Creamy Chestnut Soup

This creamy chestnut soup, or “Soupe Aux Marrons” is a wholesome soup and a French favorite all throughout Winter. Fresh chestnuts are simmered in an aromatic broth and then pureed until smooth, creating a luxuriously thick, creamy texture with the full-on sweet buttery taste of fresh chestnuts. This is a delicious starter to cozy up to and impress with over the Holiday season.

Fresh chestnuts are the stars of this soup. 

Indeed, this soup recipe takes a simplistic approach and is all about allowing the taste of fresh, seasonal chestnuts shine. After being peeled, fresh chestnuts are simmered on their own in an aromatic stock until tender, pureed and enriched with a dollop of cream – and that’s it. The idea is to process fresh chestnuts as little as possible, to keep their taste and unique creamy texture intact. This is why I recommend using the freshest, uncooked, in-shell chestnuts – which will deliver the best flavor. 

However as an alternative, when chestnuts are not in season – for convenience or perhaps for affordability – you can use cooked, peeled chestnuts – often coming in a can, jar or sous-vide. These chestnuts won’t come with the same freshness, but they will still result in a deliciously creamy soup. 

If you opt for cooked chestnuts (canned, jarred or sous-vide), you will then only use about 800g chestnuts, skip step 1 in the recipe, and only boil chestnuts for about 15-20 minutes in step 2 (instead of 20-25).  

How to buy and store fresh chestnuts? 

You can find fresh, in-season chestnuts during Fall and early Winter seasons in your grocery store, farmer’s markets and often Italian grocers. When shopping for fresh chestnuts, look for firm and shiny-looking ones. 

It is little known that chestnuts are highly perishable and best kept in your refrigerator – not on your counter at room temperature, where they can get moldy fast. Once refrigerated, chestnuts will keep fresh for about 45 days. 

How to easily peel fresh chestnuts? 

Once getting your hands on fresh chestnuts, there are two ways to prepare them for peeling: by roasting or boiling them. And because this recipe requires boiled chestnuts, we will focus on the boiling technique. Note that you could also steam chestnuts, but this requires a steamer basket. 

• 1. Score the chestnuts 

To prepare the chestnuts, start by cutting an “x” through the chestnut shells, using a very sharp paring knife. This will let the shell loosen itself from the nut as it cooks. It will also prevent it from exploding (yes, this does happen).

• 2. Boil the chestnuts 

Place the chestnuts in a large pot and cover them with water. The chestnuts should be completely submerged. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. The shells should start to pull apart and the chestnut turn slightly tender. Drain the chestnuts and transfer them onto a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the chestnuts; this will keep the steam inside and soften the peels to make them easier to peel later. 

• 3. Peel the chestnuts 

Once the chestnuts are cool enough to handle, start peeling immediately. There is a short window of time between the chestnuts being cool enough to handle but still humid, tender and easy to peel – and too cool that they start to turn dry and the skins are now difficult to peel. 

Peel the chestnuts by pulling on the shells and snapping them off. Also make sure you remove the brown skin underneath the shell (you may need to scratch it off sometimes). 

Once chestnuts are peeled, at this stage, they should be a pale yellow and somewhat tender. But they aren’t tender or tasty enough to be eaten yet. 

So, now it’s time to make soup! 

How to store this Creamy Chestnut Soup

After making (and enjoying) this soup – if you have any leftovers – you can store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

• In the refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat your soup portions on the stovetop or in the microwave. 
• In the freezer: store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the fridge before heating it through on the stovetop or in the microwave. Stir a few splashes of water or heavy cream to reach your desired soup texture.

Cooking notes: 

• For a lighter version of this soup, you can substitute the heavy cream for milk (full fat or 2% m.f). 
• For serving, I love to top each bowl with a dollop of crème fraiche before sprinkling chopped chestnuts on top – but this is optional. This soup is also lovely topped up with bacon bits, or chopped nuts (ie. hazelnuts, walnuts)
• This recipe requires the use of an immersion hand blender or regular blender.
• This recipes serves 4 medium soup bowls or 6 small bowls. 

More French Soup Recipes: 

• Split Pea Bacon Soup (Potage Saint-Germain)
• Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup
• Classic French Lentil Soup
• Creamy Leek & Potato Soupe (Soupe Vichyssoise) 

Creamy Chestnut Soup

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

2lbs (900g) fresh chestnuts (*or 800g peeled, cooked chestnuts - see cooking note above)
3 cups (750ml) low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (125ml) heavy cream (35% m.f)
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Crème fraiche (for garnish)
Chive, finely chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Step 1 (to unpeel fresh chestnuts, see section above for detailed instructions*) - Score your chestnuts with an “X”, deep enough to cut through the outer skin and transfer the chestnuts to a pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the water, wrap them in a kitchen towel and let cool until cool enough to handle and peel the chestnuts.

Step 2 – Fill a large pot over medium heat with the chicken stock and chestnuts. Add the bay leaf, bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25-30 minutes with a lid on (or only 15-20 minutes if using already cooked chestnuts), until the chestnuts are fork-tender.

Reserve about 4-6 chestnuts aside and chop them roughly (for garnish later). Discard the bay leaf.

Step 3 – Using an immersion blender, mix the chestnuts until smooth. – or, working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth and return soup to saucepan. Stir in the heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook soup for 3-5 extra minutes until slightly thick. If the soup is too thin for your liking, continue to cook it. If the soup is too creamy-thick for your liking, stir in more water or heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time.

For serving, ladle soup into individual bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of crème fraiche, chopped chive and the reserved chopped chestnuts. Enjoy immediately.