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French · American

Vichyssoise

Non-vegetarian

A silky, chilled purée of leeks and potatoes enriched with cream and finished with snipped chives — elegant summer food made from humble ingredients.

Vichyssoise is a French soup from United States, ready in about 4 hours 50 minutes and made with leek, potato and heavy cream. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Two bowls of smooth, pale cold vichyssoise leek and potato soup
Photo: BocaDorada / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 50 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
286

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and sweat the leeks (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab) with a pinch of the salt, covered, until very soft but not coloured.

    Any browning will turn the soup beige — keep the heat low.

  2. Step 2

    Add the potatoes (opens in a new tab), stock and remaining salt. Simmer until the potatoes break up easily.

    • 20 min
    • medium-low heat

  3. Step 3

    Blend until completely smooth, then pass through a fine sieve for the classic velvety texture. Stir in the cream and white pepper (opens in a new tab).

    Blend in batches, never more than half full, with the lid held down.

  4. Step 4

    Cool, then chill for at least 4 hours until very cold. Taste again — cold food needs a little more salt — and serve topped with chives (opens in a new tab).

    • 240 min

    Food safety: Cool the soup quickly (within 2 hours) before refrigerating.

About this dish

Origin
New York, United States · Commonly attributedUsually credited to the French chef Louis Diat at the Ritz-Carlton in New York, who based it on the hot leek and potato soups of his childhood in France; some French writers dispute the American attribution.Also popular in France, United KingdomMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered, Blended
Taste
creamy, mild, refreshing
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
With the listed swaps: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, PescatarianWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Leek · Potato · Heavy cream · Butter · Onion · Chicken stock
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, heavy cream
  • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

286 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 311 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 10%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 56%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy286 kcal92 kcal
Protein7 g2.2 g
Carbohydrate25.2 g8.1 g
Net carbohydrate22.8 g7.3 g
Sugars6.1 g1.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.4 g0.8 g
Fat18.1 g5.8 g
Saturated fat10.8 g3.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol53 mg17 mg
Sodium657 mg211 mg
Salt equivalent1.6 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
571 mg
Calcium
66 mg
Iron
1.9 mg
Magnesium
38 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
212 µg
Vitamin C
20 mg
Vitamin D
0.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.1 µg
Folate (DFE)
51 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Use floury potatoes such as Russet or Maris Piper; waxy potatoes can turn gluey when blended.

Common mistakes

  • Under-seasoning — chilled soups taste flatter than hot ones.

Serve with

  • Serve in chilled bowls as a summer starter.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days chilled; does not freeze well once the cream is added.

Reheating

  • Can be served hot as potage parmentier-style leek and potato soup; warm gently without boiling.

History

Commonly credited to Louis Diat, a French-born chef who worked at New York's Ritz-Carlton in the early twentieth century and named it after Vichy, near his home region.

Confidence: Commonly attributed

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Butter30 g
  • Leek, white and pale green parts only, sliced and washed3 piece · 270 g
  • Potato, floury, peeled and sliced400 g
  • Heavy cream200 ml · 200 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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