Filling and Refreshing Cold Sweet Potato Vichyssoise
Sweet potato vichyssoise might sound fancy, but don’t let the name fool you—it’s just a chilled potato and leek soup with a sweet twist. Traditionally, vichyssoise is made with white potatoes, but swapping them out for sweet potatoes adds a rich, earthy flavor and a gorgeous golden hue that feels just a little more exciting.
Plus, it’s naturally a bit sweeter and pairs beautifully with the mellow, oniony flavor of the leeks. This soup is creamy, smooth, and perfect for warm weather when you still want something comforting but not hot.
It also makes a great starter for dinner parties—you can make it ahead, chill it down, and serve it in small cups or bowls with a sprinkle of fresh herbs or a swirl of cream on top. It’s elegant without trying too hard.
Whether you’re trying to use up a few sweet potatoes or just want to mix up your soup game, this sweet potato vichyssoise brings the perfect balance of simplicity and sophistication. You’ll sauté a few things, blend them all together, and boom—restaurant-quality soup right in your kitchen.
Ready to dive in? Let’s make it.
Sweet Potato Vichyssoise
Ingredients
- 6 cups stock chicken - vegetarian - duck
- 3 good sized sweet potatoes
- 3 leeks they usually come in bunches of three
- Freshly ground pepper if you have it but black pepper will work
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger - peeled and grated
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - Warning - read above
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Sea salt to taste
- Chopped basil for garnish the original called for chives but I had fresh basil on hand so I went with it
Instructions
- Have the stock ready to go whether you make it yourself, buy it canned, or reconstitute the stuff I like.
- Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes.
- Leeks - You are only going to use the white and tender green parts of the leeks so cut the hairy tip off the root as well as the dark green leafy top which by the way would be a great ingredient for your own veggie stock. Leeks can be full of sand, so you want to cut them up into ¼ inch slices, separate the rings and wash them well in a colander under cold running water.
- Ginger - Peel and grate the ginger. I use a spoon for peeling and my Microplane grater/zester. Works great for these types of jobs.
- In a pot big enough to hold all these ingredients (I used a 4 ½ quart sauce pot that worked fine), add the stock, sweet potatoes, and leeks and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender about 20 minutes.
- When done, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool before pureeing.
- 2) Here, you can use a blender or food processor and work in batches to puree the potatoes, stock and leeks. I prefer to use my hand blender to minimize the cleanup and avoid the mess from spilling during transfer. Whatever method you use, you want the ingredients to become a smooth puree.
- 3) Before you finish, add the pepper, cayenne, ginger, and puree. If you used a blender or food processor, pour the soup into a large bowl and let it cool since I used a hand blender and left everything in the pot.
- 4) Add the heavy cream and stir to mix well once the soup becomes lukewarm. Here's a good time to taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt, and I can almost guarantee it will need salt to boost the flavor.
- 5) Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until the soup is well chilled.
Notes
Where Does the Name, Vichyssoise Come From?
The name vichyssoise comes from the town of Vichy in central France. The soup was named after this region by Louis Diat, a French chef who popularized the dish in the United States in the early 20th century.
Diat was working at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City around 1917 when he created vichyssoise as a chilled version of the classic French leek and potato soup (potage parmentier). He said he was inspired by memories of his childhood in France, where his mother would cool down hot potato-leek soup during the summer by adding cold milk.
He called the chilled version “Crème Vichyssoise Glacée,” naming it after Vichy, the region near his hometown of Montmarault. The name stuck, and today it’s simply known as vichyssoise.
So, even though Americans popularized it as a cold soup, its roots are undeniably French—with a New York twist.
9 Responses
Again, this is excellent. The text even makes it clear that the longer you leave it in the refrig the better. Most cookbooks tell you to serve at once after chilling. I found that cold soup improves in flavor in the refrig and kept wonderfing if I were alone in this observation. Jonathan
This is one of a kind recipe. I really love the taste. I use food processor to puree it and still, it gives excellent taste. I also agree to the fact that the more you leave it in the fridge, you’ll get more better taste. This recipe change the way i think about soup.
I substituted 8 oz of Greek yogurt for the cream to bring down the fat content. It added a little bit of tanginess and was delicious.
Hi Becky, thanks for the substitution tip. Sounds delicious. – RG
I found that roasting the potatoes gives them more color and better flavor, plus no need to peel.
Very interesting point Sherry. Thanks for sharing it.
This may sound silly, but leeks are a little expensive where I live… Question: Would one leek and one large sweet onion be sufficient as a means to substitute for three leeks? Would it throw off the taste of the soup? TY. Michael
Of course it would taste different but who knows, you may enjoy it more with the sweet onion. Give it a try and see what you think.
To quote the recipe: “3 tablespoons good sized sweet potatoes”
should ‘tablespoons’ be in there? Seems 3 good sized potatoes would be the goal.
Am I off-base here?
Thanks
David, you are not off base. It should be 3 good sized potatoes as well as 3 leaks. Thanks for the catch.