Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
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With only a few simple ingredients, this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer.
With just a few simple ingredients – fresh corn on the cob, chicken broth, shallots, butter, and herbs – this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer. It’s delicious as is but also easily adapted: substitute your favorite herbs, top it with fresh chopped tomatoes or red bell peppers, or swirl in some heavy cream to make it richer.
What You’ll Need To Make Summer Corn Soup
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, remove the husks and silks from the corn and set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and add the shallots.
Cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt, and pepper to the pot.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
Use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. Be patient; it takes a while.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pass the soup through, using a back of a ladle to push the soup through in circular motions. Discard the fibers and bits of kernels in the sieve.
Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should have a creamy consistency. If it’s too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock; if it’s too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.
Use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness).
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh basil and thyme, if desired.
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Summer Corn Soup with Fresh Herbs
With only a few simple ingredients, this corn soup has an intense corn flavor that tastes just like summer.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 heaping cup chopped shallots
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality
- 6 ears fresh corn (white or yellow are both fine, but yellow makes for a prettier soup)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, for garnish
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the husks and silks from the corn. Set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the whole ear of corn and set aside to cool. Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.
- Off the heat, use a hand held immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. It will take a few minutes. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow steam to escape and cover with a dishtowel so it won't splatter.) Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pass the soup through, using a back of a ladle to push the soup through in circular motions. Discard the fibers and bits of kernels in the sieve. Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should have a creamy consistency. If it's too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock; if it's too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.
- Use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn's natural sweetness). Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh basil and thyme, if desired. Serve hot or cold.
- Note: If you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, you may be able to skip the step of straining the soup.
- Note: Be sure to get fresh-picked corn and cook it as soon as possible. As soon as it is picked, corn starts converting sugar to starch which reduces sweetness. If you're not going to cook it right away, store it in the refrigerator as it slows down the conversion process.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 370
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Sugar: 17g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 15g
- Sodium: 722mg
- Cholesterol: 31mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Love your recipes. For this one I have neither an immersion blender or blender at my summer lake house. Could I use a food processor to puree the soup? Thank you.
Hi Kathy, you may get a slightly different texture using a food processor, but it should work. Enjoy!
Jenn, please clarify…the chopped herbs. Do I mix them in at the end and then use more for the garnish or are they the garnish? Using the Folley Mill is unbelievable. I’m able to puree almost all the corn back into the soup
Hi Carol, they are the garnish. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Jenn, I was confused because the recipe said add the corn kernels to the soup along with the herb…having it tonight, cold, in mugs with Trader Joes five cheese Greek spiral, the best thing in the place. Maybe some chicken drumettes if we are still hungry
Hi Carol, my apologies — I read your question quickly and also didn’t refer back to the recipe — you’re correct, you do add the herbs along with the kernels and then you can also garnish the soup with some sprigs of both herbs. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it last night!
If I use frozen corn, then how many cups of frozen corn I should use?
Hi Mindy, You’ll need about 4.5 cups of corn (and I’d thaw it before adding it to the soup). Please LMK how it turns out!
Has anyone substituted bacon drippings for the butter?
The summer corn soup with fresh garden herbs was delicious! Definitely a to go to recipe! Thanks for posting it!
In the recipe instructions it says to “uncover” several times and you don’t say to COVER at all!
Hi Janet, that’s correct. The pot doesn’t need to be covered at all. I just say “uncovered” so people don’t cover it. Hope that clarifies!
This looks delicious. Can it be made a day or two ahead, or does the flavor suffer?
Thann you.
Hi Nick, the flavor won’t suffer at all; it’s actually better on the second day!
Thank you! Going to serve it at the annual solstice dinner hhere. 🙂
Has anyone ever tried this recipe with frozen corn? This recipe is one of my absolute favorites and I try not to change much since they are always perfectly written – but I’m just so in the mood for this soup and don’t have fresh corn!
Hi Sophie, This is definitely best with fresh corn, but I think you can get away with using frozen. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
how much frozen corn
Hi Carol, You’ll need 4.5 cups of frozen corn (and make sure you thaw it before adding to the soup). Hope you enjoy!
I loved this soup. I made it in March when fresh corn is available but not in season so I added the sugar Jen mentioned and am glad I did. It provided the bit of “sweetness” the out-of-season corn lacked. Somewhat labor intensive using a Blendtec blender but worth the effort. Delish..
Loved it!! So easy and so flavorful. I didn’t push it through the sieve at the end bcs I was short on time. I liked the thick consistency. Another winner!!