Potato Leek Soup
This Potato Leek Soup is smooth, creamy and flavorful, made with butter, garlic, leeks and potatoes. It’s comfort in a bowl!
Why You’ll Love This Potato Leek Soup Recipe
- A Flavorful Twist on Potato Soup. Leeks take classic Potato Soup up a notch, with their delicious mild onion flavor. Leeks also star in this Golden Winter Soup, a seasonal favorite.
- Weeknight Favorite. This cozy soup is relatively quick to prep, making it a perfect weeknight dinner idea.
- Lunch Leftovers! One of the benefits of making a pot of soup for dinner is the leftovers! This soup reheats wonderfully for quick lunches later in the week.
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this potato leek soup is short and simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Leeks: You’ll need 3 large leeks. You’ll use only the white and light green parts.
- Olive Oil and Butter: Using a combination of butter and olive oil gives the soup the best flavor. The butter adds richness to the soup without having to add heavy cream. For a dairy-free recipe, swap olive oil for the butter.
- Garlic: Enhances the flavor.
- Potatoes: Use either russet or Yukon gold potatoes. Russet potatoes will give you a lighter soup, while gold potatoes will give the soup a richer flavor. I prefer to make potato leek soup with russet potatoes so as not to overpower the flavor of the leeks, while gold potatoes are my top choice for a classic potato soup recipe.
- Vegetable Broth: Use low sodium broth so that you can better control the amount of salt in the soup.
- Dried Thyme: Thyme pairs well with both potatoes and leeks.
- Bay Leaf: Adds subtle herby, earthy flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: For flavor.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
Prep the leeks. Trim off the root ends and the dark green leaves. Slice the remaining part in half lengthwise and then thinly slice into half moons. Wash the leeks well in a bowl of cold water and then drain well.
Sauté leeks. Heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened. Then stir in the garlic.
Add remaining ingredients. Stir the potatoes, 4 cups of broth, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot.
Pro Tip: To achieve soup with your desired consistency, start with 4 cups broth. You may have to add up to 1 cup more broth when blending the soup if it is too thick, but it’s best to start with less because once you’ve pureed the soup, you can’t take extra broth back out. There’s nothing worse than being stuck with a too-thin soup.
Simmer the soup with a lid on the pot for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Puree the soup. First, remove and discard the bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the soup to a counter top blender. If the soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Taste the soup and add more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Then serve! I like to add a sprinkle of chopped fresh chives and some freshly ground black pepper to each bowl.
Want to make this recipe in the Instant Pot or crock pot? Try Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup or Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: You can’t go wrong with this Whole Wheat Bread, Focaccia Bread or Cornbread.
- Rolls: My two favorite recipes are Honey Yeast Rolls and Dinner Rolls. Both are pillowy soft and surprisingly easy to make.
- Salad: My top picks to pair with this potato leek soup are this Arugula Salad, Kale Salad and Quinoa Spinach Salad.
To Store and Reheat
- To Refrigerate: This soup reheats well and can be stored for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze: The texture of potato soups may be somewhat different after freezing and reheating, but if that doesn’t bother you you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: This soup will thicken up over time, so you may wish to stir in some extra broth when reheating. Reheat over medium-low heat in a covered saucepan on the stove, stirring occasionally.
More Soup Recipes
Try one of these 35 Soup Recipes next! Here are a few favorites that you might enjoy:
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 3 large leeks, about 8 cups chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces, peel if using russets
- 4-5 cups low sodium vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- chopped fresh chives, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Trim the root ends and dark green leaves off of the leeks. Then cut the leeks (white and light green parts only) in half lengthwise and then cut into ¼-inch wide half moons. Wash the chopped leeks in a bowl of cool water (or in a salad spinner) and drain well.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium heat until the butter is melted.
- Add the leeks to the pot and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Add the potatoes, 4 cups of broth, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Then use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth, or transfer it in batches to a counter top blender. If the soup is too thick, add up to 1 cup more broth, a little at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve garnished with chopped fresh chives, or as desired.
Notes
- You can make this recipe dairy-free by substituting olive oil for the butter.
- This soup reheats well and can be stored for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
First time making soup – saw the recipe and thought I’d have a go. Very pleased with the results – and really surprised my partner!
A firm favourite for a cold day, maybe for lunch or as a starated for dinner. Very tasty!