This Vegan Roasted Poblano-Corn Chowder is loaded with corn, kale, and roasted peppers for a hearty soup you can eat any time of year.
This vegan roasted poblano-corn chowder takes a little bit of prep, especially if you’re using fresh ears of corn, but it’s worth it. The flavors of the smoky, roasted poblano paired with sweet summer corn and coconut milk make for an incredible soup.
Best of all, you’ll get some extra vitamins from throwing in torn kale leaves!
How to make this Vegan Roasted Poblano-Corn Chowder:
This vegan corn chowder recipe starts off slow and a little labor intensive. Once the prep is out of the way, it moves quickly!
You’ll start by roasting the poblano peppers, garlic, and jalapeño pepper. While the peppers are roasting, you’ll use that time to husk the corn and cut the kernels from the cob. If you’re using frozen corn, skip this step obviously!
Once the peppers are roasted, give them a few minutes to cool off before removing the skins from the poblano peppers. Throw the jalapeño, garlic, and poblano peppers in a food processor and pulse until minced.
After this is all out of the way, you’ll star the soup! First, sauté an onion. Once it’s softened and browned, add the minced peppers and cook for about 3-4 minutes. After it becomes very fragrant, simply add 5 cups of vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Next, you’ll add half the corn, a can of coconut milk, and the torn kale leaves and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Now, I like to use an immersion blender to make a smooth soup base, but you don’t have to and it’ll still be just as delicious!
After the soup is smooth and creamy, toss in the rest of the corn and let it finish cook for another 5-10 minutes. That’s it!
Looking for more vegetarian recipes? Check my archives!
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Vegan Roasted Poblano-Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil (divided)
- 3 poblano peppers (trimmed and seeds removed)
- 1 jalapeño (trimmed and halved)
- 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 6 ears corn (husked (or use 16 ounces frozen corn))
- 1 yellow onion (peeled and diced)
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 head curly kale (stems discarded, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces)
- 15 ounce can coconut milk (full-fat)
- Salt, pepper, and cayenne powder to taste
For Serving:
- 1 avocado (peeled, seed discarded, and sliced)
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
Roast the Peppers:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and arrange the poblano peppers, jalapeño pepper, and garlic cloves on the foil. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons avocado oil and a sprinkle of salt. Transfer to the oven for 20 minutes until the skins of the peppers blister and char. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Once the poblano peppers are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the skins. Transfer the poblano peppers, garlic, and jalapeño (seeds included) to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Alternatively, you can roughly chop the peppers and garlic with a knife.
Prepare the Corn:
- If using ears of corn, cut the corn from the husked cobs and set aside. Remove a bit of corn and reserve for garnish.
Start the Chowder:
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon avocado oil in a large pot. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add the minced peppers and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes more until very fragrant.
- Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
Simmer the Chowder:
- Add half the corn, the coconut milk, and the kale leaves. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until softened. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne powder.
Blend the Chowder:
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Taste and season again to your tastes.
Finish the Chowder:
- Add the remaining half of the corn and simmer for 10 minutes more. Taste and season. Turn off heat.
To Serve:
- Ladle the chowder into bowls and arrange reserved fresh sweet corn and sliced avocado on top. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired. Enjoy!
Delicious!
Personally I will only do 4 corn cobs in the future but otherwise amazing!
I didn’t read ahead and realized too late that I wasn’t supposed to see the jalapeño and even so the soup was delicious and a definite repeat.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Delcious!!! Even my picky eaters loved it. Thank you for this recipe.
That’s great to hear — thank you for the comment! So glad it was a hit!
Really great recipe for a summer soup, delicious hot or cold. I used the collards I had instead of kale and threw a handful of cashews in when I was sautéing the onions–just a little more creamy protein.
Loved this soup! Added a few more things to make it heartier for fall — diced potatoes and shredded chicken added after blending, and then topped with a little feta as well as the written toppings. So delicious!
Woohoo! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Can I use something other than coconut milk? Regular milk?
I used cream! I’m not vegan, but the soup was fabulous! I also added some shredded chicken.
Hi, have you ever frozen the vegan roasted poblano corn chowder? Thanks, it’s a lovely recipe!
I’ve never tried freezing it, but coconut milk tends to freeze nicely. Just let it cool completely and then freeze in desired containers. When you reheat it, let it thaw before cooking over gentle heat on the stovetop. You may need to add a bit of water when you reheat it. But let me know how it turns out if you freeze it!
I just made this and it is so incredibly delicious! I added diced/sauteed yellow potato and a couple of chopped celery stalks in a double batch. I also had 2 extra poblanos that I roasted, chopped and added at the end. I think I could eat this every day!
Woohoo! I’m happy you enjoyed it!