Creamy Chilled Corn Soup Recipe for Summer Refreshment

Velvety corn soup to cool you down. With just a few ingredients you get pure corn flavor, while a roasted pepper and jalapeño garnish with extra virgin olive oil adds the perfect bright finish.

Bowl of chilled corn soup — Garnish with roasted pepper, jalapeño and a few corn kernels for texture

This is how you make true corn soup—the chilled, refreshing kind. What sets this recipe apart is its simplicity: the soup is mostly corn, letting the natural sweetness and character shine. It’s also light in calories, fat and sodium.

Main ingredients: corn, scallion whites and garlic. Complemented by salt, pepper, turmeric, water and a healthy oil.

I avoid heavy seasonings so the corn remains the star. The garnish is spooned on top and swirled into the soup as you eat. The extra virgin olive oil in the roasted pepper and jalapeño mixture leaves an attractive glossy trail on the surface. For more heat, add a pinch of cayenne to the garnish.

Enjoy this perfectly velvety soup—and don’t skip the quick step of straining; it only takes a minute and creates a silky texture. In summer, visit a farmers’ market and buy corn from the grower when possible.

Five ears of corn with scallions and garlic — Use about five ears of corn along with scallion whites and garlic

Removing corn kernels from the cob — An easy way to remove corn from the cob: break the ear in half to stand it flat, then cut with a serrated knife

Grating corn to collect kernels and milk — Use a grater to catch kernels and the milky juice from the cob

Cooking the corn soup — The soup cooks quickly—in just a few minutes; slightly undercooked is better than overcooked

Straining the corn soup — Strain the soup through a sieve into a bowl. This step is essential for a silky result

Strained corn soup with garnish — The finished, strained soup—reserve a few kernels for garnish and texture

Chilled summer corn soup — The perfect summer corn soup

Did you know?
Only a small percentage of sweet corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified, according to USDA data. Most GMO corn is used in processed foods, livestock feed and ethanol. A single ear of corn contains about 100 calories—roughly the same as an apple—and offers nearly 3 grams of fiber, which helps promote fullness. Compared with some other fruits, sweet corn has less sugar than a banana and about one-third the sugar of an apple. Cooking sweet corn reduces vitamin C but can increase antioxidant activity, enhancing some nutritional benefits.

Few things say summer like freshly picked sweet corn. Enjoy this simple, elegant recipe!

Karen