Potato Leek Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
A French classic, this creamy potato leek soup is quick, easy, and comforting.
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. Add watercress to make potage au cresson, serve it chilled to make Vichyssoise, or top it with oven-fried 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. Potato leek soup is simple to make and can be served as an appetizer, a side dish alongside a Reuben sandwich or wedge salad, or as a stand-alone lunch.
What You’ll Need To Make Potato Leek Soup
How To Make Potato Leek Soup
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.
Then 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 completely. 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
You May Also Like
- 30 Comforting Soup Recipes To Warm You Up
- Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
- French Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Bacon
- Easy Butternut Squash Soup
- Classic Tomato Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Potato Leek Soup
A French classic, this creamy potato leek soup is quick, easy, and comforting.
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I found a few different versions of this recipe and I wanted to mix it up some. This was the main one I used but I did add a couple of things and it turned out really well. 1: before adding the potato’s and stock, I added 1 cup of white wine and let it reduce down with the leeks in it. 2: when adding in the bay leaves and thyme, I also added some fresh basil and parsley. Lastly: I topped it with both the green onions as a garnish and also tablespoon or so of fresh shredded Parmesan.
This was everything I hoped it would a delicious soup easy to make.
As every recipe from Jen we Love it!
It is fool proof and amazing flavor!
Thank you Jen!
Can I use red potatoes?
Hi Scott, I haven’t made this with red potatoes but a number of readers have commented that have successfully. Hope you enjoy!
Really good and very easy!
OMG just made this soup exactly as the recipe and it is to die for! Creamy, rich and super tasty. Thank you.
i’m a father of four and struggle to find something that all the children like! they absolutely loved this and i even made more for lunch the next day! made exactly as it states!
thanks!
I made this soup today and it was wonderful, I loved it. I followed the recipe exactly except I halved it and used dried thyme instead. The one thing I found was that the 2 large leeks I had, measured out to 7 cups….no matter I used them all. This was such a simple and easy recipe to make. I have used many of your recipes and they all have been winners. Thank you.
I couldn’t find leeks, so substituted celery. I also used a little bacon fat with the butter to add flavor, and substituted 3/4 tsp dried thyme for the fresh thyme sprig. It turned out fabulous! Thank you so much for an easy and delicious comfort soup recipe.
I used your recipe to utilize some leftover leeks. I followed the recipe exactly, however, since I didn’t have enough chicken stock on hand, I substituted two cups of Sauvignon Blanc and one cup of water. I also needed to add salt and pepper (including some cayenne), but still found the soup a bit too bland and thin for me. Any suggestions to enhance flavor and thicken? Thanks, it is a good base recipe.
It’s bland because Sauvignon Blanc is not and good substitute to rich tasting chicken broth.
Thickness shouldn’t be a issue add an extra potato or use russet potatoes.
Literally tastes like nothing. So bland. I regret using unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth. If you make this, get ready to add a lot of salt
Agreed! I’m trying to figure out how to make it taste like something. I followed it except used chicken and bone broth. Blannnnd
Made this today for the second time. First time I actually just used the dark green parts after getting them super soft and the flavor was more intense and delicious. Second time I followed instructions and it’s less intense but still delicious. I decided to make it chunkier by adding softened bite sized pieces of potato. This is the second recipe of yours I made and both were amazing ans delicious. I never ever follow recipes precisely as I always feel they lack good flavor and depth but you nail it! Please keep the flavor coming!
True that. I added cumin and turmeric and lime salt to gain depth in flavor to thus recipe which would otherwise would be bland.
Loved this recipe, simple yet very flavourful…definitely 5 stars
This was a great recipe that is easy to adapt. I had only one leek on hand, and this recipe is written in a way that it can easily be scaled up or down, not to mention the different substitutes that are easy to make. I used the bone broth I had on hand and decided to leave the peels on the potatoes for the extra nutrients. This recipe is absolutely delicious and extremely easy to execute.
I made this soup about a year ago and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I’m planning to make it again this week, but wanted to add roasted poblano peppers (peeled and seeded). Jenn, what do you think of this idea?
Thank you again for your many wonderful recipes!
Glad you liked it. Yes, I think you could add roasted poblanos. LMK how it comes out!
Delicious soup. I added a medium onion and used olive oil instead of butter. I didn’t add cream or blend it as my husband and 10 year old prefer their soup chunky. I just added more vegetable stock during cooking. I will definitely make this again.
Delicious. Followed recipe. Silky with subtle flavors. If you have it, bacon garnish would be lovely. I topped with arugula.
I’ve made this soup from this recipe so many times now I can almost make it from memory.
It’s so good!
I’ve ried it with red pepper flakes for those who like spice.
I’ve made it with crispy bacon pieces, and shedded cheese of any kind with fresh chives.
I never have fresh heavy cream. I’ve always substituted with milk.
This is a winner every time!
I love potato leek soup, and this came out great. I wouldn’t change a thing! We brought some to my wife’s 103 year old mother and she said the same thing. Thank you for the recipe.
Great soup! And simple to make.
I did not read all the comments to see if anyone mentioned this, but a friend thought it was great even before the cream was added, if anyone is looking to avoid dairy and/or fat. Obviously, the butter would need to be subbed on the dairy front as well.
Thank you for so graciously sharing this delicious recipe; I confess to some adjustments since I was using what is available in my kitchen. I used dried thyme since no fresh available, about 1/2t, I added about 1C finely chop’d baked ham, and at the end added 2/3C can’d concentrated milk, simmered 15 min stovetop, then poured into crockpot for a couple hours. tee hee
I rarely leave comments on recipes but I just have to. This soup is delicious!! I used coconut milk instead of cream because it’s what I had on hand. I’m not the greatest cook and I often find a way to mess up recipes, but this one turned out perfectly. Definitely saving it to my favorites so I can make it again and again. So easy and delicious!
For such a simple and easy recipe to make, this soup is absolutely outstanding. Once Upon a Chef is one of the first sites I look for recipes. I have always been very pleased with how every recipe I use, the results always turn out tasting delicious.
Not your typical chunky potato leek texture. And SO much better! A smooth, silky mouthful of goodness! We added some crumbled bacon garnish, otherwise followed this awesome recipe .
bit of an odd question, but do you think I could add anything to give this soup a green colour while keeping the creamy texture and great flavour? e.g. kale, spinach?
Sure, I think spinach would work nicely in terms of adding a green hue (keep in mind that it will change the taste of the soup a bit). Please LMK how it turns out!
Great recipe and super simple.
Girl! Stop! This soup is epic. Thank you for this recipe. It’s now a staple item in this household!
Turned out very good. Used leeks and potatoes from our garden. Had to make a judgement on just how much broth to add to make it the right thickness. Leeks vary in size. Would like something more exact like 4 cups of choked leeks. Needed more salt. Will make again.
Delicious! I couldn’t wait for colder weather to eat this soup again! I put some rinsed spinach in my bowl before putting my soup in and it’s wonderful! Definitely recommend making this one.
Wow! I made it in my home herein 🇹🇿+255 Tanzania East Africa, the soup is very delicious. ASANTE SANA🙏🙏
Simple & delicious! Definitely adding it to my winter staples this year! Had to add quite a bit of salt to balance out the starch but to each their own. Highly recommend.
Your instructions are easy to follow. Thank you.
The soup is very good and filling. I made it for my wife who has lots of weight due to a medical issue. She enjoys it immensely. It is soothing and healing, I am grateful.
Made this as one of our thanksgiving appetizers-one of many OUAC recipes for the holiday… everyone loved it!
Delicious! I had many leeks to use up from our garden, so needed a recipe. I used fewer potatoes than called for and omitted the cream and it was perfect.
This recipe was delicious!! Topped it with a little sour cream and chives and I was eating this soup for days 🙂 Thanks so much!!
I made this delicious soup yesterday and it was the best recipe or leek soup. I have made different recipes for leek soup but this by far was the best. Thank you for sharing
Hi, I never follow a recipe but I made this soup following your recipe pretty much to the letter! Having never cooked using leeks before I was unsure how I could change it and I am glad that I made no changes, it was AWESOME and so easy! So smooth and perfectly balanced, everyone loved it. Definitely will be making this many times to come, now, if I could just find an old fashion Potato Soup recipe like my Mom used to make when I was a kid I’ll be set!
I didn’t want the regular loaded potato soup so I took a chance on this one. I don’t really like onions but figured I would try bc of the reviews.
It’s soooo good!!! I used 6 cups instead of 7, so it would be a little thicker and added more garlic.
Really appreciative of the pictures and step by step! I had no clue what a leek was or how to clean/cook it.
Recommend this to anyone that’s looking for a good potato soup!!
Made this for dinner last night. Simple, easy-to-follow instructions. Delicious! And I finally had an excuse to use my immersion blender.
Just made this today. Absolutely delicious!!! Gave my daughter some before I added the heavy cream because she has a hard time with heavy cream. She loved it! I added the heavy cream and everyone loved it! Excellent recipe!
This soup was shockingly easy to make and delish. 100% will make again, thank you for posting.
Very good recipe. My soup came out very good. I did change a few things, not by choice but because I couldnt find those exact potatos at my local super. I instead bought the tiny cream golden potatoes, so it wouldve been a nightmare peeling all of them. I blended the soup with the potato skin and I included the entire stalk of leek, minus the roots. IT blended quiet well, with of course a few soft remnants of the leeks/potato skin, but I’m ok with that. Thanks for recipe 😉
Definitely will make again! Delicious!
So-so. Didn’t like the thyme flavour.
How long will soup keep in the refrigerator – with the cream added?
It should last in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
I followed your recipe, it came out very well. Soo delicious!
Excellent recipe and Delicious! I omitted the cream and it was still wonderfully thick and creamy. Kudos to Jenn!
I had made a old recipe veg soup last week but silly me forgot to put in my leeks. I decided to try making potato & leek soup. I looked for a recipe and came across Jenn’s website, I loved Jenn’s commentary. I made the soup today minus the Bay leaf {I hadn’t any in the cupboard} I was amazed at how easy the soup was to make and the soup was just delicious, I’ve never made a recipe soup that had cream in but wow it really makes it very special. I took some to my daughters, she loved it and gave me Michellin 5 stars for it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us.
This was a wonderful base recipe. I began by frying 3 slices of thick sliced bacon, chopped into thirds per slice, added the leeks to this as well as the garlic, added celery and carrots as well. It turned into a wonderful creamy soup albeit enough to feed five armies!
Armed with a gift of leeks from friends in the country, we made this soup. Lacking cream or suitable milk, we added cream cheese. And, my wife preferred it un-blended. Turned out excellent!
My new favorite soup, couldn’t get enough of it! Unfortunately, my blender cracked from putting the soup in it. So I wouldn’t recommend blending the soup in the blender until the soup has cooled off.
As always another recipe to keep!
Delicious with Jenn’s homemade Artisan Bread
Easy to make and delicious soup!
I recommend to others, thank you.