Leek and Potato Soup is a thick and creamy classic French Potato Soup that starts with garlic butter in which leeks are slowly sautéed to bring out the sweet flavour.
It’s simple to make, cosy and comforting yet also luxurious and elegant. I love how this Leek Soup can be Couch Food OR an elegant starter for a dinner party. Good food is a universal language!
Leek and Potato Soup
Though France might be the epicentre of Michelin star restaurants (second only to Tokyo!), where sauces come in the form of foam and dishes are given excessively fancy names, the heart and soul of French food is simple food made well. It’s rustic, cosy, and often generous on the butter and cheese.
Hence French food and I are very good friends. (Hello Quiche Lorraine, Gougeres, Potato au Gratin, French Onion Soup…to name a few of my best mates!)
Leek soup is another such example. (Though, shockingly, no cheese!). Few ingredients, prepared well, simple to make, and so enjoyable.
What goes in Leek and Potato Soup
Here what you need:
Leeks – essential for a LEEK soup!! 😂 Leeks are sweeter and have a more subtle flavour than onions. Though if you are desperate to make this an leeks are obscenely expensive / you can’t get your hands on them, substitute for regular onions (brown, white or yellow);
Potatoes – use starchy or all rounders, they fall apart when simmered which means less blending for creamy soup = less risk of gluey soup*. 🇦🇺Australia: Sebago (dirt brushed, most common potatoes), 🇺🇸US: Russet 🇬🇧UK: Maris Piper;
Broth – I choose chicken because it has more depth of flavour than vegetable stock/broth. But vegetable stock is also ideal here!
Creamy is optional. This soup is still thick and creamy even without, it just adds a luxurious mouthfeel.
* Common problem with Potato Leek Soups that call for blitzing to death until completely smooth. Power of blender = activates starch in potatoes = gluey. Same thing that happens if you use a food processor or blender for mashed potato!
How to cut leeks
Trim the root off. Take a peek and if you can see dirt in the layers, then split the leek in half and separate all the layers, wash them well, then slice per below.
If you don’t see dirt (like mine pictured above), cut your leeks as pictured below:
Cut off the dark green reedy top and discard (leftmost on leek above);
White end (and the very pale green part) – finely slice; and
Pale green middle part – peel off reedy outer layers and finely slice the softer middle part.
How to make Leek and Potato Soup
Leek are like onions – they have a pretty harsh raw flavour. So the key to a really great Leek Soup is to slowly sauté them in garlic butter until they transform and become soft and sweet. It’s kind of like caramelising onions for French Onion Soup – except we don’t take it as far.
After that, just plonk the potatoes and stock in, simmer until the potato is literally crumbling (the softer they are, the less blending we have to do = better soup texture, no risk of “gluey soup”).
Blitz, stir in cream and serve!
I like to serve mine with croutons. Just a teeny tiny sprinkle of crunchy buttery bread somehow magically makes any soup so much more fabulous.
And while this is a potato based soup, that still doesn’t stop me from tearing up hunks of crusty warm bread, slathering in butter and dunking into the soup.
Carb on carb fabulousness! – Nagi x
PS Or try one of these Soup Dippers – these existing on my website pretty much solely for the purpose of dunking into soups and stews.
Soup Dippers
Watch how to make it
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Leek and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter
- 2 garlic cloves , large, finely minced
- 3 leeks , white and pale green parts only sliced thinly (about 2 cups) (Note 1)
- 1 kg / 2lb potatoes (Sebago/Russet/Maris Piper) , peeled a diced into 1"/2.5cm cubes (Note 2)
- 1.5 litre / 1.5 qt chicken or vegetable stock , low sodium (6 cups)
- 3/4 cup cream , heavy/thickened (sub milk)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (table salt – reduce by 25%)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Croutons
- 2 thick slices bread , torn into crouton size pieces
- 1 tbsp melted butter, or olive oil spray
- Salt
Garnish
- Chives , finely chopped
- Extra cream , for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté – Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and leek and sauté for 7 minutes until soft and sweet.
- Simmer 25 minutes – Add potatoes and broth. Turn heat up and bring to simmer, then place lid on and lower heat so it's simmering gently. Simmer for 25 minutes or until potato is very soft and almost falling apart.
- Minimal blitz – Turn the stove off and puree with a stick blender until JUST smooth. Do not over puree (Note 3).
- Season – Add salt and pepper, then stir through cream.
- Serve, drizzled with cream and sprinkled with chives and croutons.
Croutons
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Drizzle bread with melted butter (or spray with oil). Bake for 5 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt while hot!
Recipe Notes:
- Australia – Sebago (dirty brushed / common washed potatoes you can get at any supermarket. Do not use red potatoes or new potatoes i.e. the ones that you use for potato salad because they are low in starch so will not break down as much when boiling to create a creamy soup)
- US – Russet
- UK – Maris Piper
- I use vegetable or chicken stock instead of water;
- Leeks are sautéed in garlic butter instead of just simmered in water
- I added garlic. Because in my world, where there is butter, there is garlic!
- I added croutons. Because buttery crunch + creamy leek soup = match made in heaven
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2015. Spiffed up March 2020 – most importantly, new Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Cactus and Dozer is like me and chilli – I know it’s gonna hurt, but I just can’t resist.
Made this last week and family have requested it this week,easy to make and the taste was great
Nagi,only one word for this soup, AMAZING, absolutely superb recipe, thank you Nagi. Is the soup suitable to freeze?
Would love to know the answer to this
Have cooked this 6-7 times now, always delicious & hands down my teenage kids’ favourite soup. Tip to not overblend is SO important for texture. I cook from your recipes 2-3 times a week & am never disappointed. Has really broadened my family’s eating. Very grateful for your fantastic site.
My husband had only time to say one sentence while he was eating it: “This was the best soup of my life!”
Thank you Nagi for the wonderful receipes!!
Again amazing! You are amazing! Next time I will put some cooked bacon in at the end and stir. See how that rolls.
It will be AMAZING! N x
Hi Nagi. Just happened upon your website searching Google for a recipe. So glad I found it. I am from The Bahamas and only had leek and potato soup in school in Canada and it was so good. This was my first attempt and this was so easy and delicious. I followed recipe completely except croutons because it was so good didn’t need it.
About to cook this one. But just wanted to say how I have used lots of your recipes with great success and even some accolades from our teenagers. (And they can be fussy.) Our favourite is the Vietnamese pork bowls, but I also love the Cowboy Rice Salad. I had always found rice salad bland before I tried this recipe. It is amazing! Thanks for your fun and helpful blurbs and photos. Keep safe and in good cheer
This is such a great recipe! I have made it heaps of times and everyone loves it. I don’t puree the soup I just mash everything with a potato masher as I don’t like my soups smooth. It heats up really well too. Thanks for a great recipe for the cold days in winter in the Macedon Ranges!!
Hi Nagi, firstly can i say thank god for your website, i think 90% of our family dinner meals are your recipes!! Secondly, i am making this for the second time tonight and for our number of servings the recipe asks for 3 leeks/2 cups. Cutting the leaks as per your instructions i end up with about 3.5 cups. Is this ok or should i only use 2 cups?
When I make this there is always too much leek, I just add more stock or water so it’s not too thick!
Absolutely delicious!! Honestly recipe after recipe I am blown away by your recipes. Simple to follow and packed with flavor
Hi Nagi – Delicious soup! So easy to make and garlic croutons finish it off to perfection. Now making my second batch this week. Love it!
Would you ever roast the potatoes beforehand?
Hi Nat, no because they’s get a hard skin that wouldn’t blend nicely. N x
Absolutely delicious. Easy to make.
This wonderful soup originated in France and is a common peasant dish called vichy ssoise ? Pronounounced vichy zwaaz). It is normally served cold but is great warm as well. It is delicious and Nagi’s recipe is right on point.
Thanks so much Shelly! N x
OMG, talk about simplistic, delish comfort good; MOTH congratulated me on how tasty this soup is several times.
I’ve never cooked leeks before and how tasty are they being sauteed in butter and garlic.
Absolute winner yet again Nagi.
Ah Yes ,,,LEEKS. ,LEEKS so under used by most folks ,,,James Beard used them in his white version of onion soup. with Chicken stock not beef
They are so great – I don’t know what they aren’t used more?!
thank you Chef when Im at veggie isle I try to educate whatcha cooking these are better than those and why and maybe 1 in 20 know what a LEEK is ,You have the platform to educate . ya know even a poblano pepper if Im never peppers ,and someone is picking up those bell peppers I tell em weight is important get the heavy ones thicker walls more juice more flavor ,have you tried the Poblano. and so on etc maybe pick a veggie of the week what Huw etc thank you. for listening. Joseph
So very delicious and easy to make. Thank you for another great recipe!!
You’re so welcome Alena! N x
I just made this – I don’t have a hand held blender so I just used my food processor as directed (pulsing the soup a few times). It worked out so well! Thank you I will definitely make this again. 🙂
Sounds like you nailed it Dee! That’s great! N x
Hi Nagi
Lovely soup
Myself and My six year old daughter Enjoyed it over two nights for our dinner
Thank you it was yummy
A deliciously tasty soup – loved by all the family. Thank you for sharing x
I made this soup for dinner and it killed! Thanks, Nagi for another amazing recipe.
I am a fellow resident of the Northern Beaches, currently working from home with my constant work colleague Milo.
First attempt at one of your recipes, absolute success and beautiful.
Thanks
That’s great to hear Ross! N x