This shrimp and corn chowder recipe is lighter and healthier than most but just as delicious. It contains fresh shrimp, corn and potatoes in a rich flavorful creamy broth but there's no cream at all. The broth is made with chicken stock, low-fat milk and just enough butter and bacon to make it taste amazing!

bowl of shrimp and corn chowder topped with crumbled bacon and chopped scallions

Whenever I want to wow people at the table, shrimp comes to mind. It always feels like a special occasion when shrimp is on the menu.

My spicy garlic shrimp and my sautéed shrimp with remoulade sauce are reliable favorites that I love to serve as appetizers.

This shrimp and corn chowder makes a fantastic main dish for a gathering of family or friends. It's quick and easy to throw together and always enjoyed by all.

This scrumptious lightened-up shrimp and corn chowder is creamy with no cream at all. The base is chicken stock and low-fat milk…and there’s just enough butter and bacon to make it taste decadent l www.panningtheglobe.com

And, it's ready in less than an hour from start to finish! Here's what you'll need to make it.

Ingredients on a stainless steel counter: bowl of raw shrimp, bunch of celery, bunch of scallions, 3 russet potatoes, an onion, a bulb of garlic, a pack of bacon, some fresh thyme sprigs, a pack of frozen corn, a box of chicken broth, box of milk, bag of four, butter, salt cellar, pepper grinder, bottle of bay leaves, bottle of cayenne pepper.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder Ingredients

Potatoes
Russet potatoes are great in this dish. They get nice and tender and some of them partially dissolve into the broth and thicken it - yum!
Bacon
Everything's better with bacon but some brands of bacon are healthier than others. I always try to use a brand that's organic, uncured and sodium nitrite free, such as Applegate.
Onions, celery and garlic
These aromatic vegetables are chopped and sautéed to create the flavor base of the chowder
Fresh thyme
There's nothing like fresh herbs to amp up the flavor of a dish.
All purpose flour
Instead of cream, this chowder is thickened with flour.
2% reduced-fat milk and low salt chicken broth
These liquids form the soup stock.
Bay leaf, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper
Adjust the amount of cayenne to the level of heat you want in the chowder
Shrimp
Look for medium sized shrimp, fresh or frozen, that is peeled and deveined (unless you are okay with doing a little extra prep work).
Corn kernels
Frozen corn works really well and I recommend it unless you can get your hands on fresh sweet summer corn.
Chopped scallions
To sprinkle on top.

How to make Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Slice and dice the vegetables and potatoes.
Half-cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes and drain.
While the potatoes cook, sauté the bacon in a large heavy pot and transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Pour the bacon fat from the pot into a heatproof bowl and reserve.

Add butter and bacon fat to the pot and sauté the onions and celery until tender, adding the garlic and thyme at the end for two minutes.
Add the flour to the pot and cook, stirring constantly, for a minute.
Next add in the milk, broth and bay leaf. Bring the broth to a simmer and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

flour being stirred and cooked with sautéed onions, celery and garlic in a dutch oven.

chicken broth being poured from above, into a dutch oven filled with a milky broth.

Add the spices, shrimp, potatoes and - lastly - the corn.
Let the soup simmer for about four minutes, until the shrimp is just cooked through.
Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems.
Taste the broth and correct the seasonings with additional salt and pepper, as needed.

small cubes of partially cooked potatoes being poured from a steel colander into a dutch oven with shrimp chowder broth topped with pepper, salt and cayenne.

corn kernels being poured from a bag held above a dutch oven filled with shrimp chowder being cooked on the stove

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with crumbled bacon and chopped scallions.

dutch oven with the lid mostly off, filled with creamy shrimp and corn chowder

This tasty, lightened-up shrimp and corn chowder recipe, is adapted from a Cooking Light Recipe. It's wonderful to be able to enjoy a much lighter version of creamy comforting shrimp and corn chowder made without any cream.

What to serve with shrimp and corn chowder

A rich-tasting chowder like this calls out for a fresh green salad on the side. I recommend this butter lettuce salad with citrus honey vinaigrette or this healthy green salad with lemon dijon vinaigrette.

A basket of good crusty bread is always a good addition to a soup meal.

Here's the Shrimp and Corn Chowder recipe. If you try it I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

Author: Lisa
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 4 - 6 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This lighter healthier shrimp and corn chowder recipe is made with chicken broth, low-fat milk and just enough butter and bacon to make it taste amazing.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (2 medium potatoes)
4 slices bacon (I suggest using a brand that's free of sodium nitrite)
1 tablespoon butter
¾ cup finely chopped onion (1 medium onion)
½ cup finely chopped celery (2 stalks)
1 ½ tablespoons finely minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 ¼ cups low salt chicken broth (I recommend Swanson's)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛-¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how much spice you like)
24 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 pound)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed or 1 ¼ cup fresh corn kernels
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced to garnish
Crumbled bacon (from above) to garnish

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Instructions

Put potatoes and ½ teaspoon salt into a medium saucepan filled halfway with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until potatoes are just tender. (They will soften up more in the soup.) Drain and set aside.
While the potatoes are boiling, cook bacon in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour drippings into a heat-proof bowl or mug. Wipe any blackened bits out of the pot.
Return 1 tablespoon of drippings to the pot along with 1 tablespoon butter. Add onion and celery and cook over medium-low heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme sprigs and sauté 2 minutes longer.
Sprinkle flour into the pot and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add milk, broth and bay leaf. Turn up the heat and as soon as the liquids come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
Add salt, black pepper, cayenne, shrimp, corn and potatoes. Simmer until shrimp are just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Discard bay leaf and thyme stalks. Taste the broth and season with additional salt and pepper, as needed.
To Serve, divide soup among bowls. Crumble bacon and sprinkle on top, along with sliced scallions.

Notes

Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Category: Soup
Method: simmer
Cuisine: American

Keywords: lighter healthier shrimp and corn chowder

[This post was first published on August 28, 2014. It was updated on August 11, 2023 with new photos to illustration the cooking process, clarifying instructions added to the recipe card, and helpful details added to the written post.]

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Shrimp and Corn Chowder Ingredients

How to make Shrimp and Corn Chowder

What to serve with shrimp and corn chowder