Vichyssoise | Jessica in the Kitchen

Smooth, delicately flavoured vichyssoise is a classic French chilled potato soup that’s simple to make at home—and it’s also easy to make vegan! 

Vichyssoise is a French soup known for its velvety, creamy consistency and delicate balance of flavours. Usually served cold as either a starter or light meal, vichyssoise is traditionally made from pureed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. 

Making vichyssoise vegan gives this classic recipe a modern twist. Instead of traditional chicken stock, a rich vegetable stock adds different nuances to the flavour, while plant-based sour cream makes it creamy and adds a slight tang. The foundational ingredients—the leeks and potatoes—remain the same though, so there’s no mistaking this soup for anything else!

Why You’ll Love This Vichyssoise Recipe

• Simple perfection. With only a few ingredients, vichyssoise shows that sometimes less is more when it comes to achieving delicious results. Leave all the toppings for loaded potato soup—this is a soup where simplicity shines!
• Creamy and velvety. The smooth, creamy texture of this soup gives it a luxurious feel. This is not a chunky, hearty soup like vegetable minestrone! 
• A taste of French cuisine. For those who appreciate French cuisine but struggle to find dishes that are vegan-friendly, vichyssoise offers a taste of classic French flavours in an accessible way.

Notes on Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

• Vegan butter – You can use store-bought or homemade vegan butter.
• Leeks – You’ll only need the white parts for this recipe. The green parts can be used to make vegetable broth.
• Yellow onion 
• Russet potatoes – To achieve the perfect smooth texture, you’ll need to peel these.
• Seasonings – Salt, dried thyme, dried marjoram, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and bay leaves.
• Vegetable stock
• Vegan sour cream – I love my vegan sour cream recipe, but store-bought is just fine too.
• Chopped fresh chives – For garnish.

What’s the Difference Between Vegetable Stock and Vegetable Broth?

The two terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between vegetable stock and vegetable broth. Stock is typically made only from simmering vegetables in water, while broth is also seasoned with salt. You can use broth in this recipe instead of stock, just note that you may need less additional salt.

How to Make Vichyssoise

• Sauté the aromatics. Melt the vegan butter in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion, season with salt, and cook until they’re softened. 
• Add the potatoes and seasonings. Stir the potatoes into the pot with the thyme, marjoram, garlic powder, pepper, and bay leaves. 
• Simmer. Stir the stock into the pot, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaves. 

• Blend. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the vegan sour cream and blend again to incorporate. Season to taste.
• Chill. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for an hour or two.
• Serve. Ladle the vichyssoise into bowls and garnish with chives.

Tips for Success

• Use a regular blender. For the smoothest consistency, use a regular blender to puree the soup, not an immersion blender. While immersion blenders are convenient, they tend to leave some lumps and chunks behind, which isn’t what we want for vichyssoise.
• Adjust the consistency. If the soup is too thick after blending, add a bit more vegetable stock or cold water to thin it out.
• Chill time is important. For the best texture and flavour, allow the vichyssoise to chill for at least 1-2 hours before serving. This allows the flavours to develop and the soup to thicken. 

Variations

• Roasted garlic vichyssoise. For a deeper flavour, consider roasting a head of garlic and blending it into the soup. Roasted garlic adds a rich, caramelized depth.
• Herb-infused vichyssoise. Blend fresh herbs into the soup for a light green hue and vibrant flavour.
• Asparagus vichyssoise. Add fresh or frozen asparagus during the last few minutes of cooking time.

Serving Suggestions

Vichyssoise is often used as a starter for dinner parties and restaurant meals, but it’s also an excellent light lunch. Pair it with crusty bread, like this olive bread, or salad, like my easy vegan Caesar salad. For a French-inspired vegan meal, vichyssoise is also great with vegan quiche.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover soup should be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated immediately. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Stir well before serving, as it can separate a bit during storage.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

Potatoes do not freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing this vichyssoise recipe.

More Vegan Soup Recipes

Enjoy friends! If you make this vichyssoise recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!