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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I like this recipe. I had to scale it down a bit because I had fewer and smaller leeks on hand. I also didn’t have fresh thyme so I tried to use some dried thyme. It ended up being a little too thyme-y for me. I also used homemade chicken stock. This was my first time using a hand-held immersion blender, which was great. I used 2% milk instead of heavy cream. I’m sure it would have been tastier with the cream, but I don’t have any. Also, calories!
Now that I’ve mulled it over, I think I would prefer this soup with dill instead of thyme and a dollop of sour cream on top. But that’s just me.
Just made this today and I’m officially in love! Wonderful flavor and deliciously silky!! Can’t wait to make it again!!!
Where is the recipe, please? It’s nowhere on this page – just pictures.
Thanks very much.
Hi Katherine, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
Can I use russet potatoes?
Sure, Caitlin, the soup will be a bit less creamy with russets but still good. Hope you enjoy!
I made this last weekend for my family. It was such a hit I am making it again today! Awesome recipe for picky kids because after it is blended they don’t see the leeks in it. It was so delicious!
So easy and delicious! I froze 1/2 of the recipe (without cream). Thank you for the recipe.
Wonderful, Excellent, Delicious! The only substitute I made was milk instead of heavy cream.
I added dill and garnished with fresh parsley and shredded parmesan cheese. It was delicious! I will definitely make this again.
First time making potato leek soup. My husband said, “that soup is very yummy” which was all I needed to hear. I halved the recipe since I didn’t buy enough leeks and had to make my own heavy cream (milk and butter). My husband and I thank you so much Jenn!
I’ve used this recipe many times. I’m relying on iffy market deliveries. I had one slim leek delivered instead of a bunch. This recipe doubles well, we know, but today I ‘fourthed’ it. Just as delicious.
Delicious
Made this tonight. I’m pretty sure this was the first recipe of yours that I have tried but I can guarantee you that it won’t be the last. This is an elegant soup while at the same time being quite filling. I was putting away the leftovers but had to stop for a third bowl first. I’ve also sent a picture of the recipe to my daughter and insisted that she give it a try. Thank you for this, it’s a great soup.
Delicious!
3rd time I’ve used this recipe, it is soooo good on a chilly day. No cream or half and half in the house, but the Yukon golds blended up very creamy. Finished with fresh spring chives straight from the garden. This is definitely a go-to recipe.
Used leeks from my garden, and it is just delicious. I personally like the amount of salt, but it’s right at the edge of okay. Next time I’ll just do 3/4 tsp. Also used white pepper! Yum!