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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Comments
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this looks great and want to make it ahead but not freeze. Will it keep in the refrig for two days or so?
Sure – hope you enjoy it!
Followed this recipe to the letter. Quite simply the finest tasting soup I have ever made, and I’ve made many. Don’t know why really, very simple ingredients, not difficult, but perfection! Thank you so much.
Is it ok to use vegetable stock instead of broth? Also, olive oil instead of butter?
Yes and yes – I think both will work just fine. Enjoy!
Jenn, this really was amazing. I am a extremely seasoned cook and believe it or not have never made potato leek soup. This came up first when I searched and I’m sure glad it did. It’s just me so I will be freezing some to enjoy later. Didn’t change a thing (drives me crazy when people change 10 things about the recipe and then give a bizarre rating), it was perfect!
I first tried potato leek soup at a restaurant and having liked it I looked online for a recipe. My first attempt at making Jennifer’s recipe was amazing – not only was I delighted so too was my husband! It has become a staple in our home. We often pair it with a sandwich for our evening meal. A slight adjustment to the recipe using only 3 leeks; I have made it with and without Thyme and it is wonderful with or without. A great recipe!
This is the soup that got me hooked on Jenn’s recipes! I wanted a simple recipe and this delivered beyond expectations. I didn’t even have heavy cream, just half & half and it turned out fabulous- very easy and fast and was perfect to warm us up from the cold, rainy day. Thanks Jenn!
This is my go-to soup recipe for weekday/workday quick meals. I halve the recipe (for three of us) and the volume is perfect.
I typically switch the recipe up a bit:
– I’ll swap in a different strain of potato,
– I usually double the amount of garlic,
– I always add a decent splash of a dry white wine (Pinot Grigio, Sauv Blanc, etc) to the leeks and onions after they’ve sweated down some,
– Instead of thyme and bay I usually add Herbes de Provence,
– Once the soup has been pureed with my immersion blender, I add a dash of Trader Joe’s “21 Seasoning Salute” just before serving. Gives it a nice kick to cut through the starch and cream!
(The great thing about a soup like this is its forgiveness… you don’t have to be accurate on the ingredient amounts… just eyeball it and adjust as needed!)
This is without a doubt the best potato/leek soup recipe I’ve ever tried. Better yet…my wife wants this as part of our main dish “soup” repertoire and asks that I make it at least once a month!
Must you peel the yukon golds? I always thought their skin is pretty thin?
Hi Kerry, it won’t have huge impact on the recipe, but when you puree the soup, you may get little pieces of skin that don’t break up. That said, it will still be tasty!
Why if using a standard blender (I used my vitamix) do I need to pour into a new pot?
Hi Megan, the new pot assumes that you won’t be able to puree the soup all at once and that you’ll need to do it in a few “batches” (so you don’t want to pour the pureed soup back into the pot with the soup that hasn’t yet been pureed). Hope that clarifies!