This potato leek soup recipe is creamy and comforting, but totally dairy-free! Its rich texture comes from blended potatoes and white beans.
Even though yesterday was the first day of spring (!!!!), I still wanted to share this potato leek soup recipe with you today. It might seem wintry, but if you ask me, it’s actually perfect for early spring. At least in Chicago, we’ll have a few more snaps of cool weather (it snows every year on Jack’s April birthday), but on those chilly, gray spring nights, this cozy potato leek soup will warm us up!
This recipe is also a great way to showcase spring leeks, as they add sweet, oniony depth of flavor to the creamy and comforting soup. Lemon juice gives it a nice bright finish, and a drizzle of olive oil takes it over the top. Pass the crusty bread, and enjoy!
Potato Leek Soup Recipe Ingredients
Classic potato leek soup is often made with heavy cream and butter, but you won’t find them in this potato leek soup recipe. In fact, it’s entirely vegan. Blended potatoes and white beans give it a wonderfully creamy texture on their own – no dairy required! Here’s what else you’ll need to make it:
- Leeks, of course! They fill the soup with sweet, oniony flavor. Check out this post for a quick tutorial on how to clean and cut the leeks.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It gives the soup a delicious richness.
- Lemon juice and white wine vinegar – For brightness.
- Dijon mustard – It adds savory, tangy depth of flavor.
- Vegetable broth – A soup essential. 🙂
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
This potato leek soup recipe is super simple to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the leeks until they soften. Then, add the garlic, and cook for 2 minutes more, or until it’s fragrant. Stir in the white wine vinegar, and cook for 30 seconds.
Next, simmer. Add the broth, potatoes, and white beans to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Then, blend! Allow the soup to cool slightly before transferring it to a blender with a little more olive oil, the lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Blend until smooth. If you prefer, you could use an immersion blender for this step.
Finally, season to taste. Try a spoonful of the soup and add more salt, pepper, lemon, or Dijon mustard, as desired.
That’s it!
Potato Leek Soup Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, ladle the soup into bowls. If desired, top each one with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, pine nuts, and red pepper flakes. I also like to add a drizzle of olive oil on top for extra richness.
Jack and I often enjoy this potato and leek soup on its own, with good crusty bread, homemade focaccia, or dinner rolls on the side. If you’re craving a larger meal, I recommend pairing it with a salad. These salad recipes would all be great choices:
- Kohlrabi Slaw
- Green Bean Salad
- Wheat Berry Salad
- Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts
- Caesar Salad
- Best Broccoli Salad
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this potato leek soup recipe, try one of these delicious soups next:
- Cabbage Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Or any of these 30 Best Soup Recipes!
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (about 3 large leeks)
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, about 3, chopped
- 1½ cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped pine nuts and parsley for garnish, optional
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the white wine vinegar and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, and then add the broth, potatoes, and white beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, then transfer the soup to a blender with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon juice, and the mustard. Blend until smooth. Work in batches if necessary. Season to taste and serve with chopped parsley, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and drizzles of additional olive oil, if desired.
I had high hopes, but wow was this soup gross. It just tasted like liquid refried beans. I am quite seriously thinking of throwing out the whole pot.
Maybe you should stick with canned soup.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I substituted avocado oil for the olive oil, and added 1 tsp of maple syrup at the end of cooking, after reading some of the comments mentioning acidity to prevent this. I also added an additional 2 cups of vegetable stock which I recommend to get the right consistency. Next time I make this I am going to leave out the lemon juice since it made the soup taste like Greek lemon potatoes – it was still delicious, but I’d like to try without the lemon just the same. I also used my Ninja blender for this which made the soup texture perfect, and I will try my Braun immersion blender next time.
This soup goes great with a big juicy pork chop.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this today to serve at a later date- does it freeze well?
Hi Anna, while most soups do freeze well, the texture of potato soups really change, they become more gritty when thawed. I’d recommend just storing it in the fridge for up to about 5 days.
Oh man! Too late- any advice on fixing it when I thaw??
Made this… it just doesn’t taste right. I followed the comment below adding the baking soda and it did help some. I finally did what any desperate American would do and dumped in a few handfuls of cheddar cheese and some chopped bacon… as well as a healthy dose of black pepper. Yup, this is better.
I love Love and Lemons, but this recipe is kind of sad.
I love so many of your recipes and have your cookbook book. made the potato leek soup and used good white cannelloni beans – love the added protein but this turned out tasting almost as much like beans as it did leek and potato .
Made this yesterday! Love using leeks. Added apple cider vinegar.
I made the potato leek soup. In my opinion it was too acidic. I was able to resurrect it with 1/2 tsp of baking soda, a little plant based milk, 1:2 tsp nutmeg while cooking. Served with garlic croutons, chives and parsley. After all that it was delicious!
If you dont have enough leeks (i used three but it was only 2 cups) can we use some purple?
Easy to make but I found the dijon overpowered all the other flavors.
Good and easy. I had to use 6 cups of broth and actually probably closer to 7 to get the proper soup consistency, otherwise it would be more like a thin puréed/mashed potato than a soup. And I followed the recipe precisely before adding the extra liquid. I just don’t see how 4 cups can possibly thin out all the potato and bean starch. It was a bit of a chore for my immersion blender but it got the job done.
I had a revelation about vinegar and potato soup some years back: malt vinegar is the best.
The nut mixture on top is a must. Pine nuts are sure to be amazing. I had pepitas on hand and used them. My husband is a major fan of potato soup and liked it a lot.
Hi Lily, I’m glad you enjoyed the soup. I think the immersion blender vs. a regular standing blender might have caused the texture difference. I haven’t tried this one with an immersion blender.