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This hearty vegan potato leek soup is made with just a few seasonal and inexpensive ingredients. It features leeks and potatoes cooked in butter and infused with fresh woody herbs such as thyme and bay leaves. It’s a delicious soup that is sure to keep you warm all winter long!
As a French person, I grew up with potato leek soup. It’s a dish my mom and grandma would make often during the colder season. To be honest, it was never my favorite dish as a kid, but as I grew older, I started to appreciate the delicate flavor of the leeks paired with the heartiness of the potatoes.
In France, we call it “Velouté poireaux pommes de terre,” and it’s a popular dish for three main reasons: it’s budget-friendly, thanks to seasonal ingredients, it’s easy to make, and it’s incredibly warming.
Unlike the version my mom used to prepare with butter and cream, my take on this soup is entirely vegan. And let me tell you, despite being plant-based, it doesn’t sacrifice flavor. I tweaked the original by adding a generous dollop of coconut cream for richness and incorporated cooked corn for extra sweetness and crunch!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
Hearty and so cozy.
The combination of creamy potatoes with the mildly sweet flavor of leeks creates a soup that is savory, slightly herby, and so hearty. Then, coconut cream adds a touch of creaminess without overpowering the main flavor profile.
Finish it off with a handful of croutons and a crack of black pepper for the coziest bowl of soup ever!
Inexpensive and easy.
Since leeks and potatoes are some of the cheapest vegetables available during fall and winter, this soup is relatively inexpensive to make and feeds a crowd. You can even double it and freeze leftovers!
Plus, it can be made in one pot, assuming you use an immersion blender. Otherwise, you will just need an additional countertop blender.
📘 What is Potato Leek Soup
Potato leek soup is a famous Winter dish that consists of leeks and potatoes cooked in butter, simmered in broth, and then blended into a soup. Most references point to the fact that it was the invention of a French chef working at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York.
🥔 Ingredient Notes
Potatoes
Potatoes are the star of this soup, giving it a thick texture and a delicate heartiness!
Which type of potato to pick: Stay away from waxy potatoes such as Red or Fingerling potatoes, as these will make your soup slimy. Instead, use all-purpose or floury potatoes. Yukon gold or Bintje (which is popular mainly in Europe) are great choices. Russet potatoes work but tend to be less flavorful.
Leeks
Like most traditional French recipes, I use a 1:1 ratio of leeks to potatoes. This means that, for this recipe, I am using three medium potatoes weighing about 15 ounces (425g) and three leeks weighing the same. Don’t worry if your leeks are not precisely the same weight as your potatoes, as this recipe is very forgiving.
Tip: Don’t discard the green leek tops! Clean them thoroughly under cold water and blanch them for 2 minutes in boiling water. Next, drain them and blend them with 1 cup of the oil of your choice, preferably a neutral oil. Strain the oil using a fine sieve and drizzle a teaspoon of it over the soup for extra flavor!
Love leeks? Try my vegan leek tart or easy leek pasta!
Butter
I prefer to use vegan butter over oil to sauté the leeks and release their natural sweetness and oniony flavor.
Substitute: If you don’t have or cannot find vegan butter, feel free to use olive oil.
Vegetable broth
Cooking the vegetables in broth rather than water makes a massive difference in the final flavor.
While I relied on vegetable broth cubes this time, powder or liquid stock will do just fine. If you have homemade vegetable broth on hand, that would be an even better choice!
Herbs
Potatoes and leeks pair wonderfully with woody fresh herbs such as thyme and bay leaves that are added while the soup is simmering. Then, to bring freshness and a pop of color, you can garnish your soup with chopped chives or green onions.
Note: For more floral notes, I suggest using fresh thyme and bay leaves, if possible.
Coconut cream
The authentic version of this soup uses dairy cream to add richness and creaminess. Here, I replace it with coconut cream to keep it vegan. Now, if you wonder if that adds a coconut flavor, it doesn’t!
Substitute: Use your favorite plant-based cream. Soy, oat, or cashew cream are great options.
Corn
Although corn is not a traditional add-in, I believe it adds extra crunch and natural sweetness – it basically takes the texture from boring to interesting!
Note: You can use a can of cooked corn or frozen corn kernels. If using frozen, boil the kernels for 2-3 minutes or sauté them for 5-7 minutes before adding them to the soup.
🥣 How to Make It
1. Sauté the leeks
- Slice the leeks. Start by cutting off the green tops of the leeks (discard them or use them to make leek oil). Slice the leek stalks in half lengthwise and run them under cold water to remove any possible dirt. Next, drain the leeks and slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces.
- Melt the butter. Add the butter to a deep pot and heat over medium heat.
- Add the leeks. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced leeks and minced garlic.
- Sauté. Cook the leeks and garlic over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Tip: Reserve a few sautéed leeks to use as a topping later!
2. Cook the potatoes
- Simmer the soup. Next, add the diced potatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, bay leaf, and ground black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
3. Blend the soup
- Blend. Remove the bay leaf and discard it. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked leeks and potatoes to a blender, leaving the broth in the pot. Pour 1/4 cup of the broth and coconut cream into the blender. Blend for a few seconds or until the soup is smooth.
- Adjust the consistency. At this point, you can add more broth if you prefer a thinner soup. Otherwise, discard the remaining broth. Note: if using an immersion blender, scoop out 3/4 of the broth before blending the vegetables. Then, add more broth back into the pot if needed to adjust the thickness to your liking.
- Taste it. Give the soup and taste, and adjust the saltiness if needed. I ended up adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the soup to a large saucepan or pot.
- Add the corn. Add the corn kernels to the soup and reheat the soup for a few minutes before serving! Garnish with chopped chives and ground black pepper.
Reducing the Sliminess
Due to the starchy nature of potatoes, this potato leek soup will always have a slight sliminess. It’s normal. Although it doesn’t particularly bother me, I understand that it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Hence, I am sharing two methods below to reduce significantly the gluey consistency.
Immersion blender: Instead of using a countertop blender, use an immersion blender, and do not overblend the soup. The longer you blend the soup, the more starch the potatoes will release.
Potato ricer option: This method consists of taking the potatoes out of the pot before blending the leeks. Then, you need to use a potato ricer (the same tool used to make mashed potatoes) to purée the potatoes before adding them back to the blended leeks. It’s preferable to rice the potatoes while they are still hot.
While this method works best to reduce the gluey consistency, it requires more effort and more dishes to clean. Unless you are very sensitive to the consistency, I personally do not think it’s worth the effort.
📔 Tips
Play with the thickness.
Depending on your preference, you can make the soup thicker or thinner. Start by blending the soup with only a small amount of the cooking broth and add more as needed.
Adjust the saltiness.
Remember that not all vegetable broths are equal, some being saltier than others, so you may have to adjust the saltiness. I suggest blending the soup without any additional salt at first and adding more after tasting.
🥕 Variations
- Add other vegetables: This soup is quite versatile, so feel free to play with the ingredients. You could use, for example, half carrots, half potatoes, or add a handful of mushrooms.
- Add protein: Incorporate cooked white beans to increase the protein content and make the soup heartier.
- Make it cheesy: Add 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a hint of cheesiness.
🥖 What to Serve It With
Garnishes are great to enhance both the taste and presentation of your soup! Here are a few suggestions:
- Croutons: Add pan-fried or air-fryer croutons for extra crunch.
- Blue cheese: Crumble vegan blue cheese and add it on top of the soup. The sharpness and pungency of blue cheese pair very well with the leeks and potatoes.
- Ricotta: Just like blue cheese, you can crumble vegan ricotta to add freshness and tanginess to the soup.
- Chickpeas: Either regular or roasted chickpeas. Fresh edamame is also a tasty addition!
❄️ Storing and Reheating
- To store: You can store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It keeps really well, and leftovers taste as good, if not better, on the following days!
- To freeze: Allow the soup to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat: Reheat the soup in a pot over medium heat while stirring very regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
💬 FAQ
That’s up to you! Personally, I prefer to peel them for a smoother texture. If you decide to leave the skins on, just make sure to wash the potatoes thoroughly.
You either used waxy potatoes or blended the soup for too long. Check the ingredient notes to learn more.
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Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 large leeks
- 1 clove of garlic
- 3 medium potatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup cooked corn
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions for topping
Instructions
- Slice the leeks. Start by cutting off the green tops of the leeks (discard them or use them to make leek oil). Slice the leek stalks in half lengthwise and run them under cold water to remove any possible dirt. Next, drain the leeks and slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces.
- Sauté the leeks. Add the butter to a deep pot and heat it over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sliced leeks and minced garlic. Cook the leeks and garlic over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent the leeks from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer the soup. Next, add the diced potatoes, vegetable broth, thyme, bay leaf, and ground black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer partially covered for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Blend. Remove the bay leaf and discard it. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked leeks and potatoes to a blender, leaving the broth in the pot. Pour 1/4 cup of the broth as well as the coconut cream into the blender. Blend for a few seconds or until the soup is smooth.
- Adjust the consistency. At this point, you can add more broth if you prefer a thinner soup. Otherwise, discard the remaining broth. Note: if using an immersion blender, scoop out 3/4 of the broth before blending the vegetables. Then, add more broth back into the pot if needed to adjust the thickness to your liking.
- Taste it. Give the soup and taste, and adjust the saltiness if needed. I ended up adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the soup to a large saucepan or pot.
- Add the corn. Add the corn kernels to the soup and reheat the soup for a few minutes before serving! Garnish with chopped chives and ground black pepper.
- You can store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It keeps really well, and leftovers taste as good, if not better, on the following days!
Notes
Play with the thickness.
Depending on your preference, you can make the soup thicker or thinner. Start by blending the soup with only a small amount of the cooking broth and add more as needed.Adjust the saltiness.
Remember that not all vegetable broths are equal, some being saltier than others, so you may have to adjust the saltiness. I suggest blending the soup without any additional salt at first and adding more after tasting.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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