Enjoy a bowl of this comforting soup as-is, loaded with your favorite toppings, or with warm fresh bread. Or, serve it as a side dish or a first course for a holiday meal! A pot of this soup simmering on the stove will warm up even the coolest or most dreary days. If you’re looking for more creamy soup recipes, try my homemade pumpkin soup, easy chicken enchilada soup, or corn chowder recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Leeks – choose leeks that are crisp and firm to the touch, with a white neck and dark green leaves. Scrub the leeks well to remove any sand, dirt, or other debris. You will need 4 large leeks or about 6 cups when chopped. Use only the light green and white part of each leek. Potatoes – I recommend using Yukon golds to give this leek soup a delicious buttery texture and flavor. Alternatively, you can use russet potatoes. Broth – choose chicken broth or vegetable broth to add a delicious savory base to the soup. If you want to have more control over the saltiness, select an unsalted or low-sodium broth and season to your taste. Herbs – fresh thyme and dried bay leaf add an earthy, peppery-sweet tone that accentuates the other flavors. If you do not have fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme can be substituted. Heavy Cream – also known as heavy whipping cream, this makes the texture of the soup even creamier and adds a tasty richness.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic.
- Sauté until the leeks are very soft, for about 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and stir them with the leeks.
- Add the broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring it all to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, for about 15 minutes.
- Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender or a food processor, or use a hand-held immersion blender in the pot until smooth.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot.
- Stir the cream into the pot until well combined. Warm the pot over low heat for a few minutes to reheat, if needed. Serve potato and leek soup garnished with chives and black pepper.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
Purée the soup in batches. When the time comes to purée the soup, only fill the blender halfway per batch. Leave the blender lid’s hole open and cover the opening with a dishtowel before blending to allow the steam to escape and prevent the hot soup from splattering. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup directly in the pot, and skip transferring it to another container. Chop the potatoes in even sizes. Chop the potatoes uniformly so they cook evenly. Thicker pieces will take longer to cook than smaller ones, and you’ll end up with a less smooth soup when blending. Make it vegan. This recipe is super easy to adapt for dietary needs! Omit all dairy and animal products by swapping out the chicken stock or broth for vegetable stock and the butter for equal parts olive oil or vegan butter. Sub the heavy cream for dairy-free heavy whipping cream or full-fat coconut milk. The soup is also naturally gluten-free. Optional blending alternatives. If you don’t have a blender, you can also use a hand-held immersion blender or a food processor. If using a food processor, be sure to blend in batches as some processors will leak out liquid if over-filled above the top of the processing component.
If you’ve tried this Potato Leek Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
