This time of year always feels like we’re in limbo. Between the launch of everyone’s favorite pumpkin spiced drink, Halloween candy filling grocery store shelves, and the weather still clinging to 80 degrees or more, the excitement of fall mixes with the last few dog days of summer. Personally, fall is my favorite season—basic, I know! And while this upcoming season might still look a little different than many of us planned for, I’m heading into fall with a grateful mindset. I live for the cozy vibes and movies, the spiced desserts, all the upcoming holidays, and the chance to revisit some of my favorite autumnal recipes. Speaking of recipes for the season, as much as I live for the return of all things pumpkin, what I’m really excited about is soup season! And I guarantee this spicy vegan corn soup will be on weekly rotation for you too.
Soup just might be the easiest and most delicious recipes to have in your repertoire. Once you get the basic formula down, it’s easy to experiment and mix-and-match with any ingredients you have on hand. With this limbo season in full swing, I started experimenting with key summer ingredients in soup form. Something warming and spicy, with a nod to summer as it comes to a close. And this corn soup is exactly what I was looking for to bid her farewell and say a big hello to fall!
This is a one pot wonder of a soup. In my world, the fewer the dishes the better and all this takes is one large dutch oven to cook everything in. Corn is one of my favorite summer ingredients, and the sweetness of the vegetable is just so perfect. My one qualm with most corn soups though is that they can sometimes lean too sweet. So, I wanted to balance that out with a hefty kick of spice that makes this a very warming bowl of flavor that’s perfect for fall soup season as well.
The spice comes from the jalapeño but at the last minute I decided to add in some sriracha as well. This really helped kick up the heat factor and the acidity helps to cut through the sweetness. To round out the warmth, I also added in some roasted poblano which is one of my favorite flavors in all things dips and soup.
If you’ve never roasted poblanos before, here’s my trick:
Place peppers onto a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at around 400 degrees F until blistery on both sides, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl and cover with a plate for about 10 minutes. The steaming helps make it easier to peel off the papery skin that you don’t really want to eat. Take the peppers out, peel off the skin, slice off the stem and remove the seeds. Then you chop up the peppers and add them to whatever dish you’re cooking up! Roasted poblanos are one of my favorite ingredients to add to soups, salads, and even blending into hummus.
I kept things vegan by using coconut milk to add creaminess and richness. The coconut flavor also compliments the sweetness of the corn while balancing out the heat a little bit as well.
When it comes to blending the soup I’m all about the texture. I don’t like smooth soups. They’re just not as filling as something that’s hearty and thick. So I only blend about 1/4 of the soup until smooth, blend about 1/2 until thick and textural, and leave the last 1/4 whole. This is entirely up to you and your preferences, but again, I love the texture of the ingredients in here and didn’t want it be completely smooth.
For the topping, I added some fresh roasted corn that bursts into sweet bites, some crispy garlic chips for some crunch along with some tortilla chips, and fresh herbs for brightness. You could add some avocado, shredded chicken, and some crema if you wanted to.
This soup keeps really well in the fridge, so just store in an airtight container for a quick and hearty meal throughout the week. The options are endless, and you can totally adjust this recipe to your preferences. Enjoy!
Vegan One Pot Spicy Corn Soup
Serves 4
a quick and flavorful soup for the season
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Categories
Ingredients
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 - 3 tbsp oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional to seed for less heat)
- 2 10 oz bags of frozen corn, thawed
- 16 oz of vegetable broth
- 8 oz of coconut milk from a can
- 1 tbsp of sriracha
- salt and pepper to taste
- juice of 1/2 lime
- toppings: fresh herbs like cilantro, green onions, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges, garlic chips, avocado, etc.
Instructions
- Prep the poblano peppers. To roast in the oven, preheat to 400 degrees F. Place peppers on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, flipping halfway through until charred. Remove from oven and place in a bowl and cover to steam for ten minutes. Once cooled, take peppers and peel the skin and remove the seeds. Chop and set aside. (you can also char over open flame if preferred, using the same steaming and cooling method to remove skin)
- In a large dutch oven, add the oil and bring up to a medium heat.
- Add the onions and big pinch of salt. Stir and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 - 8 minutes.
- Add cumin seeds, black pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Stir to combine and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Add the corn and chopped poblano peppers, and stir to combine.
- Add the broth and coconut milk with the sriracha. Add a pinch more salt. Stir to combine and bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes.
- Let cool slightly before adding to a blender or using an immersion blender. Blend to desired consistency. *For more texture, only blend about 3/4 of the soup and add back to pot. Blend about 1/4 until completely smooth and add back to pot.
- Salt and pepper to taste, and add juice of 1/2 lime.
- Serve warm with toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Sounds delish!