Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

This delightfully creamy vegan sweet potato corn chowder is made with cashew cream instead of dairy, but it’s just as comforting as classic chowder. 

Happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend and are having a good start to your week. I finally met my three closest girlfriends here in Ottawa for an outdoor visit at Equator Coffee on Saturday, which was so incredibly nice. I hadn’t seen them in person in many months, and I realized how much I have missed my (albeit very low-key) social life. I was also able to create some new recipes–a white bean sauce pizza with roasted Brussels sprouts, fennel, and apple, and a curried butternut squash, lentil, and apple soup. On Sunday, we went on a nice family walk downtown, and later in the day, I wrote most of my blog posts for the next couple of weeks, as I have lots of end of term work coming due and don’t want to let the blog fall silent if I get bogged down by it! 

And now, here we are at the beginning of a new week. It should be an interesting one, with the U.S. election. I’m thinking something comforting, like this soup, could be just the ticket to ease you into the week. 

In our household, soup, salad, and bread or sandwiches is one of our go-to Monday suppers. It can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, and it’s a comforting thing to come home to after the first workday of the week. 

This particular soup–a vegan sweet potato corn chowder–is one that I devised during the summer, but am somehow just getting around to sharing now. I think that early November is actually a fitting time for a chowder with corn and sweet potato, since it’s grounding and satisfying, with a colour reminiscent of sunshine! And we could all do with a dose of sunshine during this often dreary month.

Despite its delicious and complex flavours, this soup is a cinch to prepare. The ingredients you’ll need are as follows: 

• Olive oil, onion, garlic, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme,  zucchini, celery, sweet potato, vegetable broth, cashews, water, corn kernels, apple cider vinegar, and fresh dill.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and fragrant, 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and celery and cook for five more minutes. Add pepper and thyme, followed by the diced sweet potato. 
2. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, turn down heat to medium, cover loosely with the lid, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, make the cashew cream. Blend the cashews and water in an upright blender until ultra smooth. 
4. Stir the corn kernels into the soup, followed by the cashew cream. 
5. Blend half of the chowder in an upright blender, and pour back into the pot, leaving the other half chunky. Warm back up to desired serving temperature. 
6. Mix in the apple cider vinegar right before serving and garnish individual bowls with fresh dill, if desired. 

SERVING IDEAS

• I served this soup with chickpea flatbread topped with hummus and tomato, and a simple green salad. 
• Feel free to add some cooked white beans or chickpeas to the soup for a boost of protein and fibre, too! 

MORE SOUP RECIPES

• Southwestern White Bean, Quinoa, and Sweet Potato Soup
• Nourishing Beet, Cabbage, and Kidney Bean Borscht
• Cauliflower, Turmeric, and Potato Soup

I hope that you love this vegan corn and sweet potato chowder! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it with a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen so that I can see! Lastly, I’ll be back on Wednesday with my favourite beet salad recipe: It’s guaranteed to turn beet skeptics into lovers. Until then, enjoy! 

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Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This delightfully creamy vegan sweet potato corn chowder is made with cashew cream instead of dairy, but it’s just as comforting as classic chowder.

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups diced zucchini or red bell pepper
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 cups peeled diced sweet potato
• 4 cups vegetable broth, plus more as desired
• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 45 minutes in boiling water 
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups corn kernels (fresh or thawed from frozen- organic, if possible)
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

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Instructions

1. Warm the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and fragrant, 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and celery and cook for five more minutes. Add pepper and thyme, followed by the diced sweet potato.
2. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, turn down heat to medium, cover loosely with the lid, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the cashew cream. Blend the cashews and water in an upright blender until ultra smooth.
4. Stir the corn kernels into the soup, followed by the cashew cream.
5. Blend half of the chowder in an upright blender, and pour back into the pot, leaving the other half chunky. Warm back up to desired serving temperature. Add more broth if a thinner soup is desired.
6. Mix in the apple cider vinegar and fresh dill right before serving. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar as desired. Add a sprinkle of chili flakes for a pop of heat, if desired, and garnish individual bowls with fresh dill, if desired.

Notes

For a nut-free version, use ½ cup of soaked and drained sunflower seeds for the cream component instead of cashews.

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Soup, Supper, Lunch
• Cuisine: American