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 salad, or enjoyed as a satisfying lunch on its own. If you’re craving something heartier, my potato soup recipe is a delicious variation, loaded with butter, sour cream, and bacon—like a baked potato in soup form!
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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This is my favorite potato leek soup recipe and I have made it for years now. I have found that the immersion blender method of blending the soup is preferable because the blender or Vitamix method tends to break down the potato starch too much, giving the soup a gluey texture.
This soup is delicious. I made it exactly as written (used fresh bay leaf, as it wasn’t specified). Will definitely make this again.
Would chicken bone broth be a good substitute for broth? Or would the bone broth overpower?
Hi Patti, while technically the bone broth will work here, it will lend a different flavor (and possibly slightly different texture) to the soup.
It’s definitely missing something, but I’m not sure what? Needs more spice or flavor… Please leave suggestions below on how to make this better because my family thought it was pretty bland. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Liz, I’m sorry you found the soup to be bland! Did you come by any chance, use low/reduced-sodium broth?
I substitute 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth with Pinot Grigio and added a couple carrots for extra veggies. Garnished with chives and white truffle oil and served with a side of sourdough. So delicious!
This soup is a potage for the goddesses/gods. Nothing less.
Served two ways: with creme fraiche, chopped tarragon and Thomas Keller (Ad Hoc)’s torn croutons; with a drizzle of shallot oil and crispy fried shallots.
Truly incomparable. The little cream won’t kill you (go with Julia Child on this), and thank Jennifer!
Wow!! This is a great recipe. I followed the instructions verbatim and it turned out perfectly. It was delicious and comforting. I’m getting ready to make it for a second time. Thank you, Jennifer.
AMAZING on this blustery pre-winter storm evening. Used potatoes my husband grew and only 6 cups of homemade stock. I topped with some creme fraiche and tarragon (also from my garden) and we’re liberally spooning into our mouths as I type this.
We’ll be sharing with our neighbors this weekend while we hunker down.
Thank you for creating this scruptious, sumptuous recipe!
Just made this. It was good even before I added the cream. I used slightly different amounts because I only had 1 leek leftover from something else but it turned out great. Added some sage and rosemary but followed the recipe the rest of the way. So delicious! Sent to my sister.
I Love this recipe. I’ve used it over and over again. I use various color small potatoes and I liked it. Can you tell me how many calories in the soup, as is your recipe> Thank you
Hi Mary, glad you like it! A serving of this is 454 cal. You can see all of the nutritional information if you scroll down below the recipe.