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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Hi Jenn!
This soup is out of this world! Very refined and elegant! Loved it!!! Is it possible to cut up the potato’s the night before so I can prepare it early the next day? Will they turn brown?
Thanks again!
Elise
Hi Elise, so glad you like the recipes! If you want to cut the potatoes and the night before preparing the soup, I would store them submerged in water as that should prevent browning.
Didn’t even know what leeks were until my step-mom gave me a ton. First recipe I saw with leeks. AMAZING. Simple and so creamy. I will definitely keep this recipe, and might start buying leeks myself!
Delicious! This recipe is a keeper! My family loved it!
This is amazing…made today and my picky mother loved it. I added a can of cannelini beans and just a small handful of ground Italian sausage. EXCELLENT…
Ooh that sounds like a great addition!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I loved it! I did swap a cup of half and half for the heavy cream to cut calories and because the soup was already extremely thick before adding the half and half. It still tasted great. I had two helpings tonight and want more but am trying to exhibit some self-control.
🙋♀️ Just found your recipes and pot leek is first one I tried. It was so easy to follow. I like how you set up the page. I can’t wait to try more recipes. I did add a couple stalks of celery to mine . I have to have celery in my soup. And a sprinkle of celery salt after I added cream. I did what you said only add the cream a little at a time and it worked out well. Used a little lesss than a cup. I can’t wait to get started on a few more of your gems. Thanks
Delicious. I made it exactly to the recipe and it worked out perfectly. Will make it a regularly!
Wanted to try a leek soup- this sounded like a “pure” start, and due to holidays I had everything in the fridge except 2 more leeks. Velvety and delicious! I will make it again, but curious to add chopped kale on another batch because I am yet to find a meatless soup I like kale in. Trying to go meatless…
I made this today, but only had two leeks and three baking potatoes, so I added celery and a shredded carrot, a little extra garlic and did not peel the potatoes. Fresh thyme and bay leaves from the yard. I only used 32oz broth. It needed something, so I added the juice of a lemon before adding milk. This gave it a fresh tangy flavor, and highlighted other flavors. Great texture. Served with a little shredded cheddar and pepper. We loved it!
Delicious, hearty, and easy! Thank you so much!
I made this the other day and it was delicious! To make it more tasty, I added some baked applewood smoked bacon bits. Also, I cut up and then boiled some creamer potatoes in chicken broth, removed the skin and added the chunks of potato to the soup to add some more texture.
Topped with chives- wow! It was a hit in my house.