Corn Chowder

This low-FODMAP corn chowder swaps onion and garlic for garlic-infused oil and leek green tops, then thickens with potato and finishes with lactose-free milk and cream.

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 cup (about 90g) leek, GREEN tops only, thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, GREEN tops only, sliced (reserve some for garnish)
• 400g (about 3 cups) potato, peeled and diced into 1cm pieces
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 3 cups (720ml) water or low-FODMAP chicken broth
• 150g (about 1 cup) fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 ears (keeps each serving at or under the 38g cap)
• 1 cup (240ml) lactose-free whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) lactose-free heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Optional: 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water, for a thicker chowder
• Optional garnish: grated cheddar, extra scallion greens, cracked pepper

Instructions

Build the base

1. Heat the garlic-infused oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the leek greens and scallion greens and cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Do not let them brown.
2. Add the diced potato and thyme and stir to coat in the oil for 1 minute.
3. Pour in the water or chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the potato is fork-tender.

Add the corn and cream

1. Stir in the corn kernels and simmer uncovered for 4 minutes.
2. For a creamier texture, ladle about 1 cup of the soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to puree part of the pot, then return or mix it back in. Leave plenty of whole potato and corn for texture.
3. Lower the heat and stir in the lactose-free milk and cream. Warm through for 3 to 4 minutes without letting it come to a hard boil.
4. If you want it thicker, stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.

Season and serve

1. Season with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust.
2. Ladle into bowls and top with reserved scallion greens, a little grated cheddar, and cracked pepper.

Tips & Substitutions

• Keep the corn portioned. The Monash-tested serving for sweet corn is small, so this recipe holds each bowl at or under 38g of corn. Splitting the pot into four servings keeps you within that cap; check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.
• Use the green parts only. The white leek bulb and scallion base are high in fructans. The green tops give onion-style flavor and stay low-FODMAP, so slice and rinse only the green portions.
• Make it dairy-free. Swap the lactose-free milk and cream for canned coconut milk in a tested low-FODMAP portion, or lean on the blended potato for creaminess instead of dairy.
• Add smoky depth. Stir in a pinch of smoked paprika, or top with crisped chopped bacon (check the label for onion or garlic).
• Pick your base carefully. Use water or homemade low-FODMAP chicken broth. Most bottled stocks and bouillon cubes contain onion and garlic.
• Adjust the thickness. Blend more of the soup for a smoother body, or use the cornstarch slurry. Cornstarch is low-FODMAP and thickens without wheat.

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor without the fructans. Fructans do not dissolve into oil, so garlic-infused oil carries the taste while leaving the FODMAPs behind in the discarded solids.
• Onion flavor from green tops. Leek and scallion greens deliver the savory allium note that the high-FODMAP bulbs would, without the fructan load.
• Corn stays under the cap. Sweet corn is only low-FODMAP in small servings, so the recipe measures the total corn and divides it across four bowls to stay in range.
• Lactose-free dairy for the cream. Lactose-free milk and cream give the chowder its richness while keeping lactose out, and cream is naturally low in lactose in modest amounts.

Storage

Cool leftovers and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat and avoid a hard boil, which can cause the dairy to separate. Freezing is possible but cream-based soups may split on thawing, so stir well and reheat slowly if you freeze it. Each reheated serving keeps the same per-bowl corn portion.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.