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Fresh Summer Corn Chowder with Cheese, Beer and Bratwurst

A good summer corn chowder made even better with beer brats and lots of cheese make a perfect soup to serve for game nights at home. It comes together in less than 40 minutes so it makes entertaining a breeze! Also a great option for Oktoberfest Food Parties!

tablescape with bratwurst chowder in a blue color scheme

Cheesy Beer Brat Corn Chowder is full of the ingredients you crave for a game-day meal. Bratwurst, cheese and fresh corn highlight this hearty soup. Toss in a little beer for a depth of flavor that your guests will love.

It’s super easy to make which if wasn’t enough to make you love the recipe it’s also all made in one pot. That makes it an absolute winner in my book (easy cleanup anyone?!!)

Game Day Entertaining can’t be any easier. Grilled Bratwurst and Corn are popular foods and putting them together is a match made in heaven!

Whether you make this for family game night or for a football-watching party making this hearty soup will be a popular meal.

I’m always looking for recipes to use corn and this bratwurst soup is a perfect use of fresh sweet corn. (and how fortunate are we that we can get corn on the cob all year long!)

Brats and beer are delicious add ins to the bratwurst corn chowder.

The chowder is thickened and has a slightly spicy kick with the addition of jalapenos and smoky paprika.

If you are feeding a lot of people you can make it even heartier by adding potatoes, peppers and/or carrots. It’s super versatile and budget-friendly.

The bratwurst is a great way to add protein to your soup. (Don’t like brats? Use smoked sausage instead.) Because the bratwurst is already cooked when you add it, it’s easy to serve this to those who prefer no meat by just leaving it out of their portion!

Incredible One-Pot Cooking

Today’s recipe is from a fellow food writer — Megan Marlowe. She has just published her book on one-pot cooking. She offers a twist on family favorites that are easy to make and don’t have a lot of clean-up because they are made in one single pot.

I was given a copy of this cookbook to try out her recipes and I’m thrilled to share this recipe with you!

You can find your copy at Amazon right now— (let’s hear it for Amazon for shipping so fast even in these crazy times!)

Need more delicious ideas for entertaining for Game Night in or entertaining for a Football watching party check out our Game Day Food here!

All of the ingredients for beer brat corn chowder on a tray- Cheese, brats, corn, flour, garlic, jalapeno, onion, salt, pepper,oregano, paprika
Corn Chowder Ingredients

Simple Pantry Ingredients to Make Bratwurst Soup

  • Fresh Or Frozen Corn
  • Garlic
  • Onions
  • Flour
  • Paprika
  • Jalapeno (optional)
  • Spicy Bratwurst (Mild ok too!)
  • Butter
  • Beer
  • Beef Stock
  • Salt & Pepper

Tips for Making Beer Brat Corn Chowder

  • Saute’ the corn kernels, onion and garlic in the butter over medium heat in a dutch oven- Cook the onion and garlic until soft and golden and let the flavor develop.
  • Adding the flour and spices over the vegetables and cooking it for a few minutes will cook out the floury taste of the flour and coat everything so the soup will thicken better. There won’t be lumpy flour pieces either!
  • Adding the broth and beer and cooking it on medium-high will help thicken the soup before adding the cheese and bratwurst.
  • Reduce the heat to low or medium when you stir in the cheese so it doesn’t separate and turn grainy. Cook, stirring frequently to incorporate and speed up melting.
  • I buy pre-cooked bratwurst for this recipe to save time. If you need to cook it, cook the brats in the pan first- searing the edged then adding the beer for the recipe to cook it for about 15 minutes. Remove the brats to a cutting board, pour the beer into a dish to use in the soup later.
full bowl of bratwurst soup

Common Questions for Beer Cheese Corn Chowder

I don’t have fresh corn. Can I use canned corn or frozen corn? You can use canned corn or frozen corn for this corn chowder recipe. If using canned, drain off the liquid. The quantity is the same using either of them.

Can I not use beer in the soup? You can omit the beer but substitute the same amount of broth in its place. I would also use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to help cut the acidity of the cheese. I’d also probably add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce to give it a depth of flavor that you will lose by not using beer.

I don’t have a lager beer what can I use in its place? You can use any light or medium style beer– if you only have a dark beer, cut the amount of beer in half so it doesn’t overpower the taste of the fresh corn chowder.

Can I use smoked sausage instead of bratwurst? Any sausage will work beautifully in this soup!

SInce it has bratwurst in it, can this work for an Octoberfest Party? This recipe for Brat Corn Chowder would be great for an at home Octoberfest Party because you could make it ahead of time and spend more time with your company!

Chili Lime corn salad in a serving bowl.
Fresh Sweet Corn Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

More Fresh Corn Recipes you might enjoy:

This Oven Baked Beef Ribs recipe is so easy. Dry rubbed with delicious seasoning, low temp bake yield fall off the bone tender, juicy  meaty ribs that will be the hit of any BBQ party all in less than 15 minutes of work!   
Beef Ribs (in Oven)

More Game Day Food that everyone will LOVE!

toppings on bratwurst soup
Yield: 6

Beer Brat Corn Chowder

hearyt bowl of corn chowder topped with cheese and bratwurst on the table

Simple Corn Chowder made with fresh sweet corn, beer and brats for a comfort food meal that can be ready in 40 minutes.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoon Butter
  • 2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Corn
  • 1/2 cup Onion, Minced
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
  • 12 ounces Light Lager Beer
  • 3 Cups Beef Stock
  • 1/2 Cup Half and Half 
  • 19 ounces Smoked Sausage or bratwurst, sliced to 1/2" rounds
  • 2 Cups Shredded White Cheddar Cheese (Divided)
  • 2 Green Onions for Garnish Sliced super thin

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the corn and saute for 5 minutes. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
  2. Sprinkle the flour, oregano paprika, salt and pepper over the top of the corn and cook for 3 minutes to bring out the nutty flavor of the flour.
  3. Slowly whisk in the beer, stock and half and half. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the brats and reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes allowing the chowder to thicken.
  4. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and cook until it melts.
  5. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with green onions and a small amount of cheese on top.

Notes

This recipe is adapted from Megan's recipe. I added more corn and used beer cheese brats.

2 ears of corn yields about 1 cup of corn. I used fresh sweet corn, but canned or frozen works just fine.

If your bratwurst is not cooked, sear the bratwurst in a skillet on all sides then add 1 cup of beer and bring to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked throughout. Allow cooling for 15 minutes before cutting to avoid losing all of the juices in the brats.

Don't want to use beer? Sub equal amount of beef broth and add 1 tablespoon of both Worcestershire Sauce and Apple cider Vinegar in its place.

Be sure to constantly stir the soup when you add the cheese and keep the heat to medium-high so the cheese does not get grainy.

Reprinted with permission from Incredible One-Pot Cooking by Megan Marlowe, Page Street Publishing Co. 2020. Photo credit: Megan Marlowe

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 648Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 1473mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 27g

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

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Jeff

Tuesday 28th of April 2020

Everyone was so impressed with this, I was reluctant to tell them how easy it is to make.

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