This recipe uses simple ingredients. It’s elegant, versatile, and satisfying, and it’s easy to customize to your dietary preferences. You can serve potato leek soup as a light appetizer, as a filling main course, or make it for meal prep. It’s delicious either way. Like our sweet potato soup, kabocha squash soup, and butternut squash soup recipes, this potato leek soup is rich, creamy, comforting, and satisfying. You can expect a mild earthy flavor from the potatoes, a delicate, sweet, and oniony flavor from the leek, and pleasant herbal accents from thyme and bay leaves. Serve potato leek soup as a refined and elegant appetizer or in larger portions as a satisfying and comforting main course. You’ll love it with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinly sliced scallions, chives, and a slice of crusty bread.
Leek
We recommend fresh leeks.
Potatoes
You can use Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet potatoes.
Onion
White or yellow onion enhances the flavor of the leek and makes the soup even tastier. You can also add a clove or two of garlic if you like.
Olive oil
Use extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil to make the flavor base of potato leek soup. It’s heart-healthy and adds a beautiful flavor. Substitute butter for olive oil.
Vegetable broth
You can use store-bought or homemade vegetable broth.
Herbs
We recommend adding thyme, fresh or dried, and bay leaves. Substitute a pinch of rosemary for thyme and sage for bay leaves. Optionally, you can add a grating of nutmeg to make the soup more restaurant-y, but not everyone likes the nutmeg flavor, so don’t add too much if you do.
Salt and pepper
You can use sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serves well with
We recommend serving the soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, or non-dairy yogurt to add freshness and protein. We also recommend finely chopped chives, spring onions, or both. They add a fantastic zesty flavor. The soup serves well with crusty bread, croutons, and garlic bread, not to mention a slice of our no-knead focaccia. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse them with running water to remove sand and dirt that might hide between the layers. Put the leek cut side on the cutting board and thinly slice it. Thinly slice the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add thinly sliced onion and leek, and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes or until the leek softens and starts to sweat. Stir occasionally. In the meantime, peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Add chopped potatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stir, cover with a lid, bring to a boil, crack the top open, and let simmer on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Turn the heat off, and blend with an immersion blender or in batches with a standing blender until you reach your desired texture. Adjust consistency by adding more broth if you like a thinner soup or by letting it simmer for a few more minutes if you like it thicker. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.
Serving suggestions
Top potato leek soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinly sliced chives, spring onions, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve with a slice of crusty or garlic bread if you like. Refrigerator: Let the soup cool down completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezer: Let the soup cool down completely, then store it in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw: Defrost potato leek soup in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Alternatively, thaw it in the microwave or saucepan on low heat or on the stovetop. Reheat: You can warm the soup in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove. Only reheat the portions you’ll eat. Here are some of our readers’ favorite recipes. CREAMY SOUPS: butternut squash soup, broccoli soup, cauliflower soup, Turkish lentil soup, sweet potato soup, kabocha squash soup, CHUNKY SOUPS: black bean soup, lentil vegetable soup, lentil soup, tortellini soup, Moroccan lentil soup, Harira soup, carrot ginger soup, chickpea soup, curry lentil soup. For even more ideas, check out our compilation of healthy soup recipes.
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