This potato leek soup is a smooth, creamy pureed soup made with super simple ingredients then topped with crispy homemade sourdough croutons! It's hearty, filling, and the perfect cozy soup for cold weather or an easy weeknight dinner!
Leek and potato soup is a classic French dish, but there are endless variations! I prefer this soup hot, but you can also serve it cold for Vichyssoise!
You might also like this leek and spinach risotto or this creamy acorn squash soup!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this creamy leek and potato soup!
Potatoes - I prefer to use Yukon gold potatoes for this soup because they have the perfect creamy texture.
Leeks - You don't want to use the tough, dark green parts of the leeks in the soup. But don't just toss them! You can save them in the freezer to make vegetable stock with later. If you've never cooked with leeks before, check out this post about how to properly clean leeks!
Vegetable Stock - I always use homemade vegetable stock because that's what I have on hand. But you can also use store-bought vegetable stock or chicken stock! Just note, if using store-bought stock you may need to reduce the salt content of the soup.
Heavy Cream - You can substitute half & half or whole milk for a lighter soup if you prefer.
Fresh Herbs - Using fresh herbs is always better, and they give this dish some brightness to balance out all the rich flavors.
Black Pepper - Freshly cracked black pepper, as always!
Cayenne Pepper - I love adding just a little bit of cayenne for some added flavor and heat! But just leave it out if you prefer.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Variations
Keep it chunky! If you don't want to blend up the soup, just serve it chunky! Up to you!
Can I make this soup vegan? This potato leek soup is already vegetarian, but with just a couple swaps it can be vegan! Substitute the butter with extra virgin olive oil and swap out the cream with a can of coconut cream.
Add bacon! If you do eat meat, this soup is absolutely delicious with some crispy bacon or pancetta on top!
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
First things first, you need to properly clean your leeks! Cut the roots off the leeks and slice in half lengthwise. Thoroughly rinse under cold water, making sure to get any sand out from between the layers.
Cut the dark green tops off the leeks and set aside. You can either discard them or keep them in the freezer to use to make homemade vegetable stock! Thinly slice the white/light green parts of the leeks.
Peel the potatoes and then dice into small chunks.
In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the sliced leeks and garlic and sauté until tender and aromatic, about 10-15 minutes.
Add in the diced potatoes, herbs, and spices and cover with the vegetable stock.
Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
Remove the sage, thyme, and bay leaves and discard. Then puree the soup!
You can use either an immersion blender or a standard blender to get the soup nice and smooth!
If using a standard blender, you'll need to blend in 2-3 small batches. Only fill the blender about halfway and leave the hole in the lid open to allow steam to escape.
Pour back into the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Cook for 5-10 more minutes or until heated through.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Spoon the potato leek soup into bowls and garnish with homemade sourdough croutons and fresh chives!
How to Make Homemade Croutons
There is nothing better than homemade croutons! The best part about them is you can customize the flavor however you like!
I like to use leftover sourdough bread (2-3 days old is best), lots of butter, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese! But you can also use olive oil and herbs, or even add some red pepper flakes. It's up to you!
These croutons are also delicious on salad or other creamy soups!
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and add to the bowl. Then drizzle with the melted butter and toss until all the pieces are coated.
Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan and toss to combine.
Spread into an even layer on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks!
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days!
Since this potato leek soup contains cream, I don't recommend freezing it. However, you can freeze a portion of the soup BEFORE adding in the cream, and then add in the remaining cream when it's time to serve.
This soup is great on it's own as a light lunch, but I recommend serving with my fluffy sourdough dinner rolls or a salad for a more substantial meal!
This soup itself is naturally gluten-free, so just leave off the croutons for a fully gluten-free meal or use your favorite gluten free bread instead!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
Potato Leek Soup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 4 large leeks
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, about 5 medium potatoes
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh sage
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 cup heavy cream, substitute whole milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, for garnish
Croutons
- 5 cups sourdough bread, about 1 medium loaf
- ½ cup unsalted butter, substitute olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Potato Leek Soup
- First things first, you need to properly clean your leeks! Cut the roots off the leeks and slice in half lengthwise. Thoroughly rinse under cold water, making sure to get any sand out from between the layers.
- Cut the dark green tops off the leeks and set aside. You can either discard them or keep them in the freezer to use to make homemade vegetable stock! Thinly slice the white/light green parts of the leeks.
- Peel the potatoes and then dice into small chunks.
- In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the sliced leeks and garlic and sauté until tender and aromatic, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in the diced potatoes, herbs, and spices and cover with the vegetable stock.
- Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked and tender.
- Remove the sage, thyme, and bay leaves and discard.
- Then puree the soup! You can use either an immersion blender or a standard blender to get the soup nice and smooth! If using a standard blender, you'll need to blend in 2-3 small batches. Only fill the blender about halfway and leave the hole in the lid open to allow steam to escape.
- Pour back into the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Cook for 5-10 more minutes or until heated through.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Spoon the potato leek soup into bowls and garnish with homemade sourdough croutons and fresh chives!
Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and add to the bowl. Then drizzle with the melted butter and toss until all the pieces are coated.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parmesan and toss to combine.
- Spread into an even layer on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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