Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder

Published December 12, 2017. Updated October 30, 2018

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Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder has the perfect blend of deliciously satisfying flavors! It’s perfectly hearty and amazingly satisfying. And I’m just wondering why I didn’t think to add sweet potatoes in until now.

Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder with Ham and Sweet Potatoes

I love the way the salty ham in this soup compliments the sweet potatoes. I also love how it’s loaded with veggies.  And it’s perfectly creamy.

I’ll always go for a comforting creamy soup on a cold winter day.

There’s just something about comfort food that seems so fitting on these drab, cold and snowless days (I think if it’s going to be cold there should at least be some beautiful white sparkly snow right?).

Lately for me it’s been all about that easy Chicken Pot Pie but now I’ll have to add this Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder into the mix.

Corn chowder with ham and sweet potatoes in a large navy pot.

Ingredients for This Recipe

  • Olive oil
  • Fresh veggies including yellow onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, garlic and sweet potatoes
  • Low-sodium chicken broth
  • Dried basil and thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Unsalted butter, diced into 1-Tbsp pieces
  • All-purpose flour
  • Whole milk
  • Ham
  • Frozen corn
  • Sharp cheddar cheese
  • Fresh parsley

Scroll below for full printable recipe.

How to Make This Chowder

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in onions, carrots and celery and saute 4 minutes.
  • Add in bell pepper and garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
  • Add in chicken broth, sweet potatoes, basil and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste (don’t add too much salt as you’ll be adding salty ham and cheese later on).
  • Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sweet potatoes and vegetables are tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.
  • Pour in milk into flour mixture, stir constantly and bring mixture to a light boil, remove from heat.
  • Stir ham and corn into soup (once veggies are tender) and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir milk mixture into soup.
  • Stir in cheddar and parsley. Serve warm.

Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder

Are They Yams or Are They Sweet Potatoes?

In some countries you may find the sweet potatoes labeled as yams. Most varieties will work here – just skip the purple or white sweet potatoes.

Here in the U.S. they should be labeled as “sweet potatoes.” I used the Red Garnet Variety.

What Kind of Ham Should I Use?

Then for the ham I just used a center cut bone-in ham steak (of course trimming excess fat and discarding the bone).

But leftover holiday ham would work here as well – as long as it’s not coated in a sweet glaze.

Here you want a smoked ham flavor not a sweet ham, you already get enough sweet from those sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder

Then grab a loaf of fresh wheat bread or some crackers while your at the grocery store too, because soup is always better when you’ve got something for dunking.

And finish the meal off with some Christmas cookies – I’d say go for the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies or the Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cookies.

We all need a splurge sometimes.

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Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder
5 from 13 votes

Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder

This soup has the perfect blend of deliciously satisfying flavors! It's creamy, it's hearty and it's oh so comforting! Perfect for a cold winter day.
Servings: 5
Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Ready in: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in onions, carrots and celery and saute 4 minutes. 
  • Add in bell pepper and garlic and saute 1 minute longer. 
  • Add in chicken broth, sweet potatoes, basil and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste (don't add too much salt as you'll be adding salty ham and cheese later on). 
  • Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sweet potatoes and vegetables are tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.  
  • Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. 
  • Pour in milk into flour mixture, stir constantly and bring mixture to a light boil, remove from heat.
  • Stir ham and corn into soup (once veggies are tender) and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir milk mixture into soup.
  • Stir in cheddar and parsley. Serve warm.
  • Recipe source: inspired by Allrecipes
Nutrition Facts
Sweet Potato Ham and Corn Chowder
Amount Per Serving
Calories 593 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 769mg33%
Potassium 1162mg33%
Carbohydrates 52g17%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 15g17%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 17520IU350%
Vitamin C 52.1mg63%
Calcium 321mg32%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.