This creamy and delicious soup is easily made, using the slow cooker, and perfect for warming up with, in the cold weather.
Singing: Anything you can make, I can make vegan! I can make vegan all that you do! I was browsing through Flipboard one day, as I do, and I saw some corn chowder, which has never really been a go-to for me, but maybe my taste buds are changing, because it sounded delicious! Of course, the recipe I saw wasn’t vegan, but I opened it up and thought, “But I could make it vegan!”
I love to veganize things. It proves that we don’t miss out on anything. I also love that I share things with others (others who still eat animal products) and they’ll say, “You really can’t tell that’s not the ‘real’ thing!”
I’m not going to lie, the tofu “bacon” I top this soup with isn’t going to fool any omnivore because the texture wouldn’t be quite right, but for us vegan folk it’s a satisfying addition, and it’s quite tasty to everyone. The soup itself, however, one wouldn’t know. Making a creamy soup without using dairy is so easy!
When I first started throwing this soup together, my plan was to simply veganize the non-vegan recipe I’d found, but just as I do with any recipe I try to follow, I kept changing it along the way, pulling it further away from the recipe with which I started.
I did have a bit of a “freak out moment” after I put all this together. I started my base like that of the recipe I was trying to follow, or alter rather. One of the ingredients was canned creamed corn, something I don’t believe I’d had since I was a kid (TBH, I’ve never really been a fan of it). I threw everything in the crockpot and was driving downtown to my hair appointment and suddenly thought, “Oh noooooo… creamed corn?! Is there actually cream in that?!” So funny, I don’t think I’ve had one of those kinds of moments since I first switched to eating plant-based, but as I said, creamed corn isn’t something I normally eat.
I got to my appointment a couple of minutes early and had to stop and do a google search in the car before going in. Homemade creamed corn may contain cream, but canned creamed corn typically doesn’t. That was calming, and I was able to make it through the next couple hours until I made it back home, haha. Once I got home, I looked at the cans for reassurance, and I was in the clear!
To make the soup, I set aside two of the ingredients (non-dairy milk and cornstarch), I threw everything else in the slow cooker, set it to low, and walked away (or drove to my appointment, rather). When I checked it, six and a half hours later, the potatoes and carrots were soft, just as I was hoping they would be. I then whisked together the milk and cornstarch, stirred it into the soup, then tasted and adjusted my seasonings as needed.
For the milk, I went with cashew because I like its creaminess. If you can’t have nuts, no worries though. There are so many non-dairy milk choices these days, just pick your favorite. All you have to make sure of is that your milk of choice is unsweetened and unflavored — well, and of course, vegan!
After adding the cashew milk/cornstarch mixture, I switched the crockpot to its warm setting and cooked up the tofu bacon I chose to have as my topping. I leave this as optional, the soup is delicious as is, or I also give a couple of other topping suggestions. You can buy or make coconut bacon, which I like to sprinkle on soups often (find instructions for making your own in my recipe for Creamy Vegan BLT Casserole). Another ingredient I decided made a yummy topping was non-dairy cheese shreds.
If you do choose to make my tofu bacon crumbles, you’ll need to drain, press, and then marinate the tofu while the soup is in the slow cooker. The marinade is easy with only three ingredients — tamari (or soy sauce), maple syrup, and liquid smoke.
I cut the tofu into thin strips and kept them in the marinade for two hours, flipping them over after one hour. Before cooking them up, I cut them into smaller pieces. Cooking them is easy, I fry the pieces up in a skillet with a little oil until the liquid is absorbed and the tofu is to your desired crispness. I first made these little tofu “bacon” pieces for my Vegan Spaghetti Squash Carbonara, which you’ll need to try sometime if you never have!
Today we actually have rain down here in San Diego! I’m thankful for having leftovers because I think some of this creamy corn chowder is going to hit the spot! If you enjoy this soup as we do, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Vegan Corn Chowder
Ingredients
For the soup...
- 4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cans cream style corn (ensure dairy-free, most are)
- 3 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups chicken-flavored vegetable broth I used Imagine No-Chicken Broth (low sodium)
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 2 cups unsweetened, non-dairy milk I used cashew for its creaminess. For nut-free use non-dairy milk of choice.
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
For the tofu "bacon" crumbles (optional for topping)...
- 1/2 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
- 1/2 Tbsp liquid smoke
- oil of choice for cooking
Other optional toppings...
- *coconut bacon, homemade or store bought (only if not making the tofu "bacon" crumbles above)
- non-dairy cheese shreds I tried and liked cheddar style shreds, but I think, a mozzarella style or a Mexican blend would also be tasty
- fresh parsley, chopped
- green onions, chopped
Instructions
For the soup...
- Set aside the non-dairy milk and cornstarch. Next add all remaining soup ingredients to a slow cooker, making sure to put the onions, potatoes, and carrots at the bottom where the pot stays the hottest. Cook on low for 6 1/2 - 8 1/2 hours (or on high for 3 - 5 hr).
- After 6 1/2 hours (3 hr if cooking on high) remove the lid from the slow cooker and check to see if your potatoes and carrots are soft. If veggies are still firm, replace lid and cook longer, checking every 30 minutes (or an hour if they aren't even close to being done, though they should be), until veggies are no longer firm.
- Sift the cornstarch into a bowl or cup with the non-dairy milk and whisk until no lumps remain. Stir the cornstarch/milk mixture into the soup. Taste soup and adjust seasonings as desired. Turn heat to "keep warm" and let sit another 15 - 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
- To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and eat as is or top with my tofu "bacon" crumbles, or toppings of choice.
For the optional tofu "bacon"...
- Slice tofu into approximately 8 thin slices.
- Whisk together the tamari, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Add them to a small baking dish or another container that will snuggly fit the tofu slices side-by-side (I used an 8x7 baking dish. An 8x8 or 9x9 dish would also work). Add tofu to the dish with the marinade and let sit for 2 hours, flipping once after 1 hour.
- Remove tofu from marinade and chop into small strips or pieces.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little cooking oil of choice. Add the tofu pieces and fry, stirring frequently, until all liquid is absorbed and tofu has reached your desired crispness.