Corn Chowder Inspired by Miss Rachel's Pantry

A lighter take on an incredible restaurant dish

My Lightened Up Corn Chowder

Dan had a birthday this month, and we went out to dinner twice to celebrate! First, to Miss Rachel’s Pantry and then to Primary Plant Based. It was a delicious celebration.

My favorite dish on the five-course menu at Miss Rachel’s was a corn chowder.

Like most restaurant food, it was also super rich! Much more so than the food I usually have at home.

I’m a member of Miss Rachel Pantry’s Patreon where chef Rachel Klein shares cooking videos and recipes once a month. I remembered she had posted a corn chowder recipe there a while back, and I checked it out because I wanted to make this chowder myself. 

As I expected, the backbone of the chowder was coconut milk and lots of it. Four cups of it. That’s 200 grams of saturated fat or about 33 grams per serving. 

Miss Rachel’s Corn Chowder with Mushroom Sausage and Zucchini Bread Crouton

The thing some people don’t understand about following a vegan diet for cholesterol reduction is that it’s not actually dietary cholesterol that raises your blood cholesterol. 

It’s mainly saturated fat. 

Most plant-based food is low in or free from saturated fat, but there are some ingredients with just as much if not more than animal-based foods. Chiefly, coconut. So while I enjoy it in restaurant foods and even at home from time to time, I mostly try to avoid it. 

If I wanted to replicate this recipe, I’d need to use something else for that satisfying chowder-y richness. I chose, as usual, cashews.

Cashews have some saturated fat, too. But the amount of saturated fat from cashews in my version of this recipe is only 2.5 grams for the entire batch. A little goes a long way.

I knew from the jump that this recipe would not be as decadent as the restaurant’s version. Duh. But you know what? It’s still very delicious and satisfying. 

It captures the essence of the dish—sweet local corn—and I knew it wasn’t taking me off my cholesterol management journey. 

I’ll make this a couple more times before the summer ends! 

Corn Chowder

Adapted from Miss Rachel’s Pantry Patreon

Serves 6 (makes 3 quarts) 

5 ears of corn

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion diced 

1 cup diced celery

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup diced carrots (1 small carrot)

1/2 cup tomato, diced

2 small fresh red chilies, such as Fresno

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

6 cups corn stock

1 cup plant milk (I used oat)

3 medium Yukon potatoes, diced (350 grams)

⅓ cup raw cashews (50 grams)

⅓ cup water (100 grams)

Thinly sliced green onion, for garnish, optional

Remove the husk and silk from your corn. With a sharp knife, strip the kernels off the cob. Don’t worry about scraping every bit off the cob. You’re going to make a corn stock, so the starchy corn milk will get extracted into the water (especially if you use your Instant Pot).

To make your corn stock, place the stripped cobs in an instant pot of a stock pot. Cover with 6 cups water. If using the instant pot, set it to high pressure for 15 minutes. You can release the pressure when the timer goes off. If using a stock pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, covered for about 45 minutes.

While the corn stock cooks, start the chowder. In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, tomato, red chilies, black pepper, and salt. Cook until the vegetables have started to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the corn stock and plant milk, and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes.  

Add the corn and potatoes and cook until potatoes are just tender, about 12 minutes. (Start testing your potatoes at 10 minutes—it depends on what size you chopped them.)

Transfer about 2 cups to a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix), and add the raw cashews and water. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Return to the pot, and stir to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with green onion before serving, if desired.

Note: Like most soups, this chowder improves after an overnight rest in the refrigerator, so it’s an ideal make-ahead dish. It’s also a great way to stash the flavor of summer in the freezer so you can enjoy it during the dead of winter.