Potato Leek Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
What a wonderful soup! I make this often, and in larger batches so that I can share with neighbours.
A few notes:
1. I always increase the quantity of leeks; and I simmer them for a longer time–40 minutes or so. The heat is adjusted so they do not brown. If I have a leftover shallot or onion, I will add it to the pot to simmer along with the leeks. At the end of 40 or 50 minutes the leeks are very soft and wilted, their liquid exuded.
2. I add 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme, but I tie them together with butcher’s twine. After the potatoes have cooked, it’s very easy to retrieve the thyme stems. Usually the delicate leaves have all fallen from the stems and they flavour the soup.
3. I think the Yukon Gold potatoes are an excellent choice for this soup: they add a nice colour and give the soup a hefty “body”.
Thank you Jenn. This recipe has nurtured many people!
I made this last night for a family dinner. It was excellent !!!! Very, very tasty indeed !!!
Everyone loved it. I did, however, tweak it a bit. I added some nice dashes of Worcestershire sauce and I added 2 shallots chopped in with the leeks. I also sprinkled the chives on top with some finely shredded cheddar cheese !! It was sooo good. Planning on making it again very soon for friends.
Jenn, this is an excellent soup and another winning recipe from you! My daughter and son-in-law don’t like soup but this changed their minds – they were bummed it didn’t make more. I added crumbled crisp bacon at the end; also used half and half instead of heavy cream. Appreciated your tip on cleaning leeks, they do have a lot of dirt inside. Thanks again.
It’s extremely simple, easy to get ingredients (I even swapped the leaves with dried mixed herbs), fool-proof and extremely delicious. My whole family loves it! Thanks!!
Simply fantastic. Good enough for company. Had to season with quite a bit of S&P to my tastes at the end, but take it slow – add it little by little until you get it just right.
This is a good basic recipe, but the proportions are off. 7 cups of broth is way too much for four leeks and will be flavorless. I made it again, cutting the proportion of the broth to four cups and adding a shallot with the leeks and it was to die for.
Fantastic dish
I have made it many times and find adding paprika, bacon, sausage, peppercorns, sour cream & milk (in lieu of heavy cream), a small carrot, horseradish really shapes the flavors well.
Thanks
This soup is amazing! I used salted butter and chicken stock, but otherwise followed it to a tee. This will become a staple in my house.
Beautiful flavoured soup. Will be making again and again.
I thought it was good, but this one didn’t get the incredible, ravenous reception that my One Upon a Chef efforts usually produce (this being my 6th OUAC dinner). I followed the recipe precisely and was told it was “pretty good” but kind of bland. I guess it was a little on the bland side, even though I liked it. I think next time I would add some nutmeg, more black pepper, and maybe some bacon grease to give it a more aggressive mix of flavors. Also wondering if a couple of tablespoons of potato starch might make it more potato-y and interesting.