It’s almost time for me to head home for the holidays, which means it’s almost time for SHRIMP CORN CHOWDER. This creamy, dreamy, spicy (or not spicy) as you like Shrimp Corn Chowder recipe is easy to make and comforting to eat. If your family devours it with the same gusto ours does, it will warm and fill you in the best possible way.
This easy Shrimp Corn Chowder recipe was inspired by the corn crab chowder that my grammy serves at Christmas Eve dinner. At our Christmas Eve feast, we have one major rule: do not, under any circumstances, have more than one bowl of the chowder. If you do, you are sure to ruin your appetite for the delicious dishes to come.
Fact: no one keeps this rule, because it’s impossible. Every year, we each give ourselves a reasonable ladleful and savor it as slowly as we can, then everyone coyly side-eyes each other, waiting to see who will break first and go back for a second helping so that everyone else can follow suit.
Maybe it’s our recent cold snap, but I’ve been craving this comforting chowder more than usual this year. I’ll gladly sacrifice my pride for the second-helpings chowder cause!
Like Grammy’s recipe, this Shrimp Corn Chowder is luxuriously rich and creamy, absolutely loaded with seafood (no wimpy chowder here!), and tastes decadent enough to serve at a special holiday meal. Unlike her recipe, however, but like Corn Chicken Chowder, it’s wholesome and easy enough to prepare on an average weeknight. And, it’s the inspiration for my classic Corn Chowder.
Believe me, I adore my grammy’s corn chowder and its unapologetic quantities of butter and cream; it’s just not something I can eat every week…which is why I break the rule and have two bowls on Christmas Eve. This Shrimp Corn Chowder, however, is a different tale.
The Key to Lightening Up Shrimp Corn Chowder
To create a thick, rich chowder base that didn’t rely on heavy cream, I started by making a roux with flour, a touch of butter, and nonfat milk (for a step-by-step visual, check out the video at the bottom of the post), then added a can of cream-style corn.
The creamed corn gives the shrimp corn chowder body and a light, subtle sweetness that’s beautifully balanced by a kick of cayenne pepper. For good measure, I added a splash of half-and-half at the end, but honestly, the Shrimp Corn Chowder hardly needs it.
If you’d like a spicy corn chowder, you can up the amount of cayenne, or do what my family does and pass a bottle of hot sauce around the table so that each person can doctor it to his or her preference.
To hasten the prep time for the Shrimp Corn Chowder, and make it more affordable for everyday enjoyment, I replaced the lump crab meat in my grammy’s recipe with frozen shrimp. Frozen shrimp is a go-to in many of my healthy shrimp recipes, including Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, Garlic Shrimp Pasta, and Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles.
When combined with other flavors as it is here, the shrimp tastes fresh, not at all “fishy,” and is a total timesaver. In fact, the shrimp cooks right in the pot along with the rest of the chowder in fewer than three minutes.
Although this Shrimp Corn Chowder recipe is fit enough for a weeknight meal, in keeping with a soup’s first mission to comfort (and to stay in good graces with Grammy), I did make one other addition: a topping of salty, crispy bacon.
The bacon’s smoky flavor and crunch is divine combined with the juicy pink shrimp. I’m confident that my grammy would approve, and that you and your family will too!
What to Serve with Shrimp Corn Chowder
- Bread. For the ultimate dipping potential, serve this chowder with a tasty loaf from your local bakery or this Crock Pot Bread.
- Salad. A light, fresh salad like Anytime Arugula Salad would pair nicely with this rich soup.
- Tater Tots. A side of homemade Tater Tots would be a delicious and hearty side.
Other Warm and Comforting Chowders
- Cauliflower Chowder
- Crock Pot Corn Chowder
- And all of these delicious Crockpot Soups!
Shrimp Corn Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 small green onions thinly sliced, with white and green parts divided
- 2 stalks celery diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 2/3 cups nonfat milk
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels about 3 ears if using fresh
- 1 can cream-style corn (15 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper plus additional to taste
- 1 pound frozen peeled & deveined shrimp any size you like, thawed
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- Hot sauce optional for serving
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a dutch oven or large, deep saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Lightly pat dry and set aside for serving. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon fat.
- Add the butter to the pot and let it melt. Set aside 1/4 cup of the sliced green onion tops for serving, then add the rest of the green onions. Add the celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender, about 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the onion mixture, then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, a few splashes at a time at first, stirring out any lumps. Stream in the rest of the milk, then add the corn kernels, cream-style corn, and cayenne. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Let bubble until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and continue cooking just until the shrimp are done, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, then stir in the thyme and half-and-half. Serve hot, sprinkled with reserved bacon, green onion tops, and a dash or two of hot sauce as desired.
Video
Nutrition
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Super delicious recipe and super easy. This one will be on the top of the recipe stack for some time to come. Great go to for quick and savory. My only comment is the recipe says for 6 servings. These servings must be extremely small. The amount of liquid in the recipe is only 2 2/3 cups of milk and a 1/3 of half and half. From a soup perspective 3 cups is barely one serving in my household. I added two more cups of chicken stock with more flower to thicken it up and more half and half. Turned out great and I got 4 servings. Of course I understand the concept of servings is subjective and I live in a house of BIG eaters but I still felt that to be a bit skimpy.
Hi Todd! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Wow I made this with uncured turkey bacon and it was still super delicious. And so easy!!! Thank you.
Hi Taylor! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this and everyone – kids, men, women – all loved it! It is such a beautiful dish, too! I followed directions precisely, and the only thing I would change is the amount of time I sautéed the veggies. I would first do the onions, then when they were translucent, add the celery and carrots and only sauté them together for 2 minutes. I think they will be less soft that way. Regardless, even with soft veggies this chowder was a 5-star recipe!
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious chowder! We had enough for 3 servings plus plenty of leftovers. I used gluten free flour and added some shredded carrots and diced potatoes because I was trying to use up stuff in the fridge. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Hi Amy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin,
Five star rating! Delicious!
I’m not a fan of heavy cream soups, this recipe is a winner because no heavy cream is used. I substituted 2% for non fat. Perfect consistency.
I sautéed the veggies longer but still al dente.
It produced three large bowls, in the future I will double or triple the recipe.
When on the West Coast I will make your Grandmother’s original recipe with San Francisco Dungeness crab and no bacon.
Thank you!!
Hi Rose! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Another great recipe from Erin! Even my daughter who doesn’t like soup enjoyed this.
I did a few things differently out of personal preference. I don’t like to cook bacon so I used precooked, (microwaved) for garnish only. I used butter only in the pot. I left out green onions as they don’t agree with me. I added a bit more shrimp and corn. I used low fat milk as that’s what I have on hand. Just a splash of half and half.
For the person who said there wasn’t enough liquid, they didn’t mention the can of creamed corn , which adds a lot of liquid. I used 3 cups of milk. Will definately make this again !
Thanks for the feedback Paula!
The best shrimp chowder I have ever made or tasted. Thanks for sharing
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Can you make this dish the night before and refrigerate.
Yes you can Cheryl! Hope you enjoy it!
Wow, what an incredible easy recipe. Made this for my wife and I and we loved it. This is definitely something that I will make again soon.
Hi Brian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
So simple to make yet deliciously complex in flavor—this will be a new weeknight staple for us. I especially loved how creamy the texture was despite using mostly skim milk. Ps. Made this for my pescatarian husband without the bacon and it was still 100%!
Hi Jacqueline! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Great recipe! I used Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon. Had frozen corn in the freezer from last summer and used two cobs. Added in one of the empty cobs for a bit of extra flavor. Used 21-30 shrimp and dried thyme. Definitely a keeper. Thank you Erin.
Hi Sandie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I love shrimp chowder and this recipe excels in ease of preparation, appearance, and taste!
(I added a splash of cooking sherry to my broth for upbeat flavor)
Good recipe!
Hi Valerie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious! I’ve made this recipe as-is multiple times and it’s always perfect. Tonight I tweaked it slightly based on what I had in the fridge and it was still just as good. Instead of green onions I used a half yellow onion I had in the fridge. I didn’t reserve any for topping, and threw it all in with the celery. To save money on not buying a whole thing of half & half when I was only going to use 1/3 cup of it, I used a 1/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt instead. Tasted the same! Super good recipe regardless!
Hi Sydney! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback on the tweaks!
Second time I’m making this… my 11 y.o. LOVED it and had asked for more. That’s a win bc he’s picky!! Bringing it to my girlfriend’s Annual Pumpkin Party tonight! Left the bacon out for us vegetarians, and used gluten free flour for the GF people, and added JO seasoning bc …we’re Marylanders!
Hi Lauren! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin, thanks so much for this delicious recipe!! I included a few additional ingredients (2 russett potatoes cubed and cooked, chicken stock & Old Bay seasoning).
My family (Marylanders) love Old Bay! Again, great recipe that I will continue to make as often as possible! 😊
Hooray! So glad to hear it, thank you for letting me know Doreen!
Could I make this in a crockpot?
Hi Terri! I haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker but I have made this corn chicken chowder in the slow cooker: https://www.wellplated.com/healthy-corn-chowder/ The shrimp would only need to cook 20-30 minutes at the end. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes. Enjoy!
I used this recipe as an inspiration as a start for my chowder recipe. I did make quite a few modifications as I cook a lot myself and know my family’s taste. Doubled the recipe. Added 3 carrots and a shallot. Did 1/2 shrimp 1/2 scallops. Used 1% milk and added a touch more than recommended, eliminated the half & half as it didn’t need it at the end. I put the chopped bacon in the soup when the milk was added. Also added two large potatoes chopped, which was why I added more milk. Careful not to scorch the soup while getting the potatoes cooked. Let it softly boil (stirring every minute) for 15 mins. It got sticky on the bottom once, but I saved it. Did a couple shakes of Old Bay. Used half the cayenne as we have 2 little ones that can’t handle the heat. Turned out AMAZING!!! I added Cholula to mine 😎
Glad it worked out for you!
Where does the fresh thyme come in?
Hi Anna! You’ll add it in Step 3 with the half and half. Enjoy!