Potato Leek Soup
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Cozy up with this comforting potato leek soup, a classic French dish that’s easy to make and endlessly customizable.
Potato leek soup, or potage parmentier, is a French classic. It’s one of the first dishes I learned to make in culinary school, right after a proper omelette and basic vinaigrette, because it’s an essential base soup in French cuisine. You can add watercress to make potage au cresson, serve it chilled as Vichyssoise, or top it with bacon, fried leeks, fresh herbs, or diced vegetables. There are endless variations—just use your imagination (or whatever you have in the kitchen) to make it your own. This potato leek soup recipe is simple to whip up and can be served as an appetizer, paired with a Reuben sandwich or wedge salad, or enjoyed as a satisfying lunch on its own.
What You’ll Need To Make Potato Leek Soup
Step-by-Step Instructions
Potato leek soup is simple to make, but first you have to deal with the leeks. They’re notoriously sandy and dirty, and very good at hiding it, so be sure to wash them well. Start by cutting off and discarding the root ends and thick dark green parts. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse each half under cold water, pulling apart the layers to remove any grit that’s tucked inside.
Once the leeks are clean, roughly chop them — you should get about five cups of chopped leeks from four large leeks.
To make the soup, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot, then add the chopped leeks and garlic.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and wilted.
Next, add the potatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Fish out the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a regular blender) until smooth. (If using a standard blender, be sure not to fill the jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dishtowel to allow the heat to escape.)
Finally, add the heavy cream. You can reduce the amount if you’d like but I wouldn’t leave it out entirely. Cream makes the soup deliciously silky, rich, and smooth—just add it little by little until the soup tastes good to you.
Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with fresh thyme, chives, or anything you like.
Video Tutorial
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Potato Leek Soup
Cozy up with this comforting potato leek soup, a classic French dish that’s easy to make and endlessly customizable.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Chives, finely chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so as not to brown.
- Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
- Fish out the thyme sprig and bay leaves, then purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches; see note.) Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it's too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.
- Note: If using a standard blender to purée the soup: be sure not to fill the jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dishtowel to allow the heat to escape; and pour blended soup into a clean pot.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen, without the cream, for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. Once heated through, add the cream and bring to a simmer before serving.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: about 1-1/2 cups
- Calories: 454
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Sodium: 828 mg
- Cholesterol: 78 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I usually make Julia Child’s recipe for potato leek soup, but decided to make Jenn’s this time. All I can say is “wow”! I had to hold myself back from licking the pot. I used fingerling potatoes instead of Yukon gold and did not peel them as the skins are thin and I like the rustic look, but otherwise, followed the recipe exactly. This is a winner. Thank you, Jenn.
I’ve made this recipe a few times, it’s a huge hit with my husband and kids. I use homemade chicken stock and leave the peels on the potatoes. I also add a splash of white wine vinegar. My husband doesn’t believe it’s a meal without meat so I fry up some bacon bits or sausage bits for garnish along with chives/green onions.
Hi Jenn,
I often need to add to the “serves amount” number, but although I’m pretty good at math, I wonder if I’m messing something up when I add 1/2 more or double up the recipe. Is it possible for you to give a small section with amounts when you need to add 1/2 more or double or triple the recipe?
Thanks,
Helene
Hi Helene, I will add that to my list of potential features to add to the site. In the meantime, a reader shared a website that will scale your recipes. It’s called AnyList if you want to check it out. I took a peek at it, and it appears that there are a lot of free options but if you want to scale recipes, that’s an option you need to pay for. (Keep in mind that I haven’t tried it myself.)
Thanks.
This is a fabulous soup. I’m not a fan of potato and leek, the texture etc …just wasn’t for me. However, this is a game changer, I didn’t add cream as had none and I dint really think it needs it.
I love this soup so much, it’s become a weekly lunch or dinner recipe. We made it vegan using Belsoy cream alternative and it’s still 12/10!
Best soup recipe ever! I froze the leftovers with the cream. It turned out perfectly the second time around. I was leery of doing that, but a few stirs in the pot and it was as good as new. I defrosted it in the fridge.
Delicious. I didn’t have fresh thyme, so had to use dried, but lovely. Serving tonight garnished with shredded cheese, bacon and scallions! Your Caesar salad dressing is my 100% go to – I use nothing else. You do a great job, when I see “Once Upon a Chef,” I know it will be a winner!!
@onceuponachef
Used your recipe, very simple and turned out really nice. Used home grow Bay leaves but no Thyme… still tasted great, going to try some Cornish Clotted Cream to finish it off.. Thanks for posting.
A spoonful of clotted cream is ingenious Peter!
This is a most delicious and comforting soup.! I have been wanting to make this for a very long time and as I have never really had leeks- I wasn’t sure about it. However it is the most yummy soup and we are enjoying it as we recover from bad colds. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! We all appreciate you very much! Also, I liked the soup before I added the cream as I did after. Either way it is wonderful
My partner had asked me to make potato leek soup on this chilly fall day. I found your recipe and made it exactly as written. Absolutely wonderful Jenn! Thank you for sharing…