Creamy Potato Leek Soup
As winter ends and spring nears, vegan potato leek soup is a nice bridge between the two seasons. It's super creamy and flavorful while using minimal ingredients and goes together quickly and easily!
Potato soup is one of those dishes that works great on a budget. It’s made with simple, inexpensive ingredients. Plus, it freezes great so you don’t feel like you will waste any of it! Even better, potato leek soup is easy to make vegan!
It’s hearty enough to be the main dish, especially when served with a loaf of focaccia bread, fluffy biscuits, or a small salad on the side.
If you love this vegan potato soup recipe, you might also enjoy this lentil and potato soup or squash and sweet potato soup.
Why You'll Love This Potato Leek Soup Recipe
- It makes a large batch. Perfect for freezing some for another day.
- Simple ingredients. This dairy-free potato leek soup recipe uses easy, mostly fresh ingredients.
- Hearty and satisfying. Potato soup fills you up and feels just like a warm hug from the inside!
What Goes Into This Recipe
Potato and leek soup is made with just a few simple groceries you can easily pick up at the store in a matter of minutes. Here's what you need:
- Olive oil: Perfect for sauteing the leeks but you can swap it with another vegetable oil if desired.
- Leeks: A close relative to the onion and garlic, this aromatic has a more mellow, sweet flavor than onion.
- Russet potatoes: My favorite potato for this vegan potato leek soup recipe. You can use another all-purpose potato too.
- Vegetable broth: This vegan leek and potato soup benefits from cooking with vegetable broth because it adds more flavor you won’t get using water.
- Herbs: The soup is flavored with bay leaves and rosemary.
- Coconut milk: Canned coconut milk adds more creaminess than other plant milks and works great to make potato leek soup dairy-free. Other unsweetened, neutral flavored plant milks can be substituted but the soup will be less creamy.
- Nutritional yeast: Gives the soup a bit of a savory 'cheesy' flavor.
- Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon for a touch of brightness right at the end of cooking.
TOP TIP: Leeks need to be cleaned very well before cooking. Tiny grains of sand hide in between the tightly layered leaves and will make the soup gritty if they aren't properly cleaned. It's help to wash them before slicing and then again after slicing to make sure all the sand is gone.
How To Make Vegan Potato and Leek Soup
Here's what goes into making this easy soup recipe. For more, check the detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- 1) Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the sliced leeks. Saute them until fragrant and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 2) Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves, and rosemary to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are easily mashed.
- 3) Add the coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- 4) Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. You can also use a regular blender and blend the soup in batches.
Expert Tips
- Want to add some protein? Add white beans to the soup. Once the soup is blended, they will puree right into the soup.
- Zero waste idea! Cut the leek greens into strips and fry them up for a crispy topping on the soup.
- Don’t use waxy potatoes such as red potatoes to make vegetarian potato leek soup. They don’t cook up as soft and turn out a bit thick and glue-like when blended.
- For a creamier dairy-free leek and potato soup, use additional coconut milk from the can.
- An immersion blender is the safest kitchen tool to use for blending soups. If you do use a regular blender use caution transferring the soup, work in small batches and be sure to vent the lid a bit on the blender.
FAQs
This happens when the soup is blended too much or you used the wrong type of potato. For best results, use an immersion blender and blend by pulsing. If you must use a regular blend, do it in small batches and pulse quickly to avoid over blending the soup.
Most definitely if you want! The soup might not be quite as creamy as it would be with them peeled but it still tastes delicious and contains all the nutrition in the potato skin. Just be sure to thoroughly wash and scrub your potatoes.
Generally, simply blending the soup will make it thick and creamy but if you want a thicker soup, remove one-half cup of soup from the pan and whisk in one tablespoon of cornstarch. Add this mixture back to the pot and cook until it thickens.
The best part of the leek to use in soup is the white and white-green part of the soup. The green tops are rather stringy and not well suited to using to make soup. You can save them and fry them until crispy and add them to the top of the soup.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- Freezer: After cooling, store it in an airtight container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Return the soup to a pot and heat over medium-low heat until heated through. Add water as needed to thin out the soup.
How to Serve
- Add some toppings. Creamy leek and potato soup really benefit from adding a topping or two. Croutons, diced green onions, vegan cheese, vegan bacon bits, crispy leeks, and crushed red pepper flakes are just a few ideas!
- Pair with a sandwich. Half a sandwich and soup for lunch is perfect for easy meals. I especially love this vegan bagel sandwich and buffalo tofu sandwich.
- Combine it with a salad. Choose from a fall roasted pumpkin salad, southwest quinoa salad, or garbanzo bean kale salad.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 large leeks sliced
- 6 medium russet potatoes unpeeled and chopped
- 8 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon of rosemary
- 1 cup of canned coconut milk
- ½ cup of nutritional yeast
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons of salt or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on low heat in a large pot. Add sliced leeks and saute until fragrant and soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, bay leaves, and rosemary and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover pot and let cook for 20 to 30 minutes until potatoes are easily mashed.
- Add coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and blend until creamy, using either an immersion blender, or regular blender in batches.
Notes
- Want to add some protein? Add white beans to the soup. Once the soup is blended, they will puree right into the soup.
- Bread on the side! This soup pairs exceptionally well with bread or croutons.
- Zero waste idea! Cut the leek greens into strips and fry them up for a crispy topping on the soup.
- Don’t use waxy potatoes such as red potatoes. They don’t cook up as soft and turn out a bit thick and glue-like when blended.
- For a creamier soup, use additional coconut milk from the can.
- An immersion blender is the safest kitchen tool to use for blending soups. If you do use a regular blender use caution transferring the soup, work in small batches and be sure to vent the lid a bit on the blender.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
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About Toni
Welcome to Plant-Based on a Budget! Here you’ll find affordable and easy-to-make recipes, and an inclusive, supportive approach to plant-based eating.
Agnieszka says
Great soup recipe! Will make again for sure!
Nora says
This soup is perfect on cold winter days! Just the thing to warm up! Thank you!
Jacqui says
This recipe is insanely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Andrea White says
Such a simple and delicious soup!