Corn Stock

The best way to enjoy the summery flavor of corn year-round is to turn it into a stock that you can freeze and enjoy throughout the year. Our corn stock is packed with flavor, and great for adding layers of flavor to soups, chowders, and grains like rice or polenta.

🍲 Why We Love This Recipe

• Adds a ton of flavor to soups: This stock is a great replacement for vegetable broth in almost any soup or chowder recipe. It's also a fantastic replacement for water when cooking grains like polenta or quinoa.
• Freeze and use later: You can freeze this stock to use later, so you can enjoy that summer corn flavor throughout the year.
• Make use of those cobs: Though they're normally tossed in the trash, the cobs are packed with corn flavor and using the whole vegetable helps repurpose and cut down on waste.

🌽 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this homemade corn stock:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Fresno chili peppers: If you've never seen a fresno before, they basically look like red jalapeño peppers. If you can't find these at your grocery store, you can opt to replace them with jalapeños or serranos. If you're not a fan of spice, you can leave out the pepper altogether.
• Ginger: Ginger adds SO much flavor. The subtle spice pairs so well with sweet corn and adds so much depth to this recipe. If you don't have fresh, leave it out altogether. It won't be the same with powdered ginger.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Slice kernels off of 5 ears of corn and set kernels aside. (We use them in this corn chowder! You can also use them in pasta, cornbread, salads, etc.)

(2) Add 3 of the corn cobs to a large stock pot with all of the other broth ingredients: 2 large smashed cloves of garlic, 1 large Fresno chili, halved, 1 large carrot, chopped into 4 pieces, 1 medium onion, quartered, 1 large stalk of celery, leaves included, chopped into 3 pieces, 5-6 sprigs of fresh cilantro, ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and halved, 8 cups water, 2 teaspoon kosher salt.

(3) Bring stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-2 ½ hours, stirring several times throughout.

(4) When done, strain through stock a fine mesh sieve, using the back of a large spoon to press liquids out from broth solids. This should yield 4-5 cups of broth, and any extra stock can be frozen and used within 3 months.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Usage ideas: You can try using this recipe instead of water when cooking rice, quinoa, or polenta. This corn stock will add an extra layer of flavor to any grain.
• In soups: This corn stock will serve as a great stand in in almost any recipe where you'd normally use veggie broth, especially in fall or summery soups like this minestrone or this vegan "clam" chowder.
• Storage: Place in an airtight container (those one quart containers you get with takeout work really well) and freeze for 3 months or longer.
• You can substitute Fresno chili peppers for jalapeños or serranos.

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