Spicy Southwestern Vegan Corn Chowder with Quinoa, Potatoes + Red Lentils
An easy, healthy, and delicious protein-packed gluten-free vegan Southwestern Chowder chock-full of corn, potatoes, quinoa, red lentils, green chiles, chipotle peppers, veggies and an amazing blend of spices. This amazingly delicious vegetarian chowder is incredibly filling, comforting, and flavorful and makes a great lunch or dinner!
I’m all about big bowls of comfort food this time of year, and this hearty and delicious Southwestern Chowder is no exception! If you like spice & flavor in one filling and protein-rich dish — you’ll love this, too!
This Vegan Corn Chowder is
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Protein-packed
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Rich, smoky, spicy, flavorful.
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Hearty & filling
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Warm and comforting.
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Healthy and full of a variety of healing veggies and spices.
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Unbelievably creamy and silky.
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Easy to make.
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Gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free.
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Gorgeous, and ready to compliment a variety of your favorite toppings.
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Super tasty as leftovers or for meal planning.
Tips for Making Easy Vegan Corn Chowder
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In a pinch jalapeños or serrano peppers can be used in place of green chiles.
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For a fun twist, sweet potatoes can be used in place of regular potatoes.
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If you aren’t a fan of quinoa, I’ve made this with millet before with very similar results.
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I do not recommend replacing red lentils with another variety of lentils as this would call for changing the recipe drastically for successful results.
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This is a spicy recipe. It does call for one whole can of chipotle peppers. If you are not a fan of or just a so-so fan of spicy, I do recommend only using half a can or less. You can always a touch more at the end of recipe during the 5 minute simmer if you need more of a kick.
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This is a versatile recipe. If you do not have carrot or tomato on hand, you can omit or add different chopped veggies of choice.
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For a sugar-free version, omit the coconut sugar or use a sweetener such as this one.
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This spicy chowder stores well in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. To re-heat, simply heat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed throughout.
More Vegan Comfort Food Recipes
Butternut Squash Coconut Curry Rice Noodle Soup
Ginger Harvest Lentil Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Instant Pot Three Sisters Soup Recipe (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Gluten-Free Vegan Lentil Minestrone Soup
Instant Pot Millet + Pinto Bean Vegan Chili
We absolutely adore this Spicy Southwest-style Chowder, and we can only hope that you love this big bowl of flavorful comfort, too! Enjoy. xo.
If you try this recipe please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, share this post, use Pinterest’s “tried it” feature, or take a photo, & tag me on Instagram and I’ll share it! Thank you so much! <3
Spicy Southwestern Vegan Corn Chowder with Quinoa, Potatoes + Red Lentils
Ingredients
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 fresh or roasted green chiles finely chopped
- 3 potatoes peeled and cubed (I use Russet)
- 1/2 cup quinoa uncooked & rinsed/drained
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder or regular chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground oregano
- 8 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 7 oz can chipotle peppers + adobo sauce
- 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 to mato diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tbs chickpea flour optional, creates a slightly thicker texture
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tbs apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tbs coconut sugar or any granulated sugar of choice
- to taste: sea salt
- Optional garnishes: pepitas pumpkin seeds, fresh cilantro, tortilla chips, shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat add olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and green chiles. Saute for 3-5 minutes or until all is softened and beginning to turn golden.
- Stir in potatoes, quinoa, lentils, and spices. Saute for 2 minutes longer while stirring.
- Pour in broth or water.
- Stir in chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, corn, carrot, tomato, cilantro, and flour (optional).
- Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and stir in coconut milk, vinegar and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes or until desired consistency.
- Turn off heat, salt to taste, let cool and serve.
- Optionally garnish with pumpkin seeds, cilantro, tortilla chips and cheese.
- Enjoy!
Great chowder! My husband asked me to add this to the ‘keeper’ file. I only added 3 chipotle peppers and probably a quarter of the adobo sauce in the can and that was fine for us. I served it topped with scallions and a bit of lime juice. This is a keeper. Thanks for your great recipes and beautiful photography.
Hi, Jennifer! Thank you for stopping by! I’m so very happy you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. I really appreciate the kind words and feedback! 🙂
Loved this! Followed exactly except I didn’t have a tomato so I subbed a can of Ro-tel. I used two cups less broth since I wanted it to be thicker and sadly I didn’t have any cilantro on hand. I will make this again for sure!
I’m so very happy to hear it! Thanks so much for taking the time to share here. 🙂
Are the lentils dry? Or precooked?
Sorry, and thank you for catching that! They are dried.