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.

Two white crocks of potato leek soup.

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

Soup ingredients including chicken broth, leeks, and bay leaves.

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.

Person washing leeks under running water.

Once the leeks are clean, roughly chop them — you should get about five cups of chopped leeks from four large leeks.

Sliced leeks on a cutting board.

To make the soup, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot, then add the chopped leeks and garlic.

Sliced leeks in a Dutch oven.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and wilted.

Dutch oven of cooked leeks.

Next, add the potatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.

Broth pouring into a Dutch oven with leeks and potatoes.

Bring to a boil.

Broth boiling in a Dutch oven.

Then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Blue Le Creuset Dutch oven with the lid on.

Fish out the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Spoon removing bay leaves from soup.

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.)

Immersion blender in a pot of soup.

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.

Heavy cream pouring into soup.

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

potato leek soup

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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.

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • Made this without the cream and its fabulous. Don’t think I will add any going forward.

    • — Sinead on December 29, 2023
    • Reply
  • Simple and great

    • — Giulia on December 23, 2023
    • Reply
  • Could I make this and then keep it warm in a crockpot?

    • — Mary Ann on December 19, 2023
    • Reply
    • Sure!

      • — Jenn on December 20, 2023
      • Reply
  • This is a wonderful recipe! Even got rave reviews by the menfolk! Will be sharing this recipe with my FB family and friends.

    • — Sharon McRoy on December 18, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious. Simple. Picky kids had seconds!!
    Thank you!

    • — Yvonne on December 16, 2023
    • Reply
    • Very flavorful! However, mine was too salty, but I used better than bullion with water rather than premade vegetable broth. This was likely my issue. Great recipe.

      • — Molly Dobson on December 23, 2023
      • Reply
  • This soup is great. Simple recipe and delicious. Second time making this one. We throw everything in this soup as a topper depending on the mood. Cheese, bacon, chives, croutons, mushrooms, peas, corn, leftover pork slices, steak slices , sausage or chicken strips. It’s great plain as well.

    • — Richard Price on December 16, 2023
    • Reply
    • I came to the comments to see if anyone added cheese, I only wish I had bacon in the house.

      • — Cynthia Cone on March 3, 2024
      • Reply
  • This soup is wonderfully creamy and delicious. Made it today for the first time and added some dried thyme and marjoram. My husband loved it. Classic and comforting in every spoonful.
    Thanks Jenn!

    • — Celia M. on December 16, 2023
    • Reply
  • I really like this soup. Easy and very flavorful. My husband said “It was good, but I think I might enjoy it more when I don’t have teeth.” LOL I disagreed, I liked the texture. I added croutons for a little crunch.

    • — Suzie on December 13, 2023
    • Reply
  • Really excellent. Subtle flavor, perfect ratios.

    • — Melinda T on December 12, 2023
    • Reply
  • Jenn,
    Absolutely delicious! This soup is so velvety and smooth. The fresh herbs are a must.
    It does not take much time to make the soup once you prep the vegetables. The chives really
    add a lovely flavor to the soup.
    Thanks for another wonderful recipe!

    • — Sara Dolan on December 12, 2023
    • Reply

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