This easy one-pot Sweet Potato Corn Chowder is a creamy, hearty, and "loaded with good stuff" soup! Bacon, kale, red bell pepper, and corn combine with tender sweet potatoes for a healthy and colorful twist on potato soup!
A delicious variation to our favorite Potato Corn Chowder, this sweet potato version is loaded with flavor! Sweet corn and sweet potatoes have those natural sugars that balance beautifully in this creamy, smokey, and savory soup.
Perfect for fall, when you still have a few precious ears of late summer sweet corn, and the peppers and kale are still in the garden. Also a cozy winter favorite as frozen corn works just fine too! You might also love this Zucchini Corn Chowder!
Be sure to try my Potato Ham and Leek Soup and this Butternut Squash Red Pepper Soup too!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Homemade soup made with real whole foods! Just a few simple ingredients, this soup builds layers of flavor all in one pot!
- Bacon - Bacon adds a depth of smokey amazing flavor to this chowder. Just a few slices, but you can add more if you like!
- Onion and Red Bell Pepper - The base layer of veggies add nutrition and flavor. If you want to give this soup an element of heat, you could add a bit of poblano or spicier pepper to the mix.
- Sweet Potatoes - The star of the soup, this sweet potato corn and kale chowder is hearty, chunky, naturally sweet and savory with quick-cooking sweet potatoes. They get gently broken up with a potato masher for the perfect texture.
- Salt, Pepper and Paprika - Simple seasonings let the other ingredients shine! Paprika gives a hint of smokey flavor and a pinch over the finished bowl is a bright garnish.
- Kale - I love the heartiness of chopped kale to balance the creaminess. You can use any type of kale, and use as much or as little as you like. The pre-chopped bags are fine, or use anywhere from 2 to 4 leaves cut off the stems. If you aren't really a kale fan, chopping it fairly small can make it almost unnoticeable. You could also substitute spinach or just leave it out.
- Garlic - I always recommend fresh chopped garlic, but a teaspoon of garlic powder could be substituted.
- Flour - A little bit of flour added at the beginning just helps this sweet potato bacon chowder to thicken. Not much is needed since the sweet potatoes naturally thicken as they cook.
- Corn - If it's summer, by all means cut the corn from the cob and use it! Frozen corn will absolutely work just fine too!
- Chicken Stock - The liquid for this soup, you can use chicken stock or vegetable stock. Freeze your veggie scraps to make your own Homemade Chicken Stock!
- Half & Half - This creamy sweet potato kale soup is finished with half and half for the perfect texture. You could also use heavy cream, whole milk or a combination depending on the level of richness you want.
- Cilantro - Finish your chowder with bright fresh herbs to tie all the flavors together! If you aren't a cilantro lover, chives, parsley or scallions would be good too.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1 - Prep Your Ingredients - Use a vegetable peeler to peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into half inch cubes. Chop the onion, bell pepper and mince the garlic.
Step 2 - Cook the Bacon - Start by crisping up your bacon in a soup pot. When it's done, remove it to a bowl but keep the bacon drippings to saute your veggies.
This builds your first important layer of flavor. If the bacon gave off a lot of fat, you can remove some of it, but leave about a tablespoon in the pot.
Step 3 - Cook the Vegetables - Your veggies will partially saute in the bacon drippings and then finish cooking as they simmer in the stock.
Give them an occasional stir but let them caramelize a bit, that light brown coloring is flavor!
Step 4 - Add the Kale, Garlic and Flour - Let them cook for just another minute or so to take the raw taste from the flour.
Step 5 - Simmer the Soup - Add the corn and stock and let the chowder simmer to finish cooking the sweet potatoes through.
Step 6 - Add the Half & Half - Use a potato masher to lightly break up the sweet potatoes as they simmer. You want them still a bit chunky but with some of their orange flesh becoming part of the creamy broth.
Add the cilantro too, stirring the soup as it simmers and comes together.
Step 7 - Give it a Taste! - The soup will come together as it simmers and the liquid reduces. The sweet potatoes should be softened and the soup slightly thickened.
Garnish - You can save the crispy bacon to garnish each bowl, or mix it back in with the soup. Top with more cilantro leaves and a few pinches of paprika.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Storage - Store this Bacon Sweet Potato Soup in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheating - Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, stirring occasionally over low heat. You may need to add a bit of liquid like milk, water or stock if it's too thick.
- Make Ahead - This soup is fine to make ahead and warm up throughout the week!
- Freezer - This soup freezes well for up to 4 months! I like to freeze soup in glass jars for quick individual serving that I can pull out for lunch.
- When freezing in glass jars, be sure to only fill ¾'s full to allow room for expansion and cool in the fridge first. Thaw overnight in the fridge or use the defrost setting on a microwave. Never run a frozen jar under hot water to thaw, it will crack!
Serving Ideas
A big confetti colored pot of this Sweet Potato Corn Chowder is a fabulous weeknight meal on its own! You always need something to dip, and crusty bread or corn tortilla chips are the best. Try the blue corn chips, they're especially good with this!
The flavors in this chowder have a little bit of a southwest feel, so try serving it with:
And if you ask me, Overnight Homemade Bread or BLT's are always great with soup night!
Top Tip
Don't skip the old fashioned potato masher! This chowder is both creamy and chunky, and those potatoes being partially mashed up and becoming one with the broth is what gives it just the right consistency.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just leave out the bacon and instead saute the veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
As with any soup, as it simmers it will thicken. So, if it's too thin, just keep stirring over a low burner and it will come together and thicken up as the liquid reduces. If it gets too thick, which can often happen after it has been refrigerated and reheated, just add a bit of liquid to thin it back out. You can use stock, water, milk, or half & half.
Yes! Just leave out the flour. This soup only uses 2 Tablespoons of flour as the thickener because as the sweet potatoes break down in the soup they naturally thicken it. So without the flour, the soup may be a little thinner, but will still be hearty and delicious. Be sure to use a potato masher to help break down the sweet potatoes.
Yes, if you've got extra veggies hanging out in the fall garden or in the fridge, throw them in! A carrot, rib or two of celery, a zucchini or summer squash, or a regular potato or two would all be fine additions to this soup!
More Favorite Soup Recipes!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
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Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
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Print Pin RateEquipment
- soup pot or Dutch oven
- potato masher
Ingredients
- 3 to 5 slices bacon chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups kale chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups corn fresh cut off the cob or frozen
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups half & half
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Wash and chop the vegetables. Peel sweet potatoes, cut them into half inch rounds. Then stack up a few of the rounds and cut into strips, then into cubes.
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Stir occasionally, about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove bacon to a bowl. Depending on the bacon, you may want to discard some of the drippings to a glass bowl. Leave at least 1 Tablespoon in the pot to saute the veggies. I used 3 slices of bacon and didn't remove any of the drippings.
- Saute the onion, red pepper and sweet potatoes in the remaining bacon drippings. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Add the kale, garlic, and flour and cook a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the corn and chicken stock, COVER, and simmer over medium to low heat until the sweet potatoes are softened, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir occasionally as it simmers. Adjust the heat so it lightly bubbles but doesn't rapidly boil. Use a potato masher to lightly break up the potatoes, leaving them a bit chunky.
- Add the half & half. You can save some or all of the bacon and cilantro to garnish each bowl, or mix it in with the soup. Simmer 5 more minutes until thickened.
Notes
- If using fresh sweet corn on the cob, cut the kernels off of 2 ears and add them in to saute just a bit as the veggies are finishing up.
- If you soup is too thin, just continue simmering over a low burner while whisking to allow steam to escape. Mashing the soup with a potato masher will also thicken it. If it gets too thick, which can often happen after it has been refrigerated and reheated, just add a bit of water, stock, milk or half & half to thin it back out.
John says
I had just one sweet potato, so I substituted a nice golden potato. And I used the colorful peppers I always seem to have on hand. I somehow found myself out of fresh garlic! So I used a generous amount of garlic powder. And I opted for the high-side of 3-5 slices of bacon, chopped. So I needed to pour off a little fat. I was also shy a bit of 1/2 'n 1/2. But boy oh boy, what a great soup with a minimum of trouble. A terrific supper on a beautiful November day!
Meryl Downing says
Wow John, you did a nice job with smart substitutions! I always opt for the high-side when it comes to bacon too! Glad you liked the soup!
Brian Jefferson says
Another hit Meryl. Other than fries, the first two times I have cooked sweet potatoes have been from your recipes. Both have been great. Love this soup, super easy. It was perfect for today as the snow rolled in...in April!
Meryl Downing says
Thanks Brian, so glad you liked it! I hear ya, today's snow in April was not fun! So ready for spring!