Leek & Potato Soup is a classic creamy soup with sautéed leeks, a hint of garlic and tender potatoes.
I love how a few simple ingredients can be blended together to make something that tastes extra special.
Great for a tasty lunch, or serve it with crusty bread for a warming dinner.
Autumn evenings are made 100% better with creamy, filling, comforting leek and potato soup, served up with a big wedge of bread.
A French classic that tastes deliciously rich with cream and butter.
You can go down the vegetarian route - by using vegetable stock. Or to add a little extra oomph, you can use chicken stock.
I like to use chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock is delicious for a real luxury feel, but you can also use boiling water mixed with 3 chicken stock cubes and it will still taste amazing!
📋 What do we need?
- Leeks - 3 large leeks or 4-5 smaller leeks. We're using just the white parts and the light green parts of the leek - you'll need about 750g (just over a pound-and-a-half) of sliced leeks altogether. Be use to check the leeks aren't dirty or filled with grit. Sand and soil can get right down in the leaves, so give them a good rinse to remove any dirt.
- Use floury potatoes - such Maris Piper or red-skinned Rooster potatoes. Floury potatoes work better than waxy potatoes, as they break down more smoothly and give a creamier taste.
🥔 How to make leek and potato soup
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.***
- Soften sliced onion and leeks in a large saucepan in a little butter. Add in seasoning (I use garlic salt, salt and pepper) and minced garlic - and give it a stir.
- Add in potatoes and stock, then bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, the potatoes should be fall-apart tender. I like to scoop out a little bit of leek and potato at this point to top the soup with at the end.
- Blend the soup until JUST SMOOTH with a hand blender. Don't blend for longer than needed, as the potatoes can become gluey.
- Stir in cream and reheat the soup again if needed.
Serve the soup topped with the reserved leeks and potatoes. I also like to add a few chives, a little black pepper and a swirl of cream.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Or why not take a look at my Salad Recipes for a soup and salad combo.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, use gluten free stock and you're good to go.
Ingredient swaps
Add toppings such as crispy bacon, toasted ciabatta croutons or crumbled stilton
Leave out the cream if you like - the potatoes still help to give this soup a creamy textures. It's just made a little more velvety and rich with the cream.
How to scale down this recipe
You can halve the recipe to serve 3 people (or 2 large servings), sticking to the same ratios.
This soup freezes well though, so you can always make plenty and freeze some for later.
🍲 More Soup Recipes
I've got a whole section on Kitchen Sanctuary devoted to soups (<---- click to see them all)! Here's a tasty selection:
- Warming Tuscan chicken soup
- Cream Of Tomato Soup
- Creamy chicken pot pie soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Baked sweet potato and carrot soup with cheddar potato skin croutons
- Lentil and Red Pepper Soup with Wholemeal Pita Crisps
- Hidden Veg Tomato Soup with Gruyere Bacon Croutons
- White bean soup with parmesan and pesto
📺 Watch how to make it
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Leek and Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 small onion - finely chopped
- 3 large leeks - green parts discarded, white (or very pale green) parts sliced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp celery salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 450 g (1 lb) floury potatoes* - , peeled and chopped into bitesize pieces
- 1 litre (4.1 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
- 60 ml (¼ cup) double/heavy cream
To serve
- 2 tbsp double/heavy cream
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped chives
- Good pinch of black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
- Add the onion and leeks and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often until softened.
- Add the garlic, salt, celery salt and pepper and cook for a further minute.
- Add the potatoes and stock. Stir, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes – until the potatoes are starting to fall apart. Turn off the heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove 2 scoopfuls of the potato and leek mixture and place in a bowl – this is for topping the soup later. (This is optional)
- Blitz the remaining soup either carefully using a stick blender, or by transferring it to a blender that can be used for hot liquids.
- Pour the soup back into the pan along with the cream and heat through on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until hot.
- Spoon into bowls and top each bowl with a spoonful of the potato/leek mixture.
- Swirl over a drizzle of cream and top with chopped chives and a pinch of black pepper.
Video
✎ Notes
Nutrition
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Vanessa says
Hi Nicky. I come from Germany and I am totally happy that I found your YouTube channel. Your recipes are great !!
I've tried a few and they've always been perfect.
Just today I made this soup and what can I say ... it was super creamy and spicy! Delicious!!
Kind regards ... Vanessa
Kath says
This has always been one of my favourite soups to make, I love the little extras in your version. The little cubes of potatoes on the top and chives made all the difference😋