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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this soup is absolutly fantastic! I used light cream instead of heavy and it was delicious. Just harvested more leeks from the garden so I am making another batch to freeze tonight!
A fantastic and easy recipe that doesn’t require adjustments. Thank you! Hence the five stars. But, since I never make anything without tweaking it a little bit, I did the following: While some people enjoy creamed soups, I generally cook without dairy, so I added just under a quarter of a cup of cream and felt that that was more than plenty. I tasted it prior and felt that it was delicious even without the cream. I use organic, free range chicken broth, generally from Trader Joe’s as it’s reasonably priced. I also like to add a few tablespoons of white wine when sauteeing the leeks. There’s just something about white wine in a pan with any of the onion family. Adding the wine can change the way the leeks sauté, causing them to brown more easily, so wine can be added at the end instead if one is concerned. But browned leeks have their place, also! 😉
P. S., I only had half and half dairy, so that’s what I used. Next time I may try a little coconut cream.
This is my first time making potato leek soup. I only made it because my sister gave me a bunch of leftover leeks. Boy am I glad I did! This recipe is awesome! It was super simple to prepare and the flavor really wowed. Both my kids gobbled it up. I made it in my instant pot. I also threw three corn cobs (Cut the corn off) in the soup which made it sweet. Next time I’ll add caramelized leaks on top for flare as the recipe suggests. Totally will be making this again!
I am an instant pot newbie… have really only made rice and some vegetables in it. Am curious how making soup in it differs from cooking on the stovetop. Any help is much appreciated as I would like to use the instant pot more often!
Can this soup be frozen for later use or just cut the recipe in half for 2 people
Hi Michelle, you could halve it, but it freezes nicely. (Just wait until you’re reheating the soup to add the cream.)
I was able to freeze this soup. I made it last year and just had the last of it a couple of weeks ago. I froze it flat in a Ziploc bag and then removed it to vacuum seal it.
This is absolutely the best Potato Leek soup. I have tried many versions by other sites, but this one is the gold standard. I made this as an appetizer and served it in small glasses with tiny spoons, added a small amount of cream, drizzled with really good imported olive oil and freshly minced chives. Drew a toothpick through the cream and olive oil, which rested on top of this pale green soup, making a tear drop design. Oh…so very elegant. Everyone absolutely raved. As an added bonus, if you don’t add the cream or garnishes, you can put this in ziplock freezer bags and freeze to have at a later date, adding the cream and garnishes after warming it up for service. Elegance in an instant. Thank you.
Well done. This is the first time I have ever attempted to make a potato and leek soup. I stumbled upon your recipe on the internet it turned out fabulous. It’s a keeper.
My husband and I really enjoyed this soup. It’s the perfect mix of the two main ingredients. I gave some to the girls at work and everyone asked for the recipe! We used half and half because it’s what we had on hand and it was still deliciously creamy. Yum!
Great recipe and super easy. I modified it a little for my purposes. I used a hand masher because I wanted some whole potatoes. Also, I had whole milk on hand so I used a couple tablespoons. My husband loved his dinner tonight!
Hi Just about to make. It is going to be a hot day. Can you serve this chilled?
Yes definitely!
Those recipe was so good I just made the soup again. Delicious!