Simple Potato Leek Soup

close-up of leek and potato soup in bowl topped with croutions

5 from 6 votes

This easy potato leek soup recipe is the simplest version out there! It's so silky and comforting, and it uses just a small number of everyday ingredients.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: potato leek soup recipe

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

3-4 medium-to-large leeks (use the white parts) sliced
2 pounds Russet potatoes peeled & diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic minced
4 cups chicken broth or stock (or use veg broth)
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep your leeks and peel and chop your potatoes. Discard the top dark green portion of the leeks, retaining the bulbs. Slice the bulbs into rings. Add leeks to a colander and rinse them thoroughly (use your hands to dislodge any stubborn dirt - it likes to hide).
Add the butter to a large soup pot and sauté the leeks for about 7-10 minutes or until they're softened/wilted.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the broth, water, potatoes, and thyme to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and reduce the heat so it's simmering for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. You could also blend it in batches using a regular blender (you may want to let the soup cool a bit first). Season soup with salt & pepper. If the soup is too thick, simply add in some more chicken broth.

Notes

Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat/what it's served with.
To make this recipe vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for veggie broth. To make it vegan, do that and also swap the butter for 1 tbsp olive oil.
This recipe is pretty forgiving, so you don't really have to worry too much about the size of the leeks. 2 pounds Russet potatoes is approx. 3 large potatoes. The leeks will make about 4-5 cups when chopped.
Be sure to add enough salt to this soup. It'll be bland without it. I suggest adding 1/2 teaspoon, but you can always add more as needed.
Try my Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup if you happen to own an electric pressure cooker.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition