French

Serving

Vichyssoise

Name: Vichyssoise
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced; 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced; 4 tbsp unsalted butter; 4 cups chicken stock; 1 cup heavy cream; 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives; 1/2 tsp white pepper

A velvety chilled French soup of pureed leeks and potatoes enriched with cream and finished with fresh chives.

45 minutes

Serves 4

Appetizer

16 min prep

25 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

5 steps

1
Rinse the sliced leeks thoroughly to remove grit, then sweat them in the melted butter over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until soft but not browned.
2
Add the diced potatoes and chicken stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender.
3
Puree the soup until silky smooth using a blender, working in batches and being careful with the hot liquid.
4
Stir in the heavy cream and white pepper, season with salt to taste, then strain through a fine sieve for an extra-smooth texture if desired.
5
Chill the soup thoroughly in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, then serve cold in chilled bowls topped with a generous sprinkle of fresh chives.

Vichyssoise — plated and served — Serving moment. How Vichyssoise looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

70/100

Good fit for most families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 86

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 44

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

805

Calories

46 g

Protein

36 g

Carbs

54 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Vichyssoise was invented not in France but in New York City, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in 1917, by French chef Louis Diat, who based it on the leek and potato soup his mother made in Vichy. Diat chilled the soup and enriched it with cream for service at a summer lunch, and the dish became an enduring classic of American fine dining under a French name. Despite its American origin, the technique and flavor profile are authentically rooted in French country cooking -- leek-potato potage has been a staple of provincial French kitchens for centuries, and Diat simply formalized and chilled what rural cooks had always made.

Listahan note

This version is uncompromising about using only the white and pale-green parts of the leek to keep the soup's color pure ivory; any dark green tops turn the finished soup muddy and faintly bitter.

Technique cues

Sweat the leeks in butter over low heat for at least 15 minutes until completely soft and sweet before adding any liquid; rushing this step leaves a raw, slightly harsh leek flavor in the finished soup.
After blending, pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve for the smooth, restaurant-quality texture that defines vichyssoise -- a blender alone leaves tiny fibrous bits that become noticeable when the soup is served cold.
Season the soup when it is cold, not hot; cold temperatures dull salt perception significantly, so a soup that tastes correctly seasoned hot will taste underseasoned once chilled.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: While the leeks sweat, peel and cube the potatoes and keep them in cold water to prevent browning; drain and add directly to the pot when the leeks are ready.
Make-ahead: Vichyssoise is entirely a make-ahead dish -- it must chill for at least 4 hours and is best made the day before serving, which gives the flavors time to meld in the refrigerator.
Leftover move: Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of stock to thin it; the soup is equally good warm and works as a sauce base for sauteed fish or as a filling for a potato-leek frittata.
Cleanup rhythm: Strain the soup into a clean bowl set over ice to cool it quickly, which avoids the need for extended refrigerator time; wash the sieve immediately while the starch is still wet and easy to remove.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

leeks (white and pale-green parts only)

primary flavor base

Purpose: Leeks provide a milder, sweeter allium flavor than onions, which is what distinguishes vichyssoise from a plain potato soup.

Handling: Halve lengthwise and rinse thoroughly between the layers -- leeks trap significant sand that will ruin the texture of the finished soup.

Adaptation: A combination of two-thirds leek and one-third sweet onion works if leeks are unavailable, though the flavor will be sharper.

Yukon Gold potatoes

body and creaminess

Purpose: Yukon Golds have a naturally buttery flavor and a texture that breaks down smoothly during blending without becoming gluey the way high-starch russets can.

Handling: Peel and cut into roughly equal 1-inch cubes so they cook evenly and blend completely smooth.

Adaptation: Russet potatoes work but produce a slightly starchier texture; reduce the potato quantity by about 20% to compensate.

unsalted butter

fat for sweating and richness

Purpose: Butter adds the dairy richness that carries the leek flavor and gives the soup its characteristic silky mouthfeel even before the cream is added.

Handling: Use over low heat; vichyssoise should never be browned at any stage, so watch the butter carefully to keep it from coloring.

Adaptation: A neutral-flavored olive oil can replace butter for a dairy-free base; use the same quantity.

heavy cream

final texture and richness

Purpose: Cream stirred in after blending and chilling gives the soup its signature velvety body and moderates the sharpness of any residual leek flavor.

Handling: Add cold to the chilled, strained soup and stir gently; there is no need to whip it.

Adaptation: Full-fat coconut cream is a dairy-free option that adds a slight sweetness; creme fraiche adds a pleasant tang.

low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

cooking liquid and flavor carrier

Purpose: Stock adds savory depth that plain water cannot provide; a light, neutral stock keeps the leek flavor in the foreground rather than competing with it.

Handling: Warm before adding to the pot to avoid shocking the sweated leeks and slowing the cook.

Adaptation: Vegetable stock makes the soup fully vegetarian with no noticeable difference in flavor.

Technique notes

Blend the soup in batches filling the blender no more than halfway; hot soup expands rapidly in a sealed blender and can blow the lid off -- hold it down with a folded towel.
A teaspoon of white wine vinegar or a small squeeze of lemon juice stirred in just before serving brightens the entire soup without adding any perceptible sourness.
Serve in chilled bowls -- warming the bowl even slightly noticeably changes the temperature and texture of the soup, which should arrive at the table cold and perfectly smooth.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Replace the butter with olive oil for sweating the leeks and substitute full-fat coconut cream for the heavy cream; the soup will have a subtle sweetness that pairs well with the leeks.
Lower-fat direction: Substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream and use only 1 tablespoon of butter; the soup will be lighter but still smooth if strained carefully.
Weeknight shortcut: Use an immersion blender directly in the pot rather than transferring to a countertop blender, then press through the sieve; this cuts washing-up time significantly.

Serve alongside

Cucumber and dill finger sandwiches
Radish and butter tartines on baguette
Endive salad with walnuts and Roquefort
Chilled Chablis
Sparkling water with cucumber

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days; stir well before serving as the cream can separate slightly during storage.
Vichyssoise does not freeze well -- the potatoes become grainy and the cream breaks upon thawing; make only what you plan to serve within 3 days.

Equipment

High-powered blender -- necessary for achieving the smooth texture before straining; an immersion blender alone is not sufficient
Fine-mesh sieve or chinois -- the straining step is non-negotiable for the silky, restaurant-quality finish
Large bowl set over ice -- for rapid chilling of the soup after blending to preserve the bright color and reduce refrigerator wait time

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