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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super easy and delicious – could elaborate but ads cover most of comment area.
This is my go to soup! So delicious! I also leave some cooked leeks aside to add to the soup at the end.
One of the best versions of this soup I’ve ever found, and so easy to make!! My daughter requests this all the time with crusty French bread. Perfect for a cold winter day, or re-heated on a summer evening.
Just made this, very tasty all the flavors come together nicely without overpowering each other.
4 leeks is like 25 cups. Pretty sure none of the commenter actually made this and it’s fake reviews.
It’s literally 4 cups…5 tops. And that’s the big ones…Overall, recipe was good, but I did have to add a considerable amout of salt. Added some cheese and bacon for the garnish 🙂
Yes, I did personally make this. It’s a lot of leeks but nowhere near 25 cups. Leeks cook down in size as well. I’ve made several recipes from this website and never been disappointed.
Did you drink the cooking wine? 4-5 leeks are roughly 4-5 cups. 25 cups??? Really?
DO we peel the yellow potatoes or leave the skin on?
You peel them. Enjoy!
Easy and wonderful soup.
I couldn’t find cartons of chicken broth so replaced with a carton of “New Covent Garden Soup Classic Chicken” and also a half pint of chicken stock made from a stock cube.
I avoided adding cream.
Wizzed it up and really delicious.
HELLO NICE RECIPE AND I ADDED WHITE WINE AND WILL PLACE IN THE CREAM WHEN IT IS COOLED OFF BEFORE BEING PLACED ON THE TABLE BECAUSE THE CREAM CAN CURDLE IF THE SOUP IS HOT….ALSO ALWAYS EAT THE SOUP AWAY FROM YOURSELF SAVES SPILLING IT ON YOUR CLOTHES………THANKS REV WENDI
I forgot the 5 stars!!
Any thoughts on russet potatoes as a sub? I don’t have any yukons in the house and have some leeks to use up.
Hi Dawn, You can make these with russets — the soup just won’t be quite as creamy. Hope you enjoy!
I made this last night and it was a hit even though I didn’t use the cream in the end. I’m just wondering if you have another recipe for the tough, green parts of the leeks. I just hate to throw all that out!
Thanks so much, Jenn, for another winner!
Hi Maria, Glad you liked it! You could use the remainder of the leeks for homemade vegetable stock. 🙂
Yes! I just read from Jamie Oliver:
“A leek soup recipe typically calls for keeping the white ends and discarding the green tops, but add the tops to the mix and you’ll have an extra green layer of flavour. Cut the greens along the grain thinly, shred them if possible and add them to your soup before the other ingredients. They will take a little longer to cook than the rest. This soup works best when it is blitzed for a homogenised, creamy texture.”
I will try this next time. Thanks, Jenn.
👍
Easy and very delicious! My husband’s favorite! Thank you 🤤💕
I make leek oil with the dark green ends which I drizzle on salads, beans, anything that could use a bit of jazzing up. There are a bunch of recipes out there. Hope this helps!
Delicious, thank you
Best potato and Leek soup I have made. Only a few small differences to my usual recipe but they made a big difference. Recipe upgraded. Thank you