Potato leek soup is one to cozy up to this fall season! It’s loaded with good-for-you veggies and has the creamiest texture (without any cream).
Why You’ll Love This Potato Leek Soup
When leek season arrives and it’s a blustery, cold day outside, I love making this ultra-comforting potato leek soup! It’s delicately sweet and creamy, like my tomato soup or butternut squash soup, but with all the comfort you would get from a spoonful of mashed potatoes. The French really nailed this classic soup, and I love French food to begin with (ratatouille, anyone?). But here’s why I tend to make this fall soup regularly:
- There’s only 6 ingredients needed. Leeks and potatoes make up the majority of this soup, with just a few additional aromatics for extra flavor. That’s it!
- There’s many ways to serve it. I love this as a soup and salad combo with a simple kale salad, but I’ll run through more delicious ideas below.
Potato Leek Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Leeks: Look for leeks with a good amount of white near the root, as that’s the part you’ll be using. It’s far more tender and sweet than the dark green tops.
- Broth: You can use either vegetable or chicken broth. I’m using vegetable broth to keep this a true vegetarian soup.
- Potatoes: Yukon Golds are ideal for a beautiful yellow color and ultra-creamy consistency.
- Fresh herbs and aromatics: All you need are garlic, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf to give this soup a delicate herby flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Potato Leek Soup
The first step is to slice and clean your leeks properly. Since the majority of the leek’s body (the white part) is hidden in the soil, it’s prone to having lots of dirt piled up within the tight leafy layers. So here’s how I clean my leeks:
- Trim off the dark green tops. Cut right where they start to turn light green. You can discard the tops, but I like to use them for soup stock (they’re actually quite flavorful!).
- Carefully trim off the roots. Ensuring the white parts remain intact for easy slicing.
- Then, slice and wash the leeks. Cut them in half lengthwise, then slice the white and light green sections crosswise into ¼-inch thick pieces. Rinse thoroughly in a colander to remove any hidden dirt.
Step two: In a Dutch oven, sauté the leeks for 8 to 10 minutes, just until they’re soft and fragrant. Don’t let them brown too much! If they start to caramelize, turn the heat down a bit. Then, toss in the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step three: Add the diced potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable stock. Turn the heat up to high to get it boiling, then lower it to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and ready for blending.
Step four: Pull out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Then, use an immersion blender to make the soup creamy, or blend in batches if you’re using a high-powered blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve with a sprinkle of fresh chives and cracked black pepper. My favorite finishing touch!
Ways To Serve
- On its own! Potato leek soup is pretty hearty thanks to the potatoes, but you can jazz it up with fresh herbs, crispy bacon bits, crispy shallots, or even some crushed nuts for extra flavor and texture.
- As a side soup. I love to pair it with a fresh salad for a light and balanced meal. Some of my favorites are a simple kale salad, a shaved Brussels sprouts salad, or a classic Caesar salad.
- Make it an appetizer. If you’ve got a seated dinner situation, serve these in small bowls as a soothing, warming first course. This is always a hit at my dinner parties!
Storage Tips
Finding leftovers of this soup in the fridge or freezer always makes my day. Store any extra in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
If you want to save some for later, I love freezing batches in my Souper Cubes. Just pop one out into a bowl and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes for an easy, cozy meal. Otherwise, the soup will keep in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
More Soup Recipes
- Lentil Soup: Packed with Mediterranean flavor.
- Cabbage Soup: The ultimate healthy soup.
- Vegetable Soup: A great way to use leftover veggies.
- Chicken Soup: A year-round staple.
- Greek Avgolemono Soup: The best creamy chicken soup!
- Or try any of these soup recipes or vegetarian recipes!
If you make this potato leek soup recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven My favorite Dutch oven for soups.
- Immersion Blender Great tool for spot-blending soups!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large leeks
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth, or more for a thinner texture
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- freshly chopped chives and black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Prep leeks. Slice the stemand green leaves off the leeks, leaving the white and light green parts. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then chop across.
- Clean leeks. Place the chopped leeks into a colander and run under cold water to remove dirt and debris.
- Cook leeks. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened (but not browned). Then add the garlic and stir for another minute.
- Cook potatoes. Add the diced potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable stock. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Blend. Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until your desired level of creaminess. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches in a high-powered blender.
- Serve. Top the potato leek soup with chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- Each serving is about 1 ¼ cup.Â
- For a thicker texture: Blend until it’s perfectly thick and creamy. But if you want to have chunky bits, don’t blend all the way or spot blend.
- For a thinner texture: Add 1 to 2 more cups of vegetable broth. This is also a great option if you’ve got a larger crowd to feed and want to increase the servings.Â
- Storage tip: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. For quick meals, freeze in portions (like Souper Cubes) and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally posted March 2022, but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
Great recipe. Very easy and the soup was delicious. Very smooth texture. I will make this one again.
Glad you loved this potato leek soup, Deborah!
Easy to make and simply delicious. Immersion blender made for the right amount of chunky for us. I look forward to making some of your other recipes. Thank you.
So glad you loved this potato leek soup, Wendy!
This turned out great! Simple ingredients, but very flavorful. Using fresh thyme and chives makes a big difference. I don’t have an immersion blender, so I blended some of the soup in my nutribullet and used a fork to break up the rest so that there’s more texture. I will be making this again later this week! :)
Glad you were able to use blending tools you had on hand to make the perfect potato leek soup! And yes, fresh herbs will make all the difference in this recipe, Ru. Enjoy!
This soup is wonderful. I have made it many times. Thanks
Hi Annette – Happy to hear this potato leek soup has made it onto your favorites list!
Lisa,
Thank you for this web site. I am gluten free and dairy free. It is often difficult to find healthy simple recipes that fit what I need. I love your easy baked chicken. I made this potato soup- so easy and filling. I have also tried the baked cod. All are wonderful recipes and so easy. I just ordered your cookbook. I can’t wait to try more recipes.
Hi Toni – Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this potato leek soup, among many other recipes! I can’t wait to see what you make next.
Made this and all I can say is yum yum although I used the whole leeks
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this potato leek soup, Jackie!
Have been making this soup on repeat. So good! Extremely easy to make, flavourful & comforting on a cold winter’s day. Yum!
Hi Effie – Thrilled to hear this potato leek soup has been on repeat this winter! It really is comfort in a bowl.
Hi Lisa,
I live in the Pacific weather zone, -Vancouver B.C.
Canada -think Rainforest – just short drive from Seattle,Wa. Winter here is more about rain and humidity, than snow and frigid temperatures. But it’s all relative and face it, winter calls for soup at lunch.
Your Leek & Potato soup was perfect for today’s skiff of snow and cooler temperature this week. (30 degrees to 34 degrees F).
Creamy, flavourful, light tasting. Pretty easy to make.
So satisfying when served with toasted cheese bun bits.
Although I mixed up two recipes I believe. I used heavy cream instead of a dollop of sour cream. Welcome to the life of a neuro-divergent, at best, ‘half-baked cook’. What a delight. your soup was delicious either way.
Thanks so much for reintroducing me to it after a 25 year hiatus. Highly recommended! 5 stars! Well done.
RM
Hi Ray – I’m sure this potato leek soup hit the spot for the dreary weather in the PNW! Glad it satisfied everything you were craving for.
Can you use red potatoes in this soup? Someone else asked the same question but you didn’t reply. Thanks
Hi Marie – yes, you can use red potatoes in this recipe. Enjoy!
This was so amazing and easy and perfect for a cold winter night. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme seasoning. I drizzled lemon olive oil on top of my soup bowl. It was beyond delicious. Followed your video and presto! Soup! Thank you
Hi Sue – This really is the perfect creamy soup to enjoy on a cold winter night! Glad the video was helpful to create this recipe.
I don’t usually leave reviews but, just finished making and eating this soup and it is by far my favorite soup EVER! So easy to make and its texture is like a decadent, calorie rich soup without the heaviness of calorie laden ingredients. This is going to be on heavy rotation for the winter months. Thank you for such a heavenly (and easy) recipe!
Thanks so much for leaving a review, Denise! This is a great soup to keep in your winter rotation.
Easy to make and turned out to be pure deliciousness !
I’m happy to hear this potato leek soup was a hit, Cindy!
This was so good! Love how healthy this soup is but still so delicious and filling. Definitely adding this to our rotation!
Hi Rebecca – Happy to hear you’re loving this potato leek soup!
Pretty much every other recipe I looked at for potato leek soup had tons of cream, butter, etc. That heaviness isn’t needed and just takes a healthy recipe and makes it unhealthy. This recipe is wonderful and filling, but not loaded with saturated fat. I served it with Lisa’s kale salad that has walnuts, dried cherries and chicken. Great combo!
Perfect combo, Angela! So happy you loved this soup. And I agree, all of that extra cream just isn’t needed. Enjoy!
Can you use another type of potatoes? I have to stay at 2g of sodium a day. Ykon gold are a lot more Than that.
Looks great! Does this freeze well?
Yes, you can freeze this!
I’ve made this recipe so many times, I’ve lost count. It is wonderful and quick to make. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m so glad you love this potato leek soup!
Tasted better second day. I liked it. Pretty good but I may put some left over chopped ham in it next time
Leftover chopped ham would be amazing in this potato leek soup!
Excellent
Just made this for lunch, rook all of 30 minutes to prepare and cook . Whizzed up in the soup maker, delicious lunch, thanks for the recipe.
Glad this potato leek soup was so easy and delicious, Kathryn!