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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Most potato/leek soups are good, but this one is perfection. Best I ever made.
Fantastic soup! I used fat free half and half instead of heavy cream…I just couldn’t do it. The recipe was wonderful – I was trying to decide how it would turn out without adding flour to thicken and I was wonderfully surprised.
First I’d like to say I love your book, which I bought after your blog became my #1 recipe go-to. You’ve been teaching me how to cook (my mother didn’t like cooking). Thank you so much, you rock. 🙌🙌
This potato leek soup is one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted.
I’ve noticed in some of the pictures of soup recipes you are using a Dutch oven, and others a stock pot. I have a Le Creuset Dutch oven and a stock pot (love them both!). Do some soups cook better in a Dutch oven, and some in a stock pot? Do you have any pro tips about when to use which?
Hi Jess, so glad you like the cookbook and the recipes have helped you up your game in the kitchen! When it comes to a Dutch oven versus a stockpot, It really makes no difference. (I just use whatever is closer at hand when I am starting a recipe.) 🙂
I have made so many of your online recipes and everyone has been fantastic! I am making your potato leek soup as we speak. I didn’t even know that you had a cookbook until today so of course I immediately bought it! I love the fact that you actually reply back to folks who ask you questions. You deserve 10 stars for that alone!! Thank you and I’m ready for your second book already.
Cynthia C
Indiana, PA
💗 Hope you enjoy the soup (and the cookbook)!!
EASY AND EXCELLENT!!
This soup was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely make it again & again 👌
Delicious. Fun to use bay and thyme and garlic from my own yard and garden.
Gonna have to invest in an immersion blender as transfering to the old glass Oster was a bit of a chore. Thanks so much.
Wendy, treat yourself to the All Clad, get it at Bed bath and Beyond and use a 20 off coupon. It’s pricey, but so much better than my previous two cheaper models. You will probably never use your blender again.
Dear Chef
Considering that I have heartily disliked soups all my life, I found this recipe of your Leek and Potato soup very reassuring. Your instructions and photos make it all seem not such a mystery of “junk ends” thrown in a pot. In an effort to help me through the difficulties of spending the time required to cook for one, I received a gift of a stick blender, – why did I not know how easy this made the end work before? – so, my first time making soup ever, took a while, but in the end( I am not photographer) a delicious, healthy soup. Thank you.
Made this tonight to rave reviews!! I followed another cooks suggestion and added two stalks of finely chopped celery (specially since I only had 3 leeks) and added Marsala wine after I added the cream. The alcohol burned off and left a lovely light nutty flavor. This was delicious!!
How much marsala wine did you add?
My husband and I loved loved loved this soup. Now I want to try making the butternut squash soup recipe!
Thank you 🙂
I just made this last night. So wonderful it was I am thinking about making it again freezing it it for summertime. Are there any special steps to serving it cold besides putting it in the fridge?
Hi Dale, Glad you liked the soup! If you’d like to freeze it, wait until you defrost it to add the cream. Other than that, no other special considerations if you want to serve it cold. 🙂