Vichyssoise: Easy French Soup Recipe

Around the world, there are many variations of leek and potato soup that are specific to a country’s cuisine, and each is slightly different in terms of either flavour or consistency. Some are thick and creamy, while others are rustic with chunks of vegetables. Similarly, some include additional ingredients to give different levels of flavour. The French variation of leek and potato soup is vichyssoise.

Vichyssoise is one of the best-known French soups, and it is a creamy soup consisting of leeks, potatoes, onions, cream, and chicken stock. Although some people eat the soup hot, it is usually served cold with a garnish of chives. Sometimes, people serve a small portion of the soup as an amuse-bouche between courses.

There are differing beliefs about this leek and potato soup’s origins. Some believe French chef Jules Gouffe invented the dish in 1859. On the other hand, some believe that Louis Diat, another French chef, created Vichyssoise while working at the New York Ritz-Carlton and then named his creation after his hometown Vichy.

It is a delicious and simple soup that is also budget-friendly. Here is an easy Vichyssoise recipe to try at home.

Useful Information

Preparation time	15 minutes
Cooking time	50 minutes
Servings	4
Vegetarian	No
Vegan	No
Dairy-free	No
Gluten-free	Yes

Ingredients for Vichyssoise

• 3 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced
• 5 medium potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 28 g/ 1 oz. butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 40 fl. oz./ 1.2 litres chicken stock
• 2.5 fl. oz./ 75 ml double cream
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped chives or parsley to garnish (optional)

How to Make Our Easy Vichyssoise Soup Recipe

1. Prepare the potatoes, leeks, and onion.
2. Add the butter and oil to a large pan over medium heat on the hob. The oil stops the butter from burning and aids cooking, while the butter adds flavour to the soup.
3. Add the leeks and onions to the pan and cook for 10 minutes until the ingredients soften.
4. Next, add the potatoes and thyme to the pan and season with salt and pepper.
5. Cover the pan and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Pour the chicken broth over the ingredients, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for another 30 minutes.
7. Check that the potatoes are thoroughly cooked through. If not, continue cooking until the potatoes are soft.
8. Remove from the heat, and blend with a stick blender or in a food processor until the soup is thick and smooth.
9. Add the cream and stir through the soup.
10. If serving cold, leave the vichyssoise to cool to room temperature before putting the soup in a container and storing it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
11. Garnish the soup with chopped chives or parsley and serve.

Useful Tips

• Serve the soup with the bread of your choice or some croutons.
• If you like our vichyssoise recipe, you might also like our recipes for cock-a-leekie soup, which uses some of the same ingredients, or our French garlic soup recipe.
• Add more cream for a creamier consistency or more stock to make a thinner soup.
• Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock to make a vegetarian version of vichyssoise.