Other than boiling chestnuts, you can follow three other methods if you choose to cook them at home. Follow my guide for roasting chestnuts in the oven, cooking chestnuts in the air fryer, or, like the popular Christmas song, you can also roast chestnuts on an open fire!
If you have some extra chestnuts, be sure to also try our Chestnut Stuffing Recipe.
Ingredients
The subtly sweet, nutty, and earthy flavor of the chestnuts is the true star of the show in this comforting soup recipe. We’re using other simple ingredients, like fresh veggies and herbs, vegetable broth, and a little cream, to complement the chestnuts and provide a luxurious, velvety creaminess. Here’s what you’ll need:
- For the chestnuts, I chose to boil the nuts, which I’ve found to be the easiest cooking method. In my How to Boil Chestnuts post, I provide detailed instructions for boiling and peeling fresh chestnuts, as well as make-ahead and storage information. If you’re in a pinch, you can buy roasted and peeled whole chestnuts at your local grocery store or even buy chestnuts online (affiliate link). They are also available cooked and peeled in a jar (affiliate link). Just make sure that the only ingredient listed is chestnuts, as we don’t want any unnecessary sugars or additives. Alternatively, you can use unsweetened chestnut puree in this recipe.
- To make the soup, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, a shallot or a small onion, a carrot, celery, garlic cloves, fresh thyme, a bay leaf, vegetable broth, kosher salt, white pepper (or black pepper), heavy cream (optional), and grated nutmeg.
- To garnish the soup (optional), you can use creme fraiche, chopped fresh chives, or chopped bacon.
Substitutions and Optional Add-Ins
This roasted chestnut soup is incredibly versatile, as you can keep it simple and serve it for a cozy weeknight dinner or dress it up with toppings for a decadent holiday meal. Here I’ve provided some suggestions for toppings and listed some ingredient substitutions that might save you a trip to the store.
- Shallot: You can use a shallot, a small white onion, or a large leek for this recipe. Leeks are typically harder to find but add a wonderful, delicate flavor to any soup. If you use a leek, make sure to wash it well, as soil tends to get stuck in the layers of the vegetable.
- Fresh herbs: I chose fresh thyme sprigs for this roast chestnut soup, but you can also use fresh parsley or sage for a touch of herbal flavor. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- Stock: Vegetable broth (or my vegetable stock from kitchen scraps) is a great base for this vegetarian chestnut soup, especially if you’re serving it for vegetarian friends. If you’re not worried about making the soup vegan or vegetarian, you can use chicken stock or a bouillon cube instead. If you choose to use a bouillon cube, boil the water first, dissolve the cube, and then add the veggies.
- Crumbled bacon: Topping this soup with crumbled bacon adds a salty, savory element that perfectly complements the dish. Feel free to use your bacon of choice, but I personally love to make turkey bacon in oven or in the air fryer.
- Alcoholic option: For an adult-friendly flourish, finish off each bowl of soup with a tablespoon of brandy or sherry. The alcohol gives the soup a gourmet feel and brings out the nutty flavor profile.
- Creme fraiche: If you happen to have some store-bought creme fraiche (French for “fresh cream”) on hand, why not add a dollop to your soup? Its nutty, tangy flavor is reminiscent of sour cream and adds a beautiful creaminess to the dish.
How to Make This Recipe?
With a little bit of hands-on time to prepare the veggies and only 15 minutes of cook time, you’ll have a steaming bowl of this velvety cream of chestnut soup on the table for everyone to enjoy. Here’s how to make it:
- Cook the veggies: Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the shallot, celery, and carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
- Cook the garlic: Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute.
- Add additional ingredients: Place the chestnuts, vegetable stock, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper in the pan and give it a stir.
- Cook soup: Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Purée soup: Remove and discard bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (careful, it’s hot!) until it appears smooth and creamy.
- Add the heavy cream: If using heavy cream, add it to the chestnut puree. Bring the soup to a rolling boil. Give it a quick taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the grated nutmeg right before you are ready to serve.
- Garnish and serve: Ladle into a soup bowl and garnish with your toppings of choice.
How to Store, Freeze, and Thaw?
One of the best things about making a big pot of this creamed chestnuts recipe is that you’re almost guaranteed to have some leftovers to enjoy the next day. Whether you plan to meal-prep it for the week or store it away in the freezer, I have you covered with these helpful tips:
- Store: Before storing, let the soup cool down to room temperature. Spoon it into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Let the soup come to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: To thaw from frozen, let the soup sit in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheat in a saucepan on the stove, making sure to stir often as it heats up. The soup tends to thicken as it sits, so you may need to add a quarter cup of liquid to thin it out.
Expert Tips
Making this creamy chestnut soup isn’t rocket science, but I’ve put together a few tips to make things a little easier (and safer) in the kitchen.
- Be careful when blending: Whether you’re using a food processor, a regular blender, or an immersion blender to puree the soup, remember that you’re working with very hot soup that may burn you. Take your time and wear oven mitts if needed.
- No hand blender, no problem: I prefer to use an immersion blender (aka hand blender) because it yields a super smooth and creamy texture, but you can also use a food processor or a regular blender and puree it in batches for similar results.
- Foam on top: You may end up with some foam on top after pureeing the soup. This is normal. You can remove it with a spoon or bring the soup to one last boil while stirring it constantly. It should disappear as you stir it.
What to Serve It With?
The beauty of this recipe is that it suits almost any occasion. Serve it alone for a quick, warming weeknight dinner, or pair it with wine and a gourmet entree or side for a special occasion. Here are my suggestions:
- Make it a luxurious dinner: Want to make your next dinner party feel extra special? Serve this soup as the perfect starter (with crusty bread) to accompany a spread of gourmet dishes. My go-to gourmet meal is Roasted Cornish Hens as the main course paired with Rosemary Mashed Potatoes and a Butternut Squash Salad.
- Give it a French twist: Transport your friends, family, and guests to Paris with a French-inspired meal. Add a dollop of creme fraiche to make it a French chestnut soup (the French may call it a “chestnut veloute”), and serve with my delicious Chicken Fricassee, Brioche Bread, and these Easy Green Beans for true culinary experience. And don’t forget to grab a bottle of French wine for a full meal that is guaranteed to impress!
FAQs
When roasted, chestnuts have a subtly sweet, nutty, and earthy flavor. Some say the flavor reminds them of a sweet potato!
Although they’re small in size, chestnuts are packed with a variety of health benefits. They are a good source of copper, manganese, and vitamin B6, as well as several antioxidants. Check the ingredient label if you’re buying pre-cooked or peeled chestnuts, as they may contain added sugars or other ingredients you’ll want to avoid in order to reap their full health benefits.
To prepare chestnuts for soup, you’ll want to cook and peel them first. The main two cooking methods are roasting and boiling, which involve either roasting the nuts in the oven or over a fire or boiling them in water on the stove.
To make a vegan chestnut soup, omit the heavy cream and garnish it with your vegan toppings of choice. If you want to make the soup “creamy,” you can add a little almond milk instead of heavy cream. You can even make it a vegan Christmas soup by topping it with a tbsp of brandy or sherry to make it festive.
Other Soup Recipes You Might Like
If soup is your go-to winter meal, why not add a few more delicious soup recipes to your book? We love a good soup here on the blog, so be sure to check out the tasty ones below.
If you try this Creamy Chestnut Soup recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Chestnut Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot , or ½ small onion, chopped
- 1 medium-sized carrot, chopped (~ ⅓ cup)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped (~ ⅓ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 ½ cups chestnuts, cooked and peeled* – (about 15 oz.) plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper, or black pepper
- ¼ cup heavy cream , – optional
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Optional Toppings:
- 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
- 4 cooked bacon strips, chopped (or turkey bacon) – non vegetarian option
Instructions
- Cook the vegetables: Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large saucepan) over medium heat. Add shallot, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add the garlic: Add in the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add additional ingredients: Stir in the chestnuts, thyme, bay leaf, vegetable stock, and salt and pepper.
- Cook the soup: Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Puree the soup: Discard the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup until it is creamy.
- Add the heavy cream: If using, stir in the heavy cream. Bring it to a quick rolling boil. Give it a quick taste and add more if necessary.
- Add the nutmeg: Right before serving, stir in the grated nutmeg.
- Serve: Ladle into individual bowls and if preferred, garnish with your choice of toppings.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes 5-6 cups of chestnut soup, making it approximately 1 1/2 cups per serving. The calorie information listed below does not include the optional toppings.
- Cooking Chestnuts: You can use store-bought chestnuts (affiliate link) or boil fresh chestnuts yourself. Alternatively, you can use roasted chestnuts to make this soup recipe.
- To make it vegan: If you are following a plant-based diet, please omit using heavy cream, creme Fraiche, and bacon. This soup is naturally gluten-free with or without the optional ingredients.
- Foam on top: You may end up with some foam on top after pureeing the soup. You can remove it with a spoon. Or do what I do, bring the soup to one last boil while stirring it constantly.
- Bacon: If you want to cook the bacon on the stovetop, you can cook it in the same pot you will use to make the soup. Simply place the strips in a cold pot, arrange them in a single layer, and cook them over low heat until they are crispy. Transfer them to a paper towel, pour out the excess grease in the pot, and then follow the instructions starting with cooking the vegetables. You can also use Baked Turkey Bacon as a topping.
- Store: Let the soup cool down to room temperature before storing. Transfer it into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Let it come to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: To thaw from frozen, let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat: Reheat in a saucepan on the stove, making sure to stir often as it heats up. The soup tends to thicken as it sits, so you may need to add a quarter cup of liquid to thin it out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the nutrition label per serving or 100g?
It is per serving.
I don’t have an immersion blender, could I puree it in my food processor and then put it back in the pan?
You sure can! Be careful though. It is very hot. 🙂
This is the best soup I have made in a long time. First time trying a chestnut soup. My husband loves chestnuts and as a result I needed to think of some more ways to use them. We had roasted some a few days ago and I had about 8 ounces shelled roasted chestnuts left. I followed this essentially and added some more herbs while it simmered–one bay, 2 small sage leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, and one sprig rosemary. I saw another recipe that added red lentils so I added .5 cup and let that simmer too. ( I can’t help myself from meshing recipes together) This was better then could get at a resturant. We loved it. Thank you. I want to make it for a holiday. ( It was so good didn’t need any cream)
This is music to my ears Frances. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
We have a bumper crop of chestnuts this year, so I’ve been looking for ways to use them. This soup is amazing! I did add two potatoes and a chopped up pear, and I also passed it through a sieve to make it a bit smoother, but the flavor is amazing. I’m hoping once it sits a day it’ll be even better.
I’m planning to make some grilled cheese sandwiches with goat cheese and pears to accompany it!
Hello Robert,
This is music to my ears. Thanks so much for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Enjoy all your chestnuts. I plan on publishing more chestnut recipes in the coming months. Hope you come back and try more of them.
Cheers,
Aysegul
Just collected a bunch of fresh chestnuts from our trees I can’t wait to make this!
YAY! I am excited for you too. Let me know how it turns out.
I six times this recipe and have not added the cream yet. It is a very thin soup and doesn’t look like your picture. Did you use a roux?
Hi Sherry,
You do not need to do a roux. It is not supposed to be super thick, but you can thicken it by adding more cooked chestnuts and blending them. Have you had a chance to watch the video under the recipe card to see how thick it is supposed to be?
That should give you a good visual.
Absolutely outstanding. I added about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley just because I had it, and substituted 1 c of chicken broth for 1 c of vegetable broth so I didn’t need to dig into a 2nd container of the vegetable broth. It was an amazing soup- and I was fortunate to be able to use fresh local chestnuts!
This is music to my ears Cindy. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.