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.
This recipe sounded delicious. I made it exactly as written, but it was so bland. Literally, no flavor at all. Not potato or leek or garlic or cream. Zip, nada. I added turmeric and onion powder and even truffle butter…still, nothing. I Will not make it again.
Have you checked you don’t have Covid?
I made this last night and also found it tasteless. I was able to make it palatable by adding boursin, more salt and pepper and reducing. I do not have Covid.
Made this soup for supper yesterday and it was delicious! Very easy to make. Will definitely make it again.
Very tasty and wanted to eat another !
Easy and delicious! First time I’ve ever cooked with Leeks. I’m a southern cook so not a lot of recipes I grew up with had Leeks. Love your easy to follow recipes with pictures.
I have no idea how this got such great reviews. Followed it to the letter, and it tastes like nothing really. A bit earthy. But not much taste.
I just made this today and it is delicious! It is going on my “staple list” of recipes to make. I hadn’t worked with leeks before, but you made it easy.
I never write reviews but had to! With all the time in the world on my hands during covid I have started making A LOT of soups and this is hands down the best one yet. Made it vegetarian (broth) but am obsessed and will 10000% make it again! Already sent the recipe to friends and I had to put a bowl aside for myself for lunch tomorrow so my boyfriend didn’t eat it all.
Thanks for a legendary recipe, Jenn!
Made this for dinner tonight to serve with Holiday Ham! I didn’t use all of the cream and think you could get away with using about half of it. I used russet potatoes because I had a surplus. They worked fine although I would use the Yukon gold next time. The finished product was amazing especially for a soup that didn’t require a lot of prep work. My husband characterized it as a “delicacy!” This is a soup that I would proudly serve to guests.
THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. I made this last night and it was so so GOOD! I can’t wait to have some for breakfast. I am vegan and so I did not use the heavy cream and and used coconut cream instead. My son doesn’t like coconut and so I poured about half of the soup into another pot and added a few tablespoons of the coconut cream and boy was it delicious! My kids loved the soup without the addiction of the heavy cream/ coconut cream. If you’re thinking about making this MAKE IT! You won’t be disappointed.
Dear Jenn, I just want to thank you for developing and sharing this recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it is so delicious. I love Leek and Potato soup, but never made it this good. Thanks for the keeper!
What’s another 5 star review when this chef and recipe already have about 800? Superb soup, in my opinion. We actually finished it without the cream because the dog ate it. Sorta, spilled on the floor, she lapped it up. The soup is really good. Just had a baguette with it. And, best part, more for a couple days.