This potato leek soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food.
In this recipe, leeks are softened in butter and then cooked with potatoes, chicken broth, and seasoning to create a silky delicious soup. A splash of cream is added to finish before blending.
The result is a dish that can be enjoyed any time of the year!
A Silky Leek Soup Recipe
This creamy potato leek soup is a simple creamy classic for good reason!
- Leeks have a mild and sweet onion flavor. They’re perfect in this soup as they don’t have an overpowering flavor.
- Potatoes make this both hearty and budget-friendly while adding to the creamy base.
- Serve this soup silky smooth by blending and straining through cheesecloth or leave it a little more rustic in texture by mashing the potatoes.
- This potato leek soup makes a great lunch but it’s also elegant enough to serve as a starter soup to guests.
Ingredients for Potato Leek Soup
Leeks – Leeks look like a thick scallion (about 1 to 1 ½-inches thick). When buying, look for leaves that are firm, green, and upright. The greens are discarded as they’re tough.
Potatoes – We use Russet potatoes in this soup for their high starch content. Yellow or Yukon gold potatoes would also work! Potatoes should be peeled for this recipe.
Broth – Use either homemade chicken broth, vegetable stock, or use your favorite store-bought boxed broth. Heavy cream is added at the end for a bit of richness.
Variations – Sprinkle the final soup with some homemade bacon bits, or add a little fresh garlic to the soup. Add some crunchy parmesan croutons to the top for even more flavor!
How to Cut Leeks
If you haven’t used leeks in cooking, check out our guide on how to cut leeks. To prepare leeks for soup, keep the white to light green section and discard the dark green tops as they’re tough. Slice them in half and rinse out the grit in between the leaves. Slice thinly.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
Nothing beats a warm, comforting, and creamy bowl of soup on a chilly day!
- Cook sliced leeks and celery in butter in a saucepan. Stir until softened.
- Add potatoes, broth, and seasonings to the pot and boil until potatoes are tender per the recipe below.
- Discard bay leaf, blend until smooth, and add a splash of cream. Simmer a couple of minutes more.
Top each bowl of soup with croutons, crumbled bacon, and some fresh herbs!
Feeling fancy? If serving this soup to guests, it can be strained through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth for a smoother soup. I usually don’t bother, I find blending is the perfect texture for our liking.
Storing Potato Leek Soup
- Potato leek soup will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, add to a pot on the stove and cook on medium heat until hot.
- Unfortunately, creamy soups like this don’t freeze well as they end up becoming a little grainy when thawed. So eat it up!
Creamy & Cozy Soups
Did you make this Potato Leek Soup? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Potato Leek Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large leeks white only
- 2 small ribs of celery ½-inch chopped
- 1 stick butter (½ cup)
- 2 pounds russet potatoes about 5 medium, peeled
- 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- chives or thyme for garnish
Instructions
- Cut off the green of the leeks and discard (or freeze for stock). Cut the leeks lengthwise and wash well to remove any dirt or grit.
- Thinly slice the whites of the leeks, about 5-6 cups.
- Place leeks, celery, and butter in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until leeks are tender without browning them, about 5-7 minutes.
- Cut potatoes into large chunks and add to the pot with broth, thyme, bay leaf, and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Discard bay leaf. Using an immersion or hand blender*, blend soup until smooth. Add cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Entree, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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My grandmother and mother used to make a variation on this recipe, in our house it was called Winter Vichyssoise. Because, of course, Vichyssoise is served cold, but this is served warm. I need to find my mom’s hand-written recipe box to see if there is any difference between her version and yours. I do remember her blending it, a few cupfuls at a time until it was smooth, and I think she didn’t put cream in it, maybe skim milk (that was all we ever had in the house, even back in the 50sand 60s). I suspect she may have added a little extra chicken stock to thin it down, but I also remember it being a favorite dinner served with buttered toast and home canned green beans on the side.
Made this tonite my family loved it! I’ve sent it to a few friends, will make it again! Used 18% cream delicious.
Perfection! Such a delicious and subtle flavour Holly. I like a very smooth vichyssoise so used a hand blender first and then transferred to my large Osterizer blender. It was quite thick so I just adjusted the consistency by adding more stock before the cream and it’s delicious. I sprinkled a bit of crumbled blue cheese on top and will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Those sound like delicious additions, Barb!
I was so excited to make this recipe. Could not find when to add the thyme sprigs listed first , before the ones listed for garnish. I added them when I added the potatoes. Quite tasteless. Very mediocre.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it Judy.
I found the answer to my previous question. No need to reply.
Can I freeze this delicious soup before adding the cream?
Robert
Hi Robert, you can freeze this soup but it freezes best before adding the cream!
I’m making this soup often and will continue to make it often. It is delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
BTW, what< size portion is used for the nutrition information?
A serving size is about 1 to 1 1/2 cups depending on the size of your potatoes and leeks used.
Delicious soup, and simple to make. I assumed the three sprigs of thyme wen into the pot with the potatoes. I just threw them in intact, as most of the leaves will come off during cooking and then fished out the branches before pureeing. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi there! Can I substitute sour cream for regular cream?
You can but it will change the flavor as sour cream is more tart than cream.
Holly…..please help! I do not know what I did wrong. The soup came out awful. This was a real moment of defeat as I am an accomplished cook and baker. I followed your recipe to a “t”. I’ve been agonizing over this all night. Should I add bacon? Should I add chives & cheese? Some other kind of spice? Please tell me what to do.
Thank you,
Ruth
So sorry to hear that Ruth, that is not good! While I don’t think you can ever go wrong with more bacon was there something specific that didn’t work out for you?
Hi! Can you freeze this soup?
Yes, this soup can be frozen. While it freezes well in any case, it’s best if frozen before adding the cream.
Do you cut or cube the potatoes after you peel them to put them into the soup or do you leave them whole? I can not wait to try this recipe!
They are cut into large chunks (I’ve added this to the recipe). Enjoy!
This was definitely a keeper!!!
Yay! So happy to hear that Charlotte.
Please send me your ideas looking for a good recipe for potato leek soup
Hi Janet, this recipe is a delicious potato leek soup option! For the full recipe, you can scroll to the bottom of the post or use the “jump to recipe” button at the top.
Delicious!! My husband and I loved this! We substituted the butter and cream for vegan friendly options and it turned out so good! Definitely keeping this in the cook book :) Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup and were able to make it suit your needs Mary!
I love potato leek soup never made it this recipe was awesome I also added celery thank you
So happy you loved it Brenda!
I made the potato leek soup and it was spectacular. It was easy to make, just follow all the steps properly. Can’t wait to make again
So happy to hear that Joan!
Hi when you say cups of something in your recipe how big should the cup be. Also when you say a stick of butter is 5hat a whole block of butter?
A cup is 240ml and a stick of butter is ¼ lb.
Thank you so much