well. Do what suits you.
- You can adjust the heat in the recipe. If you like a much spicier soup, use chipotle chili powder to your tastes or incorporate a can of hot diced green chiles, instead of using mild ones.
- In the spirit of trying to make this as “whole foods” as possible, I created the creamy base using blanched slivered almonds and raw cashews in a high speed blender (ie – Vitamix, Ninja). If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can pour in ~2 cups of unsweetened plain plant based milk, instead. It won’t be quite as thick or creamy, but it should still be pretty good.
Please enjoy! And discover other UVK recipes, like Vegan Southwestern Chicken Casserole with Soy Curls, Sweet Corn and Hash Browns, Coconut Corn Soup with Soy Curls, Southwestern Jackfruit Pizza, Zucchini Basil Soup, and more.
Southwestern Sweet Corn Chowder
1 medium red onion, small dice (OR ~1½ cups small dice red onion)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
4 ounce can of diced mild green chiles
1 medium zucchini, cubed (OR ~1½ cups cubed zucchini)
1 large yellow potato, cubed (OR ~1 cup cubed yellow potatoes)
3 cups fake chicken broth (I used 1½ cubes of Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon + 3 cups water)
2 bay leaves
⅓ cup blanched slivered almonds
⅓ cup raw whole cashews
1¼ cups water
3 cups sweet corn (cut off the cob OR frozen)
1 medium tomato, diced (OR ~½ cup diced tomato)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Lime juice, to taste (I added ~2 tsp)
Salt, to taste
1. First, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the vegan Southwestern sweet corn chowder. In a large, heavy pot, add red onion, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes or until the onions soft. Add garlic, ancho chili powder, coriander, cumin, and oregano. Sauté another minute.
2. Add the green chiles, zucchini, and potatoes. Stirring often, sauté for a minute or two. Then, add the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover with a lid for ~10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
3. While the pot simmers, make the creamy base for the vegan Southwestern sweet corn chowder. Add the blanched slivered almonds, cashews and water to a high speed blender (like a Vitamix). Blend until completely smooth.
4. When the potatoes are cooked through, stir in the sweet corn. Cook for ~3 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in the contents of the blender, the tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Taste the vegan Southwestern sweet corn chowder, and adjust seasoning, if needed (more lime juice? more salt?). Serve.