Potato Leek Soup
This Potato Leek Soup is thick, creamy, rich, and comes together in just about 30 minutes! It’s so flavorful and perfect for cooler nights.
This easy soup is silky smooth and best served with a drizzle of quality olive oil and some crusty bread on the side for dipping.
Table of Contents
The Best Potato Leek Soup Recipe
For the final day of So Much Food Soup Week, I’m bringing you this ultra-cozy potato leek soup recipe. There’s just something so simple and comforting about potato soup that I had to get this recipe out there.
This is a simple and delicious potato soup recipe that is so comforting. It’s my go-to soup recipe in the fall and winter!
You only need a handful of common ingredients to make potato leek soup and it all comes together in one pot. It’s naturally gluten-free and can easily be adapted to be vegan or dairy-free as well.
If you really want to go all out, potato leek soup is so good with a simple gruyere grilled cheese on the side for dipping.
Love soup? Us too! Make sure to check out all my other soup recipes!
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
As with all my soup recipes, I highly recommend investing in at least a 4 qt dutch oven! This piece of cookware does all of the heavy lifting in my kitchen and I love it so much. I’ve linked my favorite dutch oven below.
Tools Needed
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Potatoes. The best potatoes for potato leek soup are yukon gold potatoes because they are less starchy with a smooth texture. I don’t recommend using russet potatoes here.
- Leeks. Leeks are mild onions that I absolutely love. I don’t recommend substituting anything there.
- Butter. Melted leeks in butter is so good, but you could swap olive oil if needed.
- Garlic. A couple of garlic cloves really round out the flavor and add an extra punch.
- Chicken stock. I always use homemade here for better texture. You could swap in vegetable broth to make this soup vegetarian.
- Spices. A bit of paprika and white pepper add lots of flavor here.
- Heavy cream. I love adding cream to this soup for extra richness, but you can omit it to keep the soup dairy-free.
The Process
- Slice and clean the leeks. Remove the dark green tops so that only the white and light green parts remain. Thinly slice the leeks and place them in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and and swish the leeks around to remove any dirt. Remove the leeks from the water and dry them on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet.
- Cook the leeks down. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the leeks and toss well to coat. Season the leeks with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened and cooked down–about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and broth. Once the leeks are soft, add the garlic, paprika, and white pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the potatoes and broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Blend. Use an immersion blender or classic blender to puree the soup until very smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil, more heavy cream (if desired), and top with green onions.
How to Clean Leeks for Potato Leek Soup
If you’ve never worked with leeks they are absolutely delicious, but can be a bit dirty as the dirt gets between the rings of the leeks. Here are all my tips for cleaning leeks when making potato leeks soup.
To clean the leeks:
Start by removing the tops of the leeks. You only want the tender white and light green parts. Save the dark green tops for adding to homemade chicken or vegetable stock.
Thinly slice the leeks. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the leeks and then transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Use your hands to move the leeks around in the water and break them up to loosen any dirt.
Drain the leeks. Remove the leeks from the bowl leaving the dirty water behind and transfer to a paper towel lined plate or tray. Pat the leeks very dry before cooking.
Leeks can be prepped up to 2 days before cooking. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge, wrapped in paper towels to help absorb excess water.
Once you follow these steps, you can use leeks in tons of things!
What to Serve with Potato Leek Soup
While this recipe for potato leek soup is a meal in itself, I find myself being a real soup and salad girl! I love the combination of something fresh and crunchy with a hearty and comforting counterpart.
Some of my favorite salads to serve alongside potato leek soup are: Loaded Wedge Salad, Crunchy Italian Chopped Salad, Greek Chicken Salad, or my beloved Kale Caesar Salad. All of these combos are winners!
Storage & Reheating Instructions
If you have leftover potato leek soup, it’s easy to store! Let the soup cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For best results, reheat soup in a small pot on the stove until warmed through, adding broth or cream as necessary to thin the soup.
I don’t recommend freezing potato leek soup. It tends to become gritty when frozen and cream does not freeze well.
This creamy and cozy Potato Leek Soup will be your new go-to whenever the soup craving hits! It comes together quickly in one pot with minimal ingredients. If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Soup Recipes to Try
Lasagna Soup
Quick Chicken Pho
Classic Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Creamy Chicken Orzo Soup
Epic French Onion Soup
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Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 medium leeks
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 6 cups homemade chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- sliced green onions
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Slice and clean the leeks. Remove the dark green tops so that only the white and light green parts remain. Thinly slice the leeks and place them in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and and swish the leeks around to remove any dirt. Remove the leeks from the water and dry them on a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet.
- Cook the leeks down. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the leeks and toss well to coat. Season the leeks with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened and cooked down–about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and broth. Once the leeks are soft, add the garlic, paprika, and white pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the potatoes and broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-18 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Blend. Use an immersion blender or classic blender to puree the soup until very smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with olive oil, more heavy cream (if desired), and top with green onions.
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