Happy fall my friends! I’m torn between wanting it to be summer all year round and wanting to wear ten chunky sweaters on top of ten old flannels at the same time. This soup is a farewell to summer with it’s rich end of season corn, and a welcome to fall with parsnips for extra creaminess.

Okay let’s get down to the good stuff. This soup is:

• vegan

• gluten free

• oil free

• one pot

• on the table in under 30 minutes

• great for leftovers/meal prepping

To make this soup you will need the following ingredients:

• parsnips (or potatoes or cauliflower)

• onion

• aquafaba or olive oil to saute your root veggies so they have more flavor

• fresh or frozen corn

• water

• nondairy milk to add creaminess

• veggie bouillon (optional) to give a depth of flavor to the soup

• maple syrup for naturally sweetening just a little bit

• onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper for extra flavoring

How to cook this vegan corn chowder

I used my Ninja Foodie to make this dish, but you can do it in a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or simply stove top. Read my alternative cooking method section below if you prefer to take it slow.

First, you will want to dice your onions and parsnips. Remember, we’re blending this all up in the end, so a coarse chop is totally fine. I sauteed mine in aquafaba to make this dish oil free, but you can do it either way. Aquafaba is the thick liquid that is leftover when you slow cook or open a can of chickpeas. This stuff is amazing for vegan baking, but also works as a lubricant in the pan so you can saute things without going to hard on the oil. You can even do a half and half mixture if you want to cut back a little but still enjoy the flavor.

In the pressure cooker, turn the function to saute (medium high or high). Saute onion and parsnips, or whichever white veg you subbed in (cauliflower/potato) in aqufaba or oil for the duration of the time it takes you to prepare the rest of the ingredients, about 15 minutes. You can pretty much forget about these veggies while you’re chopping other stuff.

Cut kernels off of raw corn cobs and add to pot. Again,you can sub in frozen corn easily if you prefer or if that’s handy. See substitutions below.

Add all other ingredients and then pressure cook for 10 minutes. Easy enough, right?

Serving Suggestions:

Mix with immersion blender and serve with smoked paprika and vegan yogurt. I also added diced green onions and everything but the bagel seasoning because honestly that stuff deserves to go on everything.

We also baked a Beyond sausage in the oven and added that for extra protein and texture. You can add roasted chickpeas, or even falafel for a fun crunch.

Substitutions and Suggestions:

• If you don’t want to use the parsnips (or cauliflower or potatoes) there are a few other things you can do to make this soup creamy and give it a protein boost.

  First, you can precook a cup or two of beans (chickpeas, white beans, etc. will work well here). If you want some tips about how to cook the perfect bean, you can check out my resource guide here. Simply toss in a cup of beans and cook with all other ingredients as you normally would, and puree at the end. You may need to use a bit more water or milk if the soup isn’t as creamy as you’d like.

  Second option to replace the potatoes could also be cashews. Just throw them in with all of your ingredients and pressure cook as you normally would for ten minutes. They add a thick and creamy texture and let you skip the sauteing part.

• To replace the maple syrup: use a spoonful of brown sugar, agave, or even monkfruit sweetener.

• For the corn, I used fresh of the cob, but I’ve also successfully made this with a bag of frozen corn. When you’re making a ten minute dinner, all the tricks are valid. Ain’t no way to make this delicious soup incorrectly.

• You can use all water or all plant based milk depending on what you have handy and how creamy you want your corn chowder to be.

Alternative Cooking Methods

Stove Top - saute parsnips/potatoes and onions for at least 10-15 minutes with olive oil or aquafaba and salt and pepper. Add in milk, corn, spices, etc. and double the water. Boil for around 30-45 minutes. Puree with immersion blender or counter top blender.

Slow Cooker - Add all ingredients and cook on high heat for four hours or low heat for 6-7 hours. Puree with immersion blender or counter top blender.

For more Inspiration:

If you are a new vegan or are curious about plant based lifestyle: Please join our Facebook Group: New Vegan Recipes and Advice Community to ask questions about vegan recipes, lifestyle, personal products, restaurants in your area etc. It’s a forum and support group full of other plant-based food bloggers and seasoned vegans who would love to help you o your journey!

Also follow along on Instagram and Pinterest if you are looking for more inspiration!

For other late summer, early fall Ideas, you might like:

• Bourbon Sage Cocktail - three ingredients, I mean, come on.

• Easy Cranberry Walnut Bread - this can be done in a cast iron pan or bread tin, and it takes no effort

• Maple Vanilla Oat Cookies - need I say more?

• Kale and Apple Quinoa Salad - keep that meal prep game going strong