Potato Leek Soup
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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
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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
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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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We loved this soup. So delicious I regret I used low sodium chicken broth and had to doctor it with a lot of kosher salt. This recipe is too much for 2 people. Can I freeze some ?
Hi Judi, So glad you liked it! It’s best to freeze the soup without the cream, but if you already have the cream in it, it may separate a little when you reheat it. Just give it a few stirs to recombine and it should be fine.
I’m terribly sorry but usually making online recipes turn out great, this did not. Perhaps it is my own doing I did use salt free broth as my major change but I had to google “how to fix tasteless soup” afterwards. Lets hope some acid rectifies the situation!
Hi Jenn: I’m sure this will be delicious but could I ask about how many pounds (or grams) of leeks you use. I got 5 cups and more from two large leeks–I guess large is relative!
Hi Susanna, You need about 450 grams. 🙂
Great Recipe. I left it half chunky. Subtly rich and flavourful. I added some dried thyme and a small bunch of fresh thyme as I like lots of herbs as well as a few extra garlic cloves. It is totally creamy without the heavy cream if you prefer to leave this out. If you’re using salted store bought broth go very easy on added salt until you test it. I used a few bouillon cubes with water and hardly needed any added salt. Thank you will definitely make this again!
I’ve made it twice now with minor substitutions for ingredients I didn’t have — oregano and basil for bay leaf, some random potatoes for Yukon Gold, half and half for cream. Delicious both times. This is now my go to recipe when I get leeks in my farm share.
Can I use some leftover Yukon gold mashed potatoes to supplement ?
Hi Deidree, I’ve never tried it, but I suspect it should work.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I didn’t have gold potatoes on hand, so I used red. We never had blended potato soup, so I wasn’t sure how we’d like that. But, it was perfect.
I had a bunch of fresh leeks from my garden and decided to make this recipe. The hardest part was chopping all the ingredients. After that easy peasy!
It has a fabulous flavor, but be sure to taste along the way as I added salt 3x and pepper x2.
I also added a dash of hot sauce as I find in cream based soups it bring the flavors together and it is unperceivable in the soup. This is a keeper recipe!
I don’t have any leeks but wondered if shallots and some chives would suffice in this recipe?
Thanks,
Hi Cathy, I think that will work — just keep in mind that you’ll need a lot. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent recipe! I’ve made this soup many times and I always come back to this particular recipe as my go to. Good balance of flavors and straightforward technique. 5 stars.
The leek and potato soup looks delicious. Can it be made in a soup maker?
Hi Sarah, I’m familiar with a soup maker so I couldn’t say for sure — sorry!
Next time I’ll let the broth reduce a bit more or just use less broth. I like more of a bisque consistency, this is tasty but a little on the watery side for me.
Perfect – made it as an entre for a Turkey dinner at our Canadian Thanksgiving.
I withdraw my previous comment. Once the soup cooled a little, it was the perfect consistency. I topped with a little crumbled sweet Italian chicken and kale sausage and served with yeast rolls. Delicious!
The flavor of this soup is wonderful! I made it for thanksgiving last year. Everyone agreed the flavor was delicious. We also all agreed we would like it more if it wasn’t puréed. I think next time I make this, I’ll leave some chunks of both potatoes and leeks and will love it all the more.
Other than using salted butter because I didn’t have unsalted on hand, I followed this recipe exactly as written, and boy, it did not disappoint! So rich and full of flavor! We have a bunch more leeks to pull yet and know exactly what I’ll be doing with them! Thank you so much!
This soup is phenomenal! I used baby potatoes, skins on. Add crusty bread and a green salad and it’s hard to quit. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Jenn, my husband and I just made this soup and we can’t stop talking about it. So delicious and creamy. He’s actually laughing while he’s washing the dishes, thinking about how good it was. We have more than half left over for tomorrow as well. We were thinking that the next time we could pack some soup in 2-serving sizes and seal them in our vacuum chamber sealer. Would we have to leave out the cream? Thanks so much, love your recipes.
Hi Valerie, I’m glad this was such a hit! It would be fine for you to freeze it (and I’d wait until you reheat the soup to add the cream).
I’m excited to make this tonight and will come back with a review of how it turns out. But I was wondering, do you have advice for cooking this slower allowing time for the flavors to really come out? Maybe even a slow cooker version? I don’t want to ruin it by attempting, just curious about your thoughts! Thanks!
Hi Alex, I’m obviously weighing in too late to help but I don’t think that cooking the soup for longer would really change the flavor. I do find that this is even better the second day so if you make it again, you may want to try making it a day ahead of time.
This is the best ever leek and potato soup I have ever had. I made it today, and the only tiny adjustment I made was to add double the quantity of thyme because it is one of my favourite “French” herbs and added 1 litre of chicken stock instead of 1 litre and 750ml – otherwise the soup would have been too watery, but otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. I garnished with crispy fried bacon bits together with the chives. It was absolutely delicious!! A winner for sure!
I am a clean eater so used EVOO instead of butter and 2 cups of cashew cream subbed for the real stuff. In the pot now, looks good and should taste good also. I can not help myself – I used salt, basil, and parsley as my spices and will hit it with parm when served. Thanks for the no bacon version.
This article is interesting. It is ridiculous though because nowhere are the exact ingredients and volumes listed. This is an embarrassing post.
Hi Joe, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
You are too nice. People are so %&*# sometimes.
This is an amazing soup! Flavours meld to perfection.
Thank you for putting yourself and your recipes out there.
💗
So delicious!
Best recipe ever!!! My daughter and I both choose this recipe not knowing it. We are both WOWED!!! I grow leeks and this soup is amazing!
This is so delicious! And SO easy! (You can use powdered thyme too) I make grilled cheese with bacon and jalapeno cheese bread to go along with it it’s so good.
I was wondering if I can add borage to the soup.
Hi Jazmine, I wasn’t familiar at all with borage so I looked it up. I would suggest using it as a garnish to start and if you like the combination, next time you make the soup, you could incorporate the dried version into the soup. Hope that helps!
Perfect recipe. I make it all the time as it’s now my favorite soup.
I’ve just made this and it’s up there with some of the nicer restaurants we’ve been to. It’s on the “have again” list.
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this again
This was my first time making the soup. Easy to make, simple recipe, and tastes seriously delicious 🙂
I really enjoy a chilled soup from my local grocery store with a similar flavour (potato and leek but has sour cream + chives instead of cream)
I didn’t have any thyme or chives so I made this with one extra bay leaf and used vegetable stock cubes instead of chicken broth. I also didn’t peel the potatoes. I love the way it turned out.
This taste’s like a 5-Star Michelin soup. It’s like having the best at home. Just follow the recipe. I’ll be honest, it also tastes amazing without the cream if you’re looking to save some calories.
I left the cream out too and ditto your review.
Great recipe! Easy to follow and yummy 🙂
Just wondering if there is any harm to using the dark green parts of the leeks, especially if the soup is going to get put through a high powered blender and then strained. Will they affect the flavor of the soup?
Hi Steven, I really don’t recommend it. That said, one reader commented that she sautéed the dark green parts slowly in 1/4 cup butter to tenderize and then added them to the soup. If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think!
I used the dark green parts and cooked until super tender . Personally, I think it made the soup so much more flavorful.
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
This soup needs to sit overnight for the flavors to develop. If you find it too bland, don’t be shy with salt, full fat cream, pepper, or perhaps cayenne pepper, and use broth that actually has some flavor to it. I have cooked potage parmentier for years, usually just eyeballing the ingredients. This time around I decided to follow Jenn’s recipe to see if it would be any different from mine. It wasn’t. I used 6 instead of 7 cups of broth just because the pot would have overflowed otherwise – the consistency was perfect. Potage parmentier is great comfort food, always welcome at a time of illness. PS I freeze it with cream already incorporated and it isn’t any worse for it.
What would you recommend if I wanted to add ham hocks to this recipe. Boil separately how should I go about adding it?
Hi Terri, I’d add them when you’re simmering the soup for 15 minutes. You can then remove any meat from the bones and stir them into the soup before serving. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
My first time having this soup. I have wanted to try it for years. It is delicious. I am looking forward to trying it chilled as well.
Wowza!
Made a make a couple of small subs just due to our personal tastes and this was one of the Best soups I’ve ever made (and I have to admit, soup is my specialty).
I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used a quarter teaspoon of dried herbs de Provence, and I threw in a diced carrot before blending everything with my immersion blender. I then also also added some sauted smoked Portuguese back bacon when the soup was done and my goodness, this was restaurant quality!
Thanks so much for this fab recipe, it’s a keeper for sure!
Its been so long since I’ve had chilled potato leek soup. Making it tomorrow
Too much leek, not enough spices, too watery
I made this and it turned out great. Very tasty
I made this tonight to take to a sick friend. It is absolutely delicious and so easy. I only had 2 big fat leeks, but that was enough to flavor the soup beautifully. I will definitely make this again.
I’m 72 years old and have been making soups for years, just as my mom and grandma did. I’ve made Potato Leek soup before but this is the best recipe ever. My adult son came over tonight and said it was the best soup I’ve made which says a lot! We love potatoes so I added one extra leek and two extra potatoes. I used my immersion blender and left a few pieces of potato and it was perfect. Next time I’m going to leave a few more potato pieces in the soup. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I’m now going to try your other recipes!
DAIRY FREE VERSION: I followed the recipe ratios exactly, but used mostly the dark green part of the leeks left over from a previous recipe. I cut the leeks into strips of 1/4” or less, then sliced them crossways as thin possible. I also substituted oat milk for cream.
DELICIOUS!
Correction: When I printed the recipe to keep, I noticed the print version said one cup cream. For the oat milk amount, I followed the recipe picture description which said, “……just add it little by little until the soup tastes good to you”. I may have used close to 2 cups.
Thanks for this, I’m also dairy free and plan to make using a can of coconut milk. Fingers crossed!
Excellent soup!