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This vegan-friendly potato leek soup is comfort food at its finest. Made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients, it’s creamy, cozy, and loaded with savory flavors (a.k.a. the best kind of soup). Bonus: you’ll have it on the table in just 30 minutes!

A bowl of potato leek soup topped with cream and green onions
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Soup For The Soul

Some soups just get you—and this potato leek soup is one of them. Creamy, cozy, and loaded with all the good stuff (aka potatoes, leeks, and garlic). Already sounding delish?

We’re talking perfectly sautéed leeks, a hit of celery and thyme for flavor, and a rich, velvety broth to tie it all together. Just a little chopping, a quick simmer in one pot, and voilà—dinner is served! (You could practically do it with your eyes closed, but… maybe don’t.)

Whether you’re meal-prepping for the week or just cozying up to Netflix and chill on a random Tuesday, this soup is about to become your new go-to. Let’s get cooking!

Reader rating

★★★★★

“Amazing.” —lILY

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P.S. for a low carb version of this soup, try my creamy cauliflower and leek soup! It tastes a lot like potato soup.

A bowl of potato leek soup topped with cream and green onions

Grab These Ingredients

This potato leek soup comes together with just 8 simple, wholesome ingredients. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements—this is just an overview!

  • Leeks: Look for medium-sized leeks with pale green and white stalks (these have the mildest, sweetest flavor). And be sure to wash them well to remove any hidden grit!
  • Celery: We’ll use celery to add a subtle freshness and depth to the soup.
  • Garlic: Because, let’s be honest, do we need a reason for garlic?
  • Potatoes: Yukon Golds are the best! They’re naturally creamy and buttery, making the soup extra smooth and thick.
  • Thyme: To add warmth and earthiness, we’ll include a few sprigs of fresh thyme. (If using dried, reduce the amount by half.)
  • Broth: We’ll simmer the soup in some vegetable broth. Feel free to use a low-sodium variety.
  • Heavy Cream: For that ultra-luxe, velvety finish, we’ll add heavy cream!

Make It Vegan

Wondering if you can make potato leek soup vegan? The answer is a resounding YES! Just swap the heavy cream for full-fat canned coconut milk or cashew cream, and boom—creamy, dreamy vegan potato leek soup!

A wooden spoon in a bowl of potato leek soup topped with cream and green onions

This Soup Is So Easy

You know the soup drill—prep ingredients, let them simmer, blend, and enjoy! (Jump to the recipe card for the full printable instructions.)

Step 1: Prep The Leeks
Remove the roots and dark green ends of the leeks. Cut each leek in half lengthwise, then slice them into half moons. Transfer the slices to a large bowl and cover with water.

Two leek halves cut down the center and laid on a red background, the left half whole and the right half sliced into half moons
The darker green tops are tough and fibrous, so stick to the tender pale green portions for the best results. (Pro tip: save the tops for homemade veggie broth!)
A clear glass bowl filled with sliced leeks
Leeks are sneaky little dirt collectors! Swish the leek pieces around to remove the grit, then drain and rinse them well.

Step 2: Cook The Aromatics
Heat the butter (or oil) in a large pot over medium/high heat. Add the leeks, celery, and garlic, cooking until the leeks wilt and are soft.

A large cooking pot filled with cleaned leek slices
Cooking the leeks and celery until soft and fragrant before adding the broth builds major flavor! This step should take about 7 to 10 minutes.

Step 3: Simmer The Ingredients
Add the potatoes, thyme, and broth to the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.

A large pot filled with leek slices, chopped potatoes, and thyme
Chop the potatoes into equal-sized chunks to ensure they cook at the same rate and blend smoothly.

Step 4: Puree The Soup
Fish out the thyme sprigs, then puree the soup until smooth using a handheld immersion blender (or carefully working in batches with a countertop blender).

A large pot filled with unblended potato leek soup ingredients
Keep the heat low while simmering to prevent overcooking and maintain that silky soup texture.

Step 5: Add Toppings And Serve
Stir in the cream (or coconut milk). Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with green onions.

Using an immersion blender to blend a large pot filled with potato leek soup ingredients
You can totally go the slow cooker potato leek soup route as well! Check out the recipe card for the instructions.

Recipe Tips

Squeaky Clean Leeks: Leeks love to hide dirt between their layers! Slicing them before swishing them in a bowl of water really helps get into all those nooks and crannies.

Don’t Overblend: If you want a silky-smooth potato leek soup, use an immersion blender, but don’t go overboard—this can make the potatoes gluey!

Make It Your Own: Add some crispy homemade croutons, stir in red pepper flakes for a little kick, or top it with nutritional yeast for an extra umami punch.

A wooden spoon in a bowl of potato leek soup topped with cream and green onions

Pair This With

You’ve made your first batch of potato leek soup… now what? When it comes to serving, it pretty much pairs with whatever you’re feeling!

Potato Leek Soup

5 from 5 ratings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This vegan-friendly potato leek soup is comfort food at its finest. Made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients, it’s creamy, cozy, and loaded with savory flavors (a.k.a. the best kind of soup). Bonus: you’ll have it on the table in just 30 minutes!

Ingredients 

  • 4 medium leeks
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, or oil, 28 g
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, about 4 medium potatoes, cut into large chunks
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 6 cups vegetable broth, 1.4 L
  • 1 cup heavy cream*, 236 mL
  • To serve: salt, pepper, green onions
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Instructions 

  • Leeks: Remove the roots and dark green ends of the leeks. Cut each in half lengthwise, then slice into roughly ¼-inch halfmoons. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with water. Swish around to remove dirt, then drain and rinse well.
  • Saute: Heat butter (or oil) in a large pot over medium/high heat. Add leeks, celery, and garlic, cooking until the leeks wilt down and are soft, 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Boil: Add the potatoes, thyme, and broth. Cover and bring to a simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Puree: Fish out the thyme sprigs, then puree until smooth using a handheld immersion blender (or carefully working in batches, puree with a countertop blender).
  • Serve: Stir in cream. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into serving bowls and top with sliced green onions.

Notes

*For a vegan option, use canned full-fat coconut milk.
To make this in the Crockpot, transfer all ingredients to the slow cooker in step 3 and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or high for 4 to 6). When finished, continue steps 4 and 5 as instructed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.2g | Protein: 11.3g | Fat: 19.3g | Saturated Fat: 11.2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1231mg | Potassium: 891mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5.3g | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

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5 from 5 votes

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7 Comments

  1. lILY says:

    5 stars
    Amazing I love all this recipes if you have not tried them yet I do recommended that you do starting today.

  2. Jerry Perez says:

    5 stars
    I live the recipe, however! In step 3 it says simmer ingredients, where’s the broth coming from? Store bought? From scratch? I’m missing a step I think…

    Step 3: Simmer ingredients
    Next, add the potatoes, thyme, and broth to the pot. Cover and bring to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

    1. Sarah says:

      It can be store bought or homemade! 😀

  3. Jerry Perez says:

    5 stars
    I looked at the ingredients waaay down at the bottom, calling for vegetable broth,so I’m gonna assume it’s store bought vegetable broth or homemade if on hand.

  4. Karen says:

    5 stars
    Made with low sodium vegetable broth taste was mild but still very good.

  5. Abby says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is so good!! Warm and comforting. I made the vegan version with coconut milk it was very creamy and didn’t taste like coconut. Just potato leek goodness. It freezes beautifully as well. I did add 2 cans of cannellini beans to up the protein and fiber. Yum!

    1. The Live Eat Learn Team says:

      Happy you enjoyed the soup, thanks for cooking with us Abby!