Any soup with “potato” in it is sure to be royally comforting, and Potato Leek Soup is the queen! This healthy version is ultra creamy (yet made without heavy cream!) and complexly flavored with garlic, green onion, and dill. It’s sure to satisfy even without meat.
When you taste a bite of this creamy potato leek soup, you’ll be struck by how rich and thick it is (like my favorite Crock Pot Potato Soup).
The potatoes are simmered in the flavorful broth with sautéed leeks, and then blended until thick and smooth.
Instead of heavy cream or sour cream, this lighter recipe uses Greek yogurt for the just-right consistency and creaminess.
Secrets to the Best Potato Leek Soup
A bowl of potato leek soup may look unassuming, but thanks to a few nuanced touches, this recipe will wow you. It’s anything but bland!
- Sautéed leeks build the soup’s foundation. An allium, leeks are related to onions and garlic, but are more mild. Be patient when cooking them so that they become rich and mellow.
- Greek yogurt gives body and a nice tang. Love sour cream on your Baked Potato? You’ll love greek yogurt on your potato leek soup!
- Dijon mustard + vinegar give a subtle zip. You can’t taste them specifically, but you’d miss them if they weren’t there.
- Fresh green onions and herbs give the soup freshness, life, and make it memorable.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
Potato leek soup is a one-pot wonder, and the immersion blender is the all-powerful scepter to create the perfect texture.
The Ingredients
- Butter. Yes, this is a healthy potato leek soup, but a small amount of butter is needed to build the roux base and provide flavor.
- Leeks. Leeks are a member of the onion family and provide a sweet, subtle onion flavor.
TIP!
See the post How to Clean Leeks for all-things leek, including how to cut and prepare them, with helpful step-by-step photos. They must be thoroughly cleaned to remove dirt stuck between the layers.
- Garlic. Another aromatic to go along with the leek.
- Flour. Cooked with the butter-sautéed leeks to create a roux, thickening the soup.
- Potatoes. Yukon golds are the best type of potato for potato leek soup. They have a naturally buttery flavor and smooth texture, perfect for giving the soup its richness and body. Russet potatoes are starchier and would not yield as creamy of a soup.
- Broth. Use vegetable broth to keep it totally vegetarian, and opt for low-sodium so you can best control the salt level of your soup. It’s OK to swap chicken broth if the soup being vegetarian is not a concern.
- Milk. For thinning the soup as needed and adding more creaminess.
- Plain Greek Yogurt. One of my favorite healthy swaps is Greek yogurt for sour cream. It adds protein to this dish and a tang that fits in perfectly with the rest of the flavors.
- Vinegar. White wine vinegar is a needed acidy punch to round out the flavors. Without it, something just feels missing.
- Dijon. My dear Dijon mustard, life would just not be as flavorful without you.
- Dill. This soup is anything but boring. The dill adds yet another level and layer of flavor.
- Green Onion. Adds Air Fryer Baked Potato vibes.
The Directions
- Cook leek slices in melted butter until they are very soft.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the flour and stir.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth while stirring.
- Add the potatoes and simmer, covered with lid, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Purée the soup with an immersion blender, adding milk to thin it as desired. If you do not have an immersion blender, purée in batches in a blender.
- Temper the Greek yogurt in a medium bowl with a few spoonfuls of hot soup.
- Stir the yogurt mixture into the soup.
- Add the vinegar, mustard, and dill.
- Stir in half of the green onion. Serve hot with green onions sprinkled over the top and a few grinds of black pepper. ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store leftover potato leek soup in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Gently rewarm soup in a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat until hot, or in the microwave.
- I do not recommend saving potato leek soup in freezer as the potatoes will become mealy and the leeks soggy once reheated.
What to Serve with Potato Leek Soup
- Bread! No Knead Focaccia is easy, as is Crock Pot Bread.
- Salad. Arugula Salad is my standby quick side salad for dinner.
- Roasted Veggies. Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Brussels Sprouts would round out the meal nicely with a green. Roasted Asparagus is a springtime favorite to pair with potato leek soup.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Dutch Oven. This Dutch oven is beautiful, will last a lifetime, evenly distributes heat, and can go from stove to oven.
- Ladle. For serving up all your soups and stews.
- Immersion Blender. Saves you from having to transfer hot soup into a blender to purée it.
The Best Dutch Oven
My favorite vessel for making soups on the stovetop.
This simple potato leek soup tastes anything but. Let it surprise you soon!
Frequently Asked Questions
Like when making Garlic Mashed Potatoes, potato leek soup requires a delicate hand when pulverizing the potatoes. If they are over-mashed, they will leach gelatinized starch into the broth, making the soup become gummy. It’s best to leave some texture to the potato so as to not over do it, or if you prefer a chunky potato leek soup, you can blend the soup very minimally.
The light green and white parts of the leek are used for the potato leek soup. The tough, dark green leafy part of the leek is removed, but can be used for making stock. See post How to Clean Leeks for even more information on preparing leeks and how to cook and eat them.
This potato leek soup is healthy! Potatoes provide fiber, folate, and other vitamins and minerals, and this recipe is lower in fat as it is made with a small amount of butter (especially compared to similar creamy soups!) and NO heavy cream.
This recipe is for vegetarian potato leek soup, but you could easily make this potato leek soup with bacon by adding crumbled Baked Bacon in the Oven or Air Fryer Bacon on top when serving.
The origin of potato leek soup is originally from Wales, though versions of it are popular across Europe, from Irish potato leek soup to Polish potato leek soup, and for good reason. It’s an inexpensive, delicious meal and makes use of the potato, a hearty crop grown all throughout the world. For example, potato leek soup is also popular in Romania and France.
When served cold, potato leek soup is known as 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!
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups chopped leeks white and light green parts only (about 4 leeks; see How to Clean Leeks for step-by-step)
- 1 large clove garlic minced (about 1 heaping teaspoon)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for serving
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks (about 4 potatoes)
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 to 1 cup 2% or whole milk as needed
- 1/2 cup plain whole Greek yogurt plus additional for serving (do not use non-fat, as it may curdle. Sour cream can be substituted)
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 2 large green onions thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup), divided
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or similar large, deep pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very soft, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed so the leeks sweat but do not brown.
- Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the top. With a wooden spoon, stir vigorously for 1 full minute. All of the white bits of flour should disappear (this makes the soup thick and yummy).
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, stirring constantly and pausing periodically between additions so that lumps do not form.
- Add the potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a steady simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer, covered, until the potatoes are super soft and beginning to fall apart, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- With an immersion blender, puree the soup until thick and smooth, adding milk as needed if it is thicker than you would like; if you don’t have an immersion blender, add a few ladlefuls to a regular blender and carefully puree (be careful! hot soup splatters). Stir the blended soup back into the pot; repeat as needed.
- Add a few spoonfuls of the hot soup into a medium bowl. Add the Greek yogurt and stir to combine (this helps temper the yogurt to deter curdling).
- Stir the yogurt mixture back into the soup.
- Add the vinegar, mustard, and dill. Stir in half of the green onions. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Serve hot with the remaining green onions sprinkled over the top and a few grinds of black pepper.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Store leftover potato leek soup in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm soup in a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat until hot, or in the microwave.
- I do not recommend saving potato leek soup in freezer as the potatoes will become mealy and the leeks soggy once reheated.
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 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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
I also am allergic to cashews and have periodically substituted blended, drained, bland, white beans (like great northerns) instead of nuts. It won’t give you that earthy or cheese flavor people describe from the cashews but it can add some creaminess and protein. I’m going to try it with this recipe and serve it cold since its hot here in CO this week.
Hope you enjoy it Bridget!
Hi Vicky,
I substituted evaporated milk (unsweetened) for the cashews and also used chicken broth but cut down on the amount of water in the recipe. . While not vegan it was absolutely divine with perfect texture. and bright flavors. I will try with cashews once I have some raw ones to play with. One substitute if you want an alternative to cashew creamy nut cream base is to use Brazil nuts (Filberts)—- or if you feel extravagant use macadamia nuts (your soup will be amazing).
Thanks for the feedback Lyssa!
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.