This healthy Potato Leek Soup is exactly where we need to be right now: expertly walking the tightrope between rich, creamy comfort food and all things bright, fresh, and light.
When you taste a bite of this potato leek soup, first you’ll be struck by how rich and thick it is. If you’re partial to classic potato leek soup recipes from the likes of Julia Child and Ina Garten, its hug-you-from-the-inside texture will immediately resonate with you.
Then, however, something will change.
Just when you were sure you were eating a bowl of no-nonsense creamy potato decadence—would this be too soon to mention that this particular potato leek soup recipe contains no cream and is actually vegan?—the briny, zippy flavors come forward.
Dill. Capers. Chives. It’s bright sunshine served in a bowl!
Like my dreamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup, this vegan potato leek soup is velvety yet bright, hearty but not heavy. I love eating it for easy lunches. Each time I taste it, it surprises and delights me anew.
Ready for a healthy soup that’s so decadent tasting, you’ll pat yourself on the back twice: once for making something this yummy, then a second time because this potato leek soup is good for you too? Let’s do it!
Potato Leek Soup – A Brief History
Whenever I’m exploring a new recipe, I love to learn about its origin, even for recipes as traditional as potato leek soup.
Consensus seems to be that the origin of potato leek soup is originally from Wales, though versions of it are popular across Europe (Irish Potato leek soup is a classic), and for good reason.
It’s an inexpensive, delicious meal and makes use of the potato, a hearty crop grown all throughout the world.
The primary ingredients are chicken broth, potatoes, leeks, and heavy cream (you’ll also find potato leek soups with milk).
In addition to Ireland, the U.K., and Romania, this soup is also popular in France (hence Julia Child).
When served cold, it’s called vichyssoise.
Admittedly, I’ve never gotten into the cold version—though I did sneak several bites of this soup cold out of the refrigerator on Tuesday night. It’s so delicious, I needed a bite!
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s make a healthy potato leek soup without cream that will put every version you’ve had up until this point to shame.
Potato Leek Soup, Made Better (and Better for You!)
Today’s recipe keeps what I argue are the best parts of potato leek soup—the humble vegetables and soothing, creamy texture—but is a world apart from the heavy-cream-laden iterations you may have tried.
The secret to a CREAMY potato leek soup is (are you ready for this?)…
CASHEWS.
Blending cashews into the soup gives it undeniable, craveable richness.
As in my Instant Pot Carrot Soup with Ginger, the cashews don’t taste like nuts once they are added.
Rather, they turn into a cashew cream that makes soup satisfying without weighing it down. (If you are concerned with the potato leek soup being fattening, it is not; a little goes a long way, and cashews contain healthy fats.)
This recipe makes clever use of the ingredients themselves and keeps the potato leek soup calories much lower.
Not only is this soup rich, creamy, and satisfying; the cashews almost make the soup taste cheesy (in a good way), despite the fact that it is made entirely without dairy.
At one point, I was spooning it luxuriously over a hunk of sourdough like it was a kind of cheesy artichoke potato dip. Y-U-M.
Other Ingredients
- Leeks. A relative of the onion, leeks are mild and delicate. The white part and light green parts of the leek are used for soup, while the dark green tops are not edible but can be used if you’d like to make stock.
- LEEK COOKING TIP: To cook leeks for soup, you’ll first want to wash out any dirt that’s hidden in their layers. After slicing them, rinse them thoroughly and run them through a salad spinner or shake them out in a colander to make sure you don’t have any bits of dirt or sand spoiling your lovely soup.
- Celery + Carrots + Garlic. A classic for soup bases (often called mirepoix when combined with onions). These ingredients give the soup a depth of flavor you’d miss without them.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. Yukon golds potatoes are the potato of choice here. With their naturally buttery flavor and smooth texture, they give the soup incredible richness (without cream or milk) and body, and this is coming from someone who loves her soups so thick, a spoon nearly stands up straight in them.
- Vegetable Broth. The liquid base that keeps the soup vegan. (If it being vegan isn’t a concern, you can use chicken broth.)
- Artichoke Hearts. Surprising and SO fantastic in potato leek soup. I always have a few cans of artichokes on hand, and they are wonderful here.
- Dijon Mustard. A spoonful of Dijon cuts through the richness of the cashews and balances the soup. There’s a reason mustard and potatoes are often served together, and it’s ideal here.
- Capers. My first time adding these to a soup, and it will not be my last! The brininess is a lovely foil to the creaminess of the potatoes. If you don’t care for capers, I’d suggest omitting them; if you are on the fence, please try it!
- Lemon Juice. For a touch of brightness and acidity.
- Fresh Dill + Chives. Dill and chives lift this soup to the stratosphere. Please do not skip them or be tempted to substitute dried. Fresh is worth it!
Directions
- Sauté the leeks, celery, and carrots in a large pot, stirring until vegetables soften.
- Add the garlic, potatoes, and broth. Boil, then reduce to a simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the artichokes.
- Transfer about half to a blender, along with the cashews and remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot and add the fresh herbs.
- Garnish with your desired toppings. DIG IN!
Recipe Adaptations + Dietary Notes
- Potato Leek Soup with Bacon. If you have some meat lovers in your house, they could top this soup with crumbled Oven Baked Bacon, ham, or sausage, though I promise this soup is mighty satisfying without.
- This is a vegetarian potato leek soup as written. It’s also vegan, gluten free, dairy free, Paleo (if you don’t mind white potatoes in moderation), and Whole30 compliant.
What Goes Well with Potato Leek Soup?
With its thick texture, this healthy potato leek soup is substantial enough to serve as a stand-alone vegetarian main, or you could serve it with one of these options:
- Bread. You can’t go wrong with a hunk of crusty bread or this Crock Pot Bread. (PSA: life is short; unless you are on a special diet, have bread with your soup.)
- Salad. A simple green salad like this Arugula Salad is all you need.
- Sandwich. This soup would be quite delicious with Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Herbed Goat Cheese and Garlic or even my Whole30 Chicken Salad.
- To Drink. This soup tastes lovely with a crisp, dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.
How to Store and Reheat This Soup
- To Store. Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator.
- Leek and potato soup will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm soup in a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat until hot. You can also reheat your soup in the microwave.
Can You Freeze Leek and Potato Soup?
While I am ALL ABOUT the freezer, this soup is not the ideal candidate, for two reasons.
- The cashew base will become less smooth when the soup is frozen.
- Potatoes tend to become mealy when frozen. (For what it’s worth, I froze this Crockpot Potato Soup and didn’t mind the texture change, but it’s good to be aware.)
More Delicious Vegetarian Soup Recipes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
- Crockpot Lentil Soup
- Cauliflower Chowder
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
- Asparagus Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Ladle. The ideal way to transfer soups to bowls and storage containers.
- High-Powered Blender. Perfect for blending the soup ingredients. (This more economical blender option is great too.)
- Dutch Oven. My favorite vessel for making soups on the stovetop.
- Love and Lemons Every Day. This potato leek soup recipe comes from this wonderful cookbook, the second book written by the ridiculously talented Jeanine and Jack of the blog Love and Lemons. It puts vegetables at the center of the plate and proves how outrageously delicious they can (and should!) be.
You’ll find filling breakfasts and healthy desserts, and if you turn to page 91, you will find this vegan potato leek soup! Even if, like me, you aren’t a vegetarian or vegan, this is a worthy cookbook to add to your collection. I can’t wait to make more recipes from it.
And on a more personal note, flipping through this cookbook’s pages gave me particularly strong tingles because it was published by Avery, the publisher of my cookbook. You can order your copy TODAY!
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 leeks white and light green parts, thinly sliced and rinsed (3 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots (I scrubbed and left the peels on)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes chopped (I scrubbed left the peels on)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice divided
- 1/2–1 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, carrots, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes, turning down the heat if they start to over-brown.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the potatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the artichokes.
- Let cool slightly, then transfer half of the soup to a blender, along with the cashews, mustard, capers, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Puree until smooth, and then pour the mixture back into the soup pot. Stir in the water as needed to reach your desired consistency. (I love a super thick soup, so I used closer to 1/2 cup.) Add the dill, chives, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with more dill, chives, and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- TO STORE: Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Avoid freezing (see blog post above for reasons why).
- Don't skip the fresh herbs! They make the soup taste incredibly fresh and are well worth it here
- Source: Love and Lemons Every Day
Nutrition
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I’m excited to try this! Do you think it’ll be a huge difference to leave out the capers?
Hi Emily, I highly recommend the capers, but not having them wouldn’t stop me from making the soup. Since capers are salty, you’ll want to taste and adjust with more salt if needed.
I have everything except the raw cashews. Can I substitute roasted? Or is it better to leave them out? Tai
Tai, don’t omit them because the soup won’t have enough body to it. I’d opt for raw (first choice) and roasted (second choice). Heads up: you will be able to taste the cashews more. Also, be sure they are not salted cashews.
This looks and sounds SO GOOD! My husband isn’t a fan of thick soups so I’ll just make him another variety that he likes. An arugula salad is a very good choice with it because of the peppery flavor of the greens. This definitely has some unusual ingredients that aren’t normally found in a potato soup recipe – can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it, Chris! (And although I haven’t tried myself, I suspect it could be thinned out with more broth and adjusted for seasoning if your husband would like to try too.)
This soup recipe sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks! Will put this on my Pinterest page so that I can easily find it again.
Thanks so much, Peggy!
This soup looks absolutely delicious! And I loved reading about its origins :)
This one was a hit. The lemon flavor was very forward at first, but the longer it sat, the more it mellowed out. We will be making this one again! Thanks for all of the great ideas!
Hooray! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jana. Thanks for sharing this review!
I loved this soup. The lemon, capers and mustard make it head and shoulders above the usual sometimes bland potato soup, and it doesn’t need wither cream of cheese to make it rich and filling. Thanks for posting this great recipe!
Vivian, thanks for sharing this review! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the soup.
The cashews don’t need to soak?
Hi Sue! No, you do not need to soak them. I hope you love the recipe!
Very good, but maybe taste it before adding the lemon juice. I personally prefer it without. You might also like topping it with vegan bacon (aka, mushrooms bacon) or real bacon and cheese if you’re not vegan. We have both in our house so we can appease the crowd with different toppings.
Thank you for taking the time to try the recipe and for sharing this review, Sue! I’m happy you enjoyed the flavors in this recipe!
Just made the soup and my husband just loved it!
I’m so happy this recipe was a hit, Michelle! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
This was sooo good, I ended up being a piggy and having three bowls! Oof!
I used 1/2 cup coconut cream instead of cashews, and added maybe a tsp of liquid smoke.
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Aya! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
Thanks for the idea of using coconut cream. My son has a ton of allergies and cashews is one of them. I’m going to try this.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Robin!
There are artichokes listed in the ingredients but not the recipe. Should they be added with the other veggies at the beginning or are they on the list by mistake? Thanks!
Hi! They are at the very end of Step 2. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
What do you suggest as a substitute for cashews. My daughter is anaphylactic to nuts.
Hi April! Unfortunately, I cannot recommend omitting the cashews, as I haven’t tried it, and I’m afraid the soup may not have enough body to it. However, another reader has reported success with swapping in 1/2 cup coconut cream for the cashews, so you could try experimenting with this. I hope this helps!
Erin, the soup is simmering on the stovetop right now and smells just heavenly and warming!
While i cant wait to taste, wanted to let you know i just pre-ordered your book on Amazon!
You will certainly be even busier as this new addition gets closer, thanks so much for the gift!
THANK YOU, Lisa!! I’m so grateful for your support and preorder! I hope the soup was a success!
We loved this hearty, creamy, full flavored soup! Great blend of flavors that keep it from being bland, yet no high-fat ingredients at all, to keep it healthy. By the way, did you know artichokes are high on both calcium and potassium? I didn’t until I read the label. I have a notebook of recipes I’ve tried from websites. Erin’s recipes are outnumbering all the others added together! Thanks, Erin!
Thank you for sharing this kind review and the facts about artichokes, Marnie! I’m SO happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
Really nice surprise. Definitely different from what I know as potato and leek soup! The little zingy pops from the capers and subtle lemon and dill flavour. Very nice, I really enjoyed this version.
I’m SO pleased to hear this, Kat! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
Hi Erin,
I don’t have any cashews and I was wondering if raw almonds or raw walnuts could be substituted instead.
Sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make it.
Thank you
Vanessa, I think walnuts will actually have a pretty strong flavor that will taste off in the soup; I’d leave the cashews out. You could try stirring Greek yogurt into your individual serving and see how that tastes.
Where are ingredients amounts?
Hi Diane! If you click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the ingredients list. I hope this helps!
Hello! Did you soak the cashews overnight? Thanks!
Hi Melissa! No, you do not need to soak them. I hope you love the recipe!
I made this last night and all what I can say , I’m in Love with this soup. Everything comes well together , even the Dill and Lemon juice ( I’m usually not a friend of them ) .
My 17 year old daughter doesn’t like soup very much, but with this recipe She just said “ well done Mom “ .
So thank you so much , Erin .
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Ellen! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is so full of flavor and the entire family loved it! I made it in my instapot by sauteing veggies before adding remaining ingredients and pressure cooking for 10 minutes, natural release for 10 and then releasing the remaining pressure. I then used the blending wand to puree, leaving a few chunks of potato. My husband requested to add it to our dinner rotation…so I know it’s a win!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Brenda! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is another great recipe! I never would have thought to put artichokes in leek and potato soup, but I loved them in there! I didn’t add the cashews and I didn’t miss them. The soup was very filling without them!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Easy & tasty.
I didn’t grow up with cream soups, and tend not to like them. This, I adore, both with and without the “extras” (artichokes, mustard, capers, lemon, dill)!
Thank you
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Antony! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This soup was so easy to make and tasted so good! I think next time I’ll try less mustard because that flavor was a bit strong for us, but otherwise really good. My kids all ate it!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Alexandria! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Delicious. The only thing I changed in the recipe was I didn’t purée it. I’m just not a fan of puréed soups. But the flavors! The fresh dill and chives definitely add so much as does the lemon juice and capers. It was a big hit.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Jean! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
My family loved this soup! It’s fun to get combinations of different foods that one would not normally think to put together. Thanks for the home run!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Lynette! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is great. Silky and bright indeed. Simply yummy. Definitely making again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Christi! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Measured out everything and made per the recipe. Gotta say I was not digging this one. The combination of Dijon, capers, and artichoke hearts was just so overpowering. It was almost like eating mustard soup.
The potatoes and cashews thickened the soup quite nicely so I was happy with that. Just wish the flavor was better.
I’m sorry to hear that this recipe wasn’t to your tastes, Rob. I (and many other readers) have really enjoyed the flavors in this soup, so I wish it would’ve been a hit for you too!
I saw another commenter describe this as ‘mustard soup’ and I completely agree. All my ingredients were weighed out to the gram and fresh, but the taste of the mustard, lemon, and artichoke hearts made this soup SO tart. You can only just barely taste the leek after you swallow and the potatoes are completely lost.
If you hate leeks and love mustard, this is probably a great soup… However, having had a potato and leek soup in the past the was super creamy and fresh… Those are definitely not words I would use to describe this soup.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the recipe. Many other readers have tried it and loved it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I truly wish you would have loved it!
oh my…what a lovely comfort dish. Whether pureed smooth or with some chunks of veggies, this soup is divine. I was leery about the lemon juice and dill but the flavor is so smooth. I used my instant pot which meant this one-pot meal had minimal cleanup. I was surprised this recipe was not in your cookbook–it is THAT good. A hit with the family. Thank you!
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Huge bummer! I love every ingredient in this soup, yet it’s missing something / the flavors don’t work together somehow. Not a fan.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Allergic to cashews, is there a substitute for the potato soup?
Hi Vicky! I’ve only tested the recipe as written and I am not able to think of a different alternative for the cashews. If you leave them out the soup will not have the same consistency as the one here but it might work. If you decide to experiment with the recipe, let me know how it goes!
Hi Becca! I’m afraid there is no swap for them here; you can omit them, the soup just won’t taste quite as rich.