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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Delicious and and easy. A new standard in my home.
I did add a little brandy and some ground applewood smoked bacon to “winterize” it for me.
Amazing recipe! So authentic and delicious. Easy to make too.
This was a delicious recipe. My only suggestion would be to strain the soup before serving.
This is one of the most delicious soups I have ever made. My wife just loves it. I used homemade chicken broth concentrate and Idaho potatoes plus an extra yellow onion in my recipe. Very good for a hot summer night dinner.
I made both this soup and the butternut squash soup for my husband who just had dental surgery. IMO, both recipes call for far too much broth/broth + water — 7 cups resulted in a very thin soup. 4 cups of broth was plenty. With that change, the soup is very tasty and satisfying.
I agree that the potato leek soup calls for too much broth. I cooked it down a lot but still wasn’t able to get the thickness I am used to with vichyssoise. I think Jenn’s version of this soup though is tastier than most. One other very small mistake I made was to use fresh thyme leaves instead of just the sprigs. I thought it was odd that a soup known for its pure white color would want flecks of herbs in it (besides the fresh chive garnish, of course) — but my trust in Jenn and her precise directions is so complete I went ahead and did it anyway! I normally make no changes to Jenn’s recipes (and I change almost every recipe I make!) but I’d make three changes to this one: 1) No need to specify low-sodium broth IMHO; 2) Less broth (maybe 5 cups instead of 7)?; 3) Specify more clearly re the thyme — maybe it could read 3 springs fresh thyme (put in whole). All that being said, I am a huge fan of Ms. Segal and am so grateful that she is willing to share her enormous talent for cooking and precise recipe creation with us!
The BEST soup ever! So tasty and simple to make. It has quickly become a family favourite.
AMAZING. So tasty, would make again and again
Delicious! It’s easy and quick to make too. My husband was disappointed I was making soup for dinner this evening but once he tried it, he loved it and went back for more!
I’ve made this Delicious soup twice, both times with home made chicken broth. I substituted goat Greek yogurt for the sour cream the second time – slightly different flavor but still very good. Thanks for a straightforward leek soup recipe that works!
Jenn, you nailed it!!! This soup is delicious and very easy to make. I added a little extra thyme and was nervous that it might overpower the soup, but for me, it was perfect. I am making it again today and will have it again for dinner, along with one of your wonderful salads. Thanks!
I actually blended this soup without the heavy cream and served chilled! Wonderful on a hot summer day and not as heavy as it would have been with the cream.
Did you use fresh thyme?
First time making this. Absolutely delicious. My hubby is Irish and thought it was excellent. Flavour, consistency, etc., was perfect.
Love love LOVE this recipe! Super easy, makes the house smell great and it’s delicious cold in the triple digit Nevada summer. This is probably the 10th time I’ve made it and it never disappoints. Thank you for sharing this!