The Best Potato Leek Soup Recipe of Your Life

This rich Potato Leek Soup recipe marries the flavor of leeks sautéed in butter with garlic, thyme, and potatoes. It’s creamy without cream, cozy and warming, easy to make, and can be made gluten free!

I am always amazed at how good onion and garlic sautéing in a little butter smell. Not only is this the start to almost every incredible recipe, but its enticing aroma permeates the whole house and makes people wonder just what delicious magic you’re brewing up.

I can’t even remember how many times people have asked me what I’m making, saying it smells amazing, when I’m just sautéing onions and garlic! It’s so simple, it’s almost embarrassing to say what it is, lol.

Leeks are a delicious way to make a recipe with onion stand out just a little bit. Their flavor is similar to onion, but a bit milder and sweeter. And leeks marry perfectly with potato and garlic!

This velvety, rich Potato Leek Soup recipe highlights simple flavors. Sweet, mildly onion-y sautéed leek, garlic, thyme, and creamy potato come together for a rich soup that’s so much more delicious than anticipated. It’s a winter cure-all, really.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The aroma will hit you before anything else. I’m telling you, leeks sautéed in butter with garlic is completely captivating. 
• It’s creamy without any cream. Being a fan of keto, I’m not afraid of a little heavy cream. But sometimes you just don’t need it. This soup is rich and luscious with no cream!
• Quick and easy with maximum payoff. It’s surprising how such simple ingredients prepared using an easy cooking method can result in a soup that’s truly incredible-tasting.

The Best Potato Leek Soup Recipe

Ingredients in Potato Leek Soup

• Light olive oil
• Unsalted butter
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Vegetable stock
• Bay leaf
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Starchy potatoes (such as Russet)
• All-purpose flour
• Milk

How to Make Potato Leek Soup

Step 1: Sauté the Aromatics

Add the oil and butter to a 5-quart pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the leeks and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Step 2: Add the Potatoes and Liquid

Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, cubed potato and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down so the soup simmers, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 3: Thicken it

Whisk together the flour and milk in a medium bowl. Add this mixture to the soup and turn the heat up so it comes up to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook 1 minute, whisking constantly, then turn off the heat.

Step 4: Make it Creamy

Use a potato masher or fork to mash a few of the potatoes in the soup to make it creamy; give it a stir.

Step 5: Season and Serve

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired; serve.

How to Store Potato Leek Soup

Store Potato Leek Soup covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Tips for Making This Potato Leek Soup Recipe

• If you don’t have leeks or can’t eat leeks, you can make this recipe with 2 medium onions instead.
• For a completely smooth soup without any pieces of potato, puree the soup using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
• Instead of using fresh thyme as a garnish, you can use fresh parsley or fresh chives.
• To make this soup gluten free, omit the flour and use 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead. Alternatively, you can omit the flour and mash about half of the potatoes to thicken this soup.
• The potatoes are done cooking when you insert a paring knife in one and it slides right out.
• To make this soup as rich and flavorful as possible, use chicken stock (instead of vegetable stock) and whole milk (instead of reduced fat milk).
• For even more depth of flavor, before you cook the leeks, crisp 2 slices of beef bacon in the pot. Remove and crumble it to sprinkle on top before serving. Make the soup in the same pot, and omit the oil.

Potato Leek Soup FAQs

Can I Use Onions Instead of Leeks?

Yes! To make this soup, you can use 2 medium onions instead of the leeks if you prefer.

How Do You Thicken Leek Potato Soup?

The starch from potato helps naturally thicken Potato Leek Soup. Mashing a few of the cooked potato chunks into the soup will thicken it quite a bit. And if you want this soup lusciously thick and creamy, you can puree it in a blender or using an immersion blender.

In this recipe, we also use a little all-purpose flour to help thicken the soup. However, if you prefer, you can omit the flour and use 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead. Alternatively, you can omit the flour for a slightly thinner soup.

What Can I Add to Bland Potato Soup?

I like to use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock for the richest flavor in this Potato Leek Soup recipe. However, if you need to use vegetable stock to keep this soup vegetarian it will still taste amazing! If you find that it needs more flavor, you could try adding a little more salt and black pepper to taste.

Additionally, you can add a variety of garnishes to bump up the flavor. Here are a few garnish ideas for Potato Leek Soup:

• Crumbled crispy bacon
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sliced scallion or chives
• A dollop of sour cream
• Freshly cracked black pepper

More Creamy Soups to Cozy Up With

• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Low Carb Creamy Sausage Soup
• Creamy Reuben Soup

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Potato Leek Soup Recipe

5 from 2 votes

By: Faith Gorsky

Prep TimePrep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Yields: 6 servings

This rich Potato Leek Soup recipe marries the flavor of leeks sautéed in butter with garlic, thyme, and potatoes. It’s creamy without cream, cozy and warming, easy to make, and can be made gluten free!

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon light olive oil or avocado oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 medium to large leeks white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and rinsed well
• ▢ 3 large cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish if desired
• ▢ 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock for richer flavor
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 pound starchy potatoes peeled and cubed into about 3/4-inch pieces (such as Russet; 1 pound is about 3 medium-large potatoes)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 cups milk whole for richest flavor, but low-fat will work

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

 

• Add the oil and butter to a 5-quart pot over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the leeks and cook until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, cubed potato and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down so the soup simmers, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Whisk together the flour and milk in a medium bowl. Add this mixture to the soup and turn the heat up so it comes up to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then turn off the heat.
• Use a potato masher or fork to mash a few of the potatoes in the soup to make it creamy; give it a stir.
• Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired; serve.

Notes

• Leeks Substitute: If you don’t have leeks or can’t eat leeks, you can make this recipe with 2 medium onions instead.
• To Make it Completely Smooth: For a completely smooth soup without any pieces of potato, puree the soup using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.
• Herb Garnish Options: Instead of using fresh thyme as a garnish, you can use fresh parsley or fresh chives.
• Gluten Free Version: To make this soup gluten free, omit the flour and use 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead. Alternatively, you can omit the flour and mash about half of the potatoes to thicken this soup.
• How to Tell When the Potatoes Are Done: The potatoes are done cooking when you insert a paring knife in one and it slides right out.
• Chicken Stock Tip: To make this soup as rich and flavorful as possible, use chicken stock (instead of vegetable stock) and whole milk (instead of reduced fat milk).
• For Even More Depth of Flavor: For even more depth of flavor, before you cook the leeks, crisp 2 slices of beef bacon in the pot. Remove and crumble it to sprinkle on top before serving. Make the soup in the same pot, and omit the oil.

How to Make This Soup in the Instant Pot

1. Heat the oil and butter in an Instant Pot on the “Saute” function. Once hot, add the leek and cook until it’s starting to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and thyme, and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Press “Cancel” to turn off the “Saute” function. 
2. Stir in the vegetable stock, bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and cubed potato. Cover the Instant Pot and set it to “Manual, High Pressure” for 1 minute. Once it’s done, vent it to release the steam.
3. Whisk together the flour and milk in a medium bowl. Add this mixture to the soup in the Instant Pot. Turn on the “Saute” function so it comes up to a boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, then press “Cancel”.
4. Use a potato masher or fork to mash a few of the potatoes in the soup to make it creamy; give it a stir.
5. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired; serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 573mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1257IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Potato Leek Soup, Potato Leek Soup Recipe

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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 27, 2012. It was updated with more information on January 28, 2022.

I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.

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