Soup season is upon us and at the top of our must make list is this Potato Leek Soup recipe! It checks all the boxes:
- Clean, simple ingredients that deliver rich, depth of flavor.
- Cook time of just 30 minutes! No need to boil for hours and hours.
- Naturally gluten-free and easily adaptable to be dairy free!
- An unbelievably smooth, creamy texture!
Everything comes together in one pot, which is great. If you have an immersion blender, you can even purée the soup right in the large soup pot. So easy, so delicious, and a staple during the fall and winter months!
Love soup? Us too! Be sure to try out Lemon Chicken Soup or Matzo Ball Soup next!
Clean, Simple Ingredients
I think what we love most about this recipe is how simply it comes together. No fussy ingredients — it delivers a clean, pure taste that is perfect whether served hot (our preference!) or cold, similar to a vichyssoise.
- Yukon gold potatoes: We recommend using all-purpose potatoes, such as Yukon golds, which have a creamy, velvety smooth texture when boiled.
- Unsalted butter: For sautéing the leeks, onion, and garlic
- Leeks: Leeks are sort of like a cross between an onion, garlic, shallots, and chives — they’re members of the allium family and offer a less intense flavor than their close relatives. You’ll need 2 large leeks or 3 medium.
- Sweet onion: You can substitute with a yellow onion or white onion.
- Garlic: Provides a garlicky punch of flavor to the soup!
- Chicken stock or broth: Though of course you can substitute with vegetable broth if you prefer! Homemade or store-bought, either works!
- Curry powder and sweet paprika: These dried spices add the best flavor and give this potato leek soup its signature flavor!
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season everything!
- Heavy cream: Finish the soup with heavy cream to give it a velvety texture!
- For serving: a high quality extra virgin olive oil, flaky sea salt, extra black pepper, and fresh chives, thinly sliced.
Have an immersion blender? Be sure to grab that. If not, you can blend the soup in a traditional blender. You’ll need a large pot or Dutch oven too!
How To Clean Leeks
A note about leeks: In general, you do not eat the tough, green fibrous part of leeks, which is hard to chew. Instead, stick to the white and light green portion of the leek stalk.
Leeks are also notorious for holding lots of dirt and grit from the ground. You can slice them in half or simply cut them whole, but either way, be sure to trim the root end, then rinse them thoroughly to clean before using. Be sure to check out our guide on how to cut leeks for more info!
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.
If you have leftover leeks, be sure to try our simple roasted leeks! They’re perfect alongside a steak and baked potato!
How To Make Potato Leek Soup
Now the fun part! This is one of the easiest soup recipes you will make. There’s no parboiling the potatoes ahead of time, and literally everything cooks in less than 30 minutes. The short cook time makes this ideal for any night of the week!
Here’s the quick run down on how to make the best potato leek soup:
- Sauté leeks, onion, and garlic until tender.
- Add 6 cups chicken stock (or veggie broth) and cubed potatoes, then any dried spices.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, then purée until smooth (either with an immersion blender or working in batches with a counter top blender).
- Stir in a few tablespoons heavy cream, taste, adjust seasoning, serve!
We love to serve this potato soup in large bowls with a drizzle of a high quality extra virgin olive oil, lots of black pepper, and chopped chives.
Note: if using a traditional blender to puree, allow the soup to cool slightly before blending.
How to Store and Freeze?
Storage! The leftovers are fantastic and will keep for up to 5 days in a refrigerator. While traditionally this soup is served hot, it is also delicious served cold, similar to the French classic vichyssoise!
Freeze! We don’t recommend it. Freezing soups with potatoes can change the texture when you go to reheat it. The potatoes with soak up the moisture and turn grainy when defrosted. Additionally, there’s heavy cream in this soup, which has a tendency to separate during thawing, as well. Definitely enjoy this one fresh!
FAQs
We recommend Yukon Gold potatoes, which are all-purpose potatoes, versus waxy potatoes (eg, new potatoes, red bliss, or fingerlings, best for potato salad) or starchy potatoes (eg, Russet potatoes, which are
You can completely omit the heavy cream to make dairy free or substitute with an equal amount of coconut milk or coconut cream (one of our favorite ways to add a creamy texture to soup while keeping dairy out!). Check out our creamy cauliflower white bean soup for our favorite dairy free soup!
Chopped chives, freshly cracked black pepper, a drizzle of heavy cream or high quality extra virgin olive oil!
This would also be fantastic with crispy bacon, pancetta, or maitake mushrooms with ‘nduja on top! And fresh herbs (dill, parsley, or fresh thyme) or even fried herbs (sage leaves!) are welcome on pretty much any and all soup recipes here in the Well Seasoned household.
If you make this creamy Potato Leek Soup recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More soup recipes to try!
Green Chicken Chili Soup Chicken Tortellini Soup Tomato And White Bean Kale Soup Hungarian Mushroom Soup Crab Bisque
Rich & Creamy Potato Leek Soup (GF)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and diced into ¼" cubes
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 medium leeks thinly sliced, about 2 cups
- ½ medium sweet onion diced, about 1 cup
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
- ½ tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp Kosher salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more for serving
- ½ cup heavy cream
- High quality extra virgin olive oil for serving
- Chives thinly sliced, for serving
- Flaky sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the leeks. Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and onion, reduce the heat to medium, then cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add chopped garlic, then cook 1 minute more.
- Add the liquid. Pour in 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, then add the cubed potatoes, ½ tsp curry powder, and ¼ tsp sweet paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 16-18 minutes.
- Purée the soup. Use an immersion blender to purée until very smooth. See note below for instructions using a traditional blender.
- Finish, then serve. Season the soup with 1 tsp Kosher salt and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, then stir in ½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup reserved starchy potato water. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve immediately with a drizzle of high quality EVOO, sliced chives, and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include optional garnishes.
- Leeks can be prepped and cleaned up to 2 days in advance.
- Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in a refrigerator. We do not recommend freezing soups made with lots of potatoes or heavy cream, as the consistency and texture changes during thawing.
- To make Dairy Free: substitute heavy cream with coconut milk or coconut cream, or omit entirely.
- If potatoes are cut to a large dice, they will need additional time to cook and become tender before puréeing.
This was absolutely delightful! Super easy and amazingly comforting! Shared a pint with family member and they haven’t stopped talking about how much they enjoyed this. I left the skins on the potatoes because I’m a pro at not reading the recipe thoroughly but with a good immersion blender it wasn’t even noticeable.
LOL so funny about the skins! I love how velvety smooth this soup is — yum! Thanks for the review, Erin! xo, Ari