My Vichyssoise recipe is an easy take on the classic chilled soup of cooked and pureed leeks, potatoes, and onions, plus cream. This cold soup is satisfying yet light, perfect for hot summer and fall days!
My husband’s a soup guy. Doesn’t matter the season, he’ll never turn down a bowl of soup. So this Vichyssoise recipe is a fun one when the temperatures are high. It’s a creamy, earthy-flavored potato and leek soup that’s served chilled. Hearty, yet simple and light, this soup is perfect for hot summer and fall days!
Why You’ll Love This Soup Recipe
I still remember our daughters’ first bowls of chilled soup. We were on a cruise, enjoying a “fancy” dinner one evening, and chilled soup was on the menu. We all decided on the strawberry soup – and found it so delightful. We’ve been enthralled with cold soups ever since! Here’s why we like this recipe:
- A little different. I like to change up our menu with different soup recipes, and this recipe is the first one in my recipe index that’s served cold. It’s a fun, unexpected soup to serve during the warmer months. (And when it’s cold outside, opt for my (hot) creamy potato soup!
- Enough for a meal. Unlike some vegetable soups, vichyssoise’s blend of hearty potatoes and rich cream means it will satisfy you after you’ve cleared the table. If you’d like to expand this soup into a meal that’s still on the light side, serve it with a fresh green salad and crusty slices of bread with softened, salted butter.
- Versatile. This soup can go the way of both casual and elegant. We welcome it just as much for a simple weeknight meal as we do for a summer dinner party.
What Is Vichyssoise?
Vichyssoise is a cold soup of pureed potatoes, leeks, and onions, mixed with cream. In French, vichyssoise means “cream of leek and potato soup”.
This soup was developed in the early 1900’s at the New York Ritz-Carlton hotel, by French-born head chef Louis Diat. His recipe has humble origins, modeled after his mother’s technique for cooling her (hot) simple leek and potato soup with cold milk. Diat named this version of his mother’s soup after Vichy, a famous spa located near his childhood home.
Recipe Ingredients
I’ve outlined what you need for this recipe below. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Butter – To saute the leeks and onions. This softens the vegetables and adds rich flavor.
- Leeks – Part of the allium family, leeks add a unique mild onion flavor to the soup. Make sure to clean the leeks very well because they can be sandy, and that grit will ruin your soup. See my tips below for how to clean them.
- Onion – To add another layer of earthy, onion flavor. I like to use sweet Vidalia onion but standard yellow onion would work too.
- Garlic – I adore fresh garlic sauteed in butter – it adds a rich, gorgeous flavor and scent.
- Chicken stock – This is used to cook the potatoes and provides the broth for the soup. I always opt for low-sodium chicken stock so I can better control the salt.
- Potatoes – I recommend Yukon gold potatoes as they are softer and creamier than russet potatoes, which yields a smoother, richer soup.
- Salt & white pepper – To simply season the soup and reinforce the flavors of the leek and onion. I use white pepper for a pretty appearance to the cream-toned soup.
- Bay leaf – This adds an additional peppery note and adds a little more depth of flavor to the soup. Make sure to remove it before blending.
- Cream – Heavy cream is used to thicken the soup, plus it offers a rich and luxurious texture and flavor. You can use half-and-half if you prefer, but the overall texture and flavor will not be quite as “wow”.
- Sour cream – This adds a touch of tangy flavor, plus additional creamy texture to the soup.
- Chives – For a pretty, fresh visual contrast that marries perfectly with the flavors in this soup.
How To Clean Leeks
It’s not uncommon to find sand in leeks, so it’s essential to clean them thoroughly before adding them to any recipe.
For this soup, first cut off the roots and slice the leeks lengthwise. You want to use the lighter green part of the leeks rather than the darker ends (these can be discarded). Make cross-wise cuts, then place the chopped leeks in a big bowl, fill it with water, and use your hands to swish and stir the leeks around to dislodge the dirt. Then, scoop out the leeks with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
How To Make Vichyssoise
Let my photos below guide you through making this soup recipe. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Saute aromatics. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the leeks, onion, and garlic, and saute until leeks are tender.
- Add stock. Stir in the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, white pepper, and bay leaf, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Stir in cream. Remove the bay leaf and add the heavy cream and sour cream.
- Puree and chill. Then puree the soup until completely smooth, using either an immersion blender or a blender. Place finished soup in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips to help you make this soup, plus a couple variations:
- Use yellow potatoes. I mentioned this in the ingredient notes but it bears repeating: use yellow Yukon gold potatoes, or a similar variety of yellow potato, if you can. They get beautifully creamy when cooked, which offers a smoother, more luxurious texture, to the soup.
- Cook until soft. For the best blended texture, be sure to saute the leeks and onions until beautifully soft. And cook the potatoes until soft as well. If the potatoes aren’t thoroughly cooked, you will likely have chunky bits in the soup.
- Serve chilled, but not COLD. This soup is meant to be enjoyed chilled. But the best flavor comes from soup that’s not super cold. So if it has been in the fridge for a long time, and is thoroughly cold, I recommend letting it sit out at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving.
- Make it vegetarian. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make a vegetarian version of vichyssoise. If you wish to make a vegan version of this soup, use vegetable broth and your favorite non-dairy butter, milk or cream, and sour cream.
- Lighten up. While this is meant to be a luxuriously creamy soup, you can adjust the cream to use half-and-half or even whole milk and substitute the sour cream for Greek yogurt (note that if you do this, the soup will not be a traditional vichyssoise!).
Serving Suggestions
You can serve small bowls of vichyssoise as the starter to a bigger meal, or make it the main event with larger bowls. Here are a few serving ideas:
- Bread. Grab a fresh baguette and serve it with softened butter. Or make popovers. Beautiful dippers for this soup!
- Salad. A simple, fresh green salad would also be lovely next to this soup.
- Meats. This soup would be a great starter to a meal of roasted, smoked, or grilled meats.
How To Store Leftovers
IF we have leftovers, here’s how I store them!
Refrigerate: Place the soup in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to four days.
I don’t recommend freezing: Because of its high dairy content, which can separate and “break” the soup when it’s defrosted, I avoid freezing this soup.
Serve: Let the soup sit on the counter for a bit after it’s been sitting in the fridge, to take the overall coldness off.
More Soup Recipes To Try
Vichyssoise
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 cups chopped leeks
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- chopped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the leeks, onion, and garlic. Saute until leeks are tender and the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes or so.
- Add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, white pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to combine, then simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and add the heavy cream and sour cream.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth. Or use a stand blender, working in smaller batches. Either way, be careful when blending hot liquids. For an even smoother soup, press the blended soup through a fine sieve with a rubber spatula.
- Transfer soup to the refrigerator and chill for 30-60 minutes. You want to serve the soup cool, but not cold.
- Serve garnished with a sprinkling of chives.
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