This simple healthy recipe for Potato Leek Soup is deceiving flavorful. A nourishing, soul-satisfying meal in under 30 minutes, made with simple ingredients. Vegan adaptable. With a video!
This Potato Leek Soup is cozy and warming, perfect for cooler fall weather. Fall has officially arrived and leeks and potatoes are showing up in full force at the farmer’s markets.
A quick, nourishing meal with simple ingredients that comes together in about 30 minutes!
What I love about this Soup
I love the use of sour cream in this recipe, which gives it a delightful tanginess and richness. You can also use yogurt with a similar effect. While the soup simmers, whip up the flavorful Leek oil made the green leek tops. Drizzle this over the soup for a boost of leek flavor!
Potato Leek Soup Recipe | 45-sec video
To be honest, in the past I have tended to shy away from Potato Leek Soup because of the many occasions when ordered, it arrived bland and lifeless.
This version, I assure you, is not. It’s rich and flavorful, all the while staying light and healthy.
Ingredients in Potato Leek Soup
- Leeks
- Olive oil (or butter or ghee)
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme (or sub dry thyme)
- Potatoes- yukon gold potatoes, russets, or any thin-skinned potatoes- red, fingerling.
- veggie broth or chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- Sour cream, or sub-heavy cream. See notes for vegan version.
- Fresh chives (or scallions) for garnish
How to make Potato Leek Soup
Step One: Slice the leeks into ¼-inch slices using the white, yellow and pale green parts. Rinse under running water to remove any dirt. You’ll need about 4-5 cups.
TIP: If feeling even just a little ambitious, save the dark green tops and make the flavorful Leek Oil ! You can do this at the same time the soup is simmering. Use this Leek oil to drizzle over the soup and many other things.
Step 2: Saute the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until leeks are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the thyme, broth and sliced potatoes, cover, and simmer gently until tender ( about 15 minutes)
Step 4: Blend the soup until just creamy. Over blending may create a “gummy” texture- so just blend until mostly smooth.
Step 5: Whisk in sour cream or heavy cream. ( See notes for vegan version).
Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve!
Serve in bowls with chives, or a swirl of leek oil and crusty bread.
Or make this Leek Bread!
Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days.
Freeze Potato Leek Soup without the sour cream for up to 6 months.
Hope you enjoy this simple Potato Leek Soup as much as we do!
xoxo
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Potato Leek Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Soup, stew, vegetarain
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This delicious healthy recipe for Potato Leek Soup is deceiving flavorful! A nourishing, soul-satisfying meal made with the humblest of ingredients. Serve with optional Leek oil and Crusty Bread.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3–4 large leeks, (4–5 cups sliced)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (or sub butter or ghee)
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry thyme)
- 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced. Or sub any thin-skinned potatoes- red, fingerling, or use russets, peeled.
- 4 cups veggie broth or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or heavy cream) see notes for vegan.
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives (or scallions) for garnish
Optional – Leek oil for drizzling! (Make this with the green tops of leeks while the soup simmers.)
Instructions
- Slice leeks into ¼-inch thick slices. Rinse under running water to remove dirt and sediment. Drain. ( The water will help soften the leeks as well.)
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pot or dutch oven, over medium-low heat. Add rinsed leeks and garlic and thyme, sauté until tender, golden and fragrant, 8-10 minutes.
- Add potatoes, stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Make the optional leek oil.
- Blend the soup. When the potatoes are very tender, use an immersion blender and blend the soup until relatively smooth. TIP: Over blending may cause the soup to have a gummy texture. Alternatively, blend in batches in a regular blender (remember, you don’t want to fill up a blender with hot liquid, or you will have a soup explosion- so blend in small batches, less than half full, holding the lid down firmly covered with a kitchen towel. )
- Return the blended soup to the pot, and whisk in the sour cream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Gently warm over low heat.
- To serve, divide among bowls, drizzle with the leek oil, sprinkle with fresh chives or scallions.
Notes
To make this vegan, you can altogether leave out the dairy- it is quite creamy on its own. Or use vegan sour cream or vegan cream. Alternatively, you could add a 1/4-1/2 cup raw cashews to the simmering potatoes and leeks, and let them get soft. Blend the soup. Place back in the pot. Add a couple of drops of vinegar or lemon juice (1/4 teaspoon) and stir in a teaspoon or two of nutritional yeast to taste if you like. Adjust salt and pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ⅓ cup ( without leek oil)
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 5.2 g
- Sodium: 784.5 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.1 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 11.3 mg
A fantastic, easy to make soup! I’m currently typing this recipe with a spoon in my mouth- I keep having to “try” the soup because it’s so good. I’ve just made the leek oil which I’m gonna let sit overnight along with the soup so they can reach their full flavor potential. But this soup can for sure be enjoyed right after cooking its soo good. Thanks Feasting team for a 10/10 recipe 😛
Appreciate this so much Natalie!
I made this last October for our annual pumpkin carving party and everyone raved about and multiple people requested the recipe. I’m making it again this year because everyone loved it so much last year. thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Thanks Katie, that is so nice to hear!
Fantastic recipe! We added some spicy Italian chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s and opted to leave some of the leeks and potatoes in chunks just for fun. I’m dairy free so we did the cashew version of the recipe and added a little extra nutritional yeast. Such a comforting and hearty dinner for Fall! Your blog is my favorite place for recipes. I have yet to try one I don’t like and I always get rave reviews about what a great cook I am from all my foodie friends! I always tell everyone “Thanks for thinking I’m an amazing chef but honestly I just follow all the recipes from Feasting at Home and they turn out amazing!” I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve sent over to your website after a dinner party. Thank you!
Wow Laurie, thanks so much! And so glad you are enjoying the soup.
I forgot to rate it!
Thanks so much Pat!
I followed this recipe very closely, using potatoes and garlic from my garden. I also used fresh thyme, didn’t really measure it but it was about 1 tablespoon. I used vegetable bouillon concentrate/water as the stock. I used the blender in batches but it was very thick! I added about 3/4 c of half and half at the finish. I did not make the leek oil or use garnish. I ate it for lunch today with some homemade foccacia. It has an absolutely divine amount of flavor and depth. Those extras are not needed. This recipe is a keeper.
Thanks so much- so happy you enjoyed this Pat!
What an unhinged and unhelpful review to leave for a soup recipe. I haven’t had the privilege of tasting wallpaper paste myself but perhaps at your next renovation, you use an unflavored version. I like to add a little shallot at the same time as the garlic, and I use some white onion and part of a jalapeno for a little extra flavor. For the soup, not the wallpaper paste. Cheers
Hummm. Sorry about that Lulu Belle! Shoot. Did you happen to change anything or leave anything out? Did you use a flavorful veggie stock and add the salt? In your opinion, what would have improved this? Just trying to see what went wrong here as I find this one pretty flavorful?
This simple soup is silky, speedy & deeply satisfying. Will need to double the recipe next time because everyone ate two bowls! The leftover leek oil was also delicious with the warm roasted vegetable salad and tonight it’s going over salmon. Thank you!
Nice Carrie! So glad to hear everyone enjoyed.:)
Easy hearty delicious and filling.
Great to hear!
Really delicious and so easy to put together quickly. I just harvested onions from my garden so I used the green tops in place of the leeks. I also used soy yogurt for the cream. Thanks for always giving vegan substitutes and ideas!!
Great Lesli! So glad to hear and love that you made what you have work!
Thanks for sharing
Question? Can I use coconut cream in place if heavy cream? I’m excited to try this!
That should work fine. It’ll have that slight coconut flavor and sweetness, but sounds good to me!
Delicious!! Just made this. Unfortunately I don’t have an electric mixer and I don’t want to use my plastic blender because I’ve heard that plastic is dangerous..so I just mashed it into a soup using a potato masher. I think it worked well!
Sounds perfect Jana! I have a hard time with plastic too- but I think if the soup is cooled and in the blender only a few seconds-it should be fine. You just don’t want to store in plastic or heat food in plastic… is my understanding. But you do you. ❤️ 🙂
Easy and delicious! I made the leek oil as well which was well worth it Definitely a recipe I’ll follow again.
Awesome to hear!
Outstanding vegetarian recipe. Flavorful, nutritious, and delicious. Thank you!
Thanks Cookie!
Very delicious. My whole family loved it. The sour cream portion struck my palate as “too sour”, and I craved to pair it with something earthy (like the taste of a potato skin) to balance it out. Any recommendations?
Oh interesting. Maybe just use a little heavy cream next time. I like the tang, but maybe not for everyone.
Just made this along with the leek oil- so easy, so delicious! Highly recommend
Great to hear Theresa!
Perfect soup for a chilly night. Easy quick recipe and so delicious! Thank you!
Quick question- can leftovers be frozen?
Thank you!
Great to hear Linda and yes, this should freeze fine.
Thank you. I am new to your blog and I absolutely love it!
thanks Linda!
Another delicious “keeper” recipe for the family! Surprisingly, my mom even enjoyed it-she’s finicky when it comes to cooking with fresh herbs and veggies, so I topped off her portion with cheddar cheese and bacon bits and she commented that it was definitely a recipe I should make again. The Potato Leek soup was rich and perfect for a winter day. Next time I make it I would like to try it with chermoula sauce. Thank you for another great recipe, Sylvia!
So happy you all enjoyed this!
The cashews made all the difference. Topped with hemp seeds and enjoyed with Wasa. This is a wonderful soup.
Great to hear Mel!
Just finished making the soup. Came out perfect and it is absolutely delicious !!!!!
Thank uuuuuuuuuu =)
Thanks Nancy!
I made this yesterday and served to guests and it was loved by all. I suggest making a double batch because everyone wanted seconds.
Awww, I’m so glad Erica!
So good and customizable. I added a little leftover breakfast bacon (crumbled) as a garnish. Gonna try in the slow cooker, I’m sure it will become a staple recipe – fam loves it. Your recipes are great, I have made several.
Yum, glad you are enjoying!
What could be better than visiting our local Farmer’s Market on the last weekend before winter shut down and creating this luscious soup with local organic ingredients! And all before noon. The Leek Oil adds such depth of flavour. Delicious!
Love it Anna!
Really enjoyed. Even better the next day!
Great to hear Mary! Yes, many soups often are better the next day…. 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make and tastes more complex than the simple ingredients might suggest. Don’t skip the leek oil, it’s a winner. A perfect soup for a cold and rainy fall evening.
Thanks so much!