Chowder is a lavender creature with a mix of cat, bear, and rabbit features, who is an apprentice to chef Mung Daal and lives with him and Truffles at the top of their catering business. Despite his desire to become a great chef, Chowder is impulsive and eats anything, even customer orders. He can also regurgitate objects and is often used as a storage container by other characters.
Mung Daal is an elderly goblin chef who runs the catering company where Chowder works and serves as his cooking master. He has cooked for at least 386 years and celebrated 450 years of marriage with Truffles. Mung has an oversized nose and ears and is named after the Indian dish mung daal. In the final episode, he retires with Truffles and leaves the catering company to Chowder.
Truffles Daal, voiced by Tara Strong, is a mushroom pixie/fairy who manages the business side of Mung Daal's catering business and is his wife. She has an extreme choleric personality, and the character is based on the show creator's mother. Initially, the staff found it difficult to work on any story with Truffles because of her abrasive nature. However, they decided that "a little Truffles goes a long way," and she appeared occasionally in the show, similar to Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street. In the final episode, Truffles retired along with Mung, and it is suggested that Panini may take over her job.
Shnitzel is a taupe rock monster who works as a professional chef at Mung Daal's Catering Company. He is usually the "straight man" to the other excitable characters and often gets stuck with menial labor or heavy lifting due to his incredible strength. Although he is usually agitated by Chowder's antics, he has a soft spot for him.
Panini is a cat-bear-rabbit hybrid apprentice to Ms. Endive, who has a crush on Chowder, but he does not feel the same way. In the final episode, Chowder accepts Panini's feelings, and they get married with many children. Panini's name means "sandwiches" in Italian.
Kimchi is Chowder's pet stink cloud that lives in a cage next to his bed. He communicates by making fart sounds and has a liking for unpleasant smells. Although Kimchi is usually depicted with a blank personality, it is shown in "Stinky Love" that he has an opinion. What happens to Kimchi in the final episode is unknown, but it’s possible that he still lives with Chowder.
Gazpacho is a woolly mammoth storekeeper and Chowder's best friend, who sells produce and ingredients at the farmer's market. He offers advice to Chowder and lives with his overbearing mother. In the final episode, Gazpacho closed his stand, became a nomad, and pursued his dream of opening a Comedy Night Club.
Ms. Endive is a carrot/anteater/elephant hybrid who teaches cooking to Panini. She is depicted as intelligent, snobbish, and gargantuan in size. She regularly berates Mung, whom she considers a rival. She despises boys and boyfriends because her fiancé did not show up on their wedding day. Endive's character stayed constant throughout the initial development. In the final episode, Endive is living a happy life with her husband, Shnitzel.
Gorgonzola is a young green rat apprentice candle holder with an unlikeable attitude who occasionally partners with Chowder. He wears tattered brown clothes and has a partially melted candle on his head. Gorgonzola is desperate to get cash and will do almost anything to get it. Despite his unpleasant attitude towards Chowder, Chowder sees him as a close friend. In the final episode, Gorgonzola runs a successful company and is voiced by Dave Wittenberg.
Kiwi is a photorealistic pink creature who gives advice to Chowder and his friends and provides interstitial narrations. In the episode "Brain Grub," his name is revealed, and he is shown reduced to selling used cars after Chowder alters the animated universe.
Ceviche is a young, yellow goat apprentice to Paté and Panini's best friend. He practices aerobic-style dancing and is known for his admirable attitude and amazing talents. Ceviche is also a close friend to Chowder, and he speaks in a monotonous voice, serving as deadpan humor for the show. He is good friends with Panini and sometimes makes unwanted advances towards her.
Paté is a tall, humanoid ballet dance master and operatic singer who is the mentor of Ceviche. He has a deep voice, green hair, a small black hat, and exaggerated lips. He was briefly introduced in the second episode of the first show, and his name was revealed for the first time in "The Apprentice Games" where he appeared as a judge. It was also revealed that he lives in another dimension.
Chestnut is a small and tough blue imp, voiced by Tone Loc and then John DiMaggio, who is surprisingly strong. He often uses everyday objects as other things and sings small songs to himself. Chestnut is the teacher of the BLTs and always refers to himself in the third person when speaking.
Reuben, voiced by Paul Reubens, is a swindler who takes things from other characters.
Mr. Fugu is a selfish and greedy sentient floating balloon, voiced by Bob Joles, who is Mung's most frequent customer. He is never seen sharing any food with Chowder and is accompanied by his valet, Foie Gras, a Maneki-neko. Foie Gras holds Mr. Fugu's string as he cannot control his flotation.
Sgt. Hoagie, voiced by Diedrich Bader, is a police officer in Marzipan City who sought dating advice from his colleagues in the episode "The Hot Date" after not having gone on a date in several years.