This vichyssoise soup is such a dream. It’s so creamy, flavorful, and effortless to make. Seven ingredients simmered and then pureed, this soup is light but still hearty and filling thanks to the potatoes. Even better, as this soup keeps for days, I love cooking a large batch of this creamy soup for the week. It’s not a fussy recipe, and it’s great on its own or topped with freshly chopped chives for a pop of color. Got extra potatoes and want to make another soup? Try my potato soup recipe, potato leek soup recipe, or my chicken pot pie soup recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Butter — cooking the leeks in butter gives the vichyssoise soup an extra layer of flavor and creaminess. Make sure to use unsalted butter to avoid the soup being too salty.
Leeks — leeks provide a delicious sweet, tangy oniony flavor to the soup.
Potatoes — I use russet potatoes in this vichyssoise recipe, but you can also use Yukon gold potatoes instead.
Chicken stock — stock adds so much flavor to the soup. If you want this soup to be vegetarian, you can swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Heavy whipping cream — for the creamiest vichyssoise, you’ll need heavy cream. While milk or half and half makes for a decent substitute, the heavy cream will yield the creamiest results.
How to Make Vichyssoise
1 Cut the leeks, making sure only to use the white parts.
2. In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown. Add the leeks and cook until the leeks are wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the potatoes, stock, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender about 35 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Use an immersion blender, or working in small batches, transfer the leek mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into an airtight container and let cool to room temperature.
5. Stir in the cream and pepper.
6. Cover the container with the lid and refrigerate until chilled. To serve, let the soup stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Garnish the vichyssoise with chives.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a blender instead. Be careful when blending hot soup; make sure to have a way for the steam to escape and avoid filling the blender all the way.
- I recommend rinsing the leeks after cutting as it’s common for there to be trapped dirt and debris between the layers.
- Browning the butter adds a ton of flavor to the butter. Using a light-colored pot will help you see how brown the butter gets as you don’t want to burn the butter.
- Cutting the potatoes uniformly will help them cook evenly. However, as we blend the soup, it’s ok if they’re not perfect.
- While vichyssoise is a chilled soup recipe, make sure to allow it to stand at room temperature before serving. If the soup is too cold, you lose the flavors from the butter, leeks, and potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did it get its name from?
The New Yorker had credited French chef Louis Diat for inventing the soup. The soup was first named crème vichyssoise glacée, after the French town of Vichy that Diat grew up near.
What is the difference between this recipe and potato leek soup?
The main difference between vichyssoise and potato leek soup is that you serve vichyssoise chilled, and you serve potato leek soup warm.
How long do leftovers keep?
You can keep leftover vichyssoise in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. I recommend an airtight container as you do not want any odors from the refrigerator to meld with the soup.
Can I freeze leftovers?
I do not recommend freezing vichyssoise as the texture from the potatoes will change once frozen. You also risk the soup losing its creaminess once frozen.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Vichyssoise recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Vichyssoise
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (57g)
- 4 large leeks white part only, cleaned and sliced (about 5 cups)
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and chopped (900g)
- 6 cups chicken stock (1.5L)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (240mL)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- chopped fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 7 minutes.
- Add the leeks and cook until the leeks are wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, stock, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Use an immersion blender, or working in small batches, transfer the leek mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into an air-tight container and let cool to room temperature.
- Stir in the cream and pepper. Cover the container with the lid and refrigerate until chilled. To serve, let the soup stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Garnish with chives. If desired, grate a small amount of nutmeg on top.
Notes
- If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup to a blender instead. Be careful when blending hot soup; make sure to have a way for the steam to escape and avoid filling the blender all the way.
- I recommend rinsing the leek after cutting as it’s common for there to be trapped dirt and debris between the layers.
- Browning the butter adds a ton of flavor to the butter. Using a light-colored pot will help you see how brown the butter gets as you don’t want to burn the butter.
- Cutting the potatoes uniformly will help them cook evenly. However, as we blend the soup, it’s ok if they’re not perfect.
- While vichyssoise is a chilled soup, make sure to allow it to stand at room temperature before serving. If the soup is too cold, you lose the flavors from the butter, leeks, and potatoes.
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