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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Delicious, will definitely make again! I added some milk and cornstarch to make it creamier and thicken it up a bit.
Just made this! It tastes wonderful! I’ve never cooked a soup from scratch before and I’m very happy with the results. It was just what I was looking for.
This soup is fantastic! And not too hard to make, as soups often can be. My family and I kept going back for more. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I made this soup and mine turned out thin. I cooked longer to thicken, even added a little cornstarch, but never thickened. It tasted good, but not quite what I wanted.
Are there any other substitutions. It is delicious with the chicken stock, however i have one vegan guest so thiught i would do some with the veg stock.
Hi Debbie, The only other option is water, but I think the soup will have much better flavor with veg stock. Please come back and let me know how it comes out. Thx!
Can this be made with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
absolutely
Whipped this up after Church two weekends ago. This soup was sweet enough, so I did not need to add any sugar. I made a mistake by adding the fresh herbs before I used my hand-held blender and it gave a the soup a slightly greenish hue…. still tasted great and made for a nice Sunday afternoon lunch with mini grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
This was truly excellent. We often overbuy corn when it is at it’s peak and when dinner is over we find that we have ears uneaten. This is the best use I’ve found for the leftovers. I’ve tried it as written and altering it to utilize the kernel cut from already steamed ears and it is equally delicious! And best of all it freezes with very little change of texture and taste. Thank You!
As you say, I’ve OD’d on corn on the cob. What a nice change.
Can’t wait to make this.