This Potato Leek Soup is creamy, comforting, and super easy to make! Made with hearty potatoes, fresh herbs, and the perfect amount of buttery cream, it's the perfect comfort meal.
4large leekswhite and light green parts only, chopped (about 6 cups)
5garlic clovesminced
2poundspotatoespeeled and chopped (Yukon gold or Russet) (900g)
6cupschicken broth or vegetable broth(1.4L)
4sprigs fresh thyme
2bay leaves
1¾teaspoonssalt
¼teaspoonground black pepper
1cupheavy cream(240ml)
2tablespoonschopped chivesfor servings
Instructions
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and sauté until the leeks are very soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the potatoes, broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, about 15 minutes.
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and stir in the cream. Place over low heat for a few minutes to reheat, if needed. Serve garnished with chives and black pepper.
Notes
Purée the soup in batches. When the time comes to purée the soup, only fill the blender halfway per batch. Leave the blender lid's hole open and cover the opening with a dishtowel before blending to allow the steam to escape and prevent the hot soup from splattering. If you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup directly in the pot, and skip transferring it to another container.
Chop the potatoes in even sizes. Chop the potatoes uniformly so they cook evenly. Thicker pieces will take longer to cook than smaller ones, and you'll end up with a less smooth soup when blending.
Make it vegan. This recipe is super easy to adapt for dietary needs! Omit all dairy and animal products by swapping out the chicken stock or broth for vegetable stock and the butter for equal parts olive oil or vegan butter. Sub the heavy cream for dairy-free heavy whipping cream or full-fat coconut milk. The soup is also naturally gluten-free.
Optional blending alternatives. If you don't have a blender, you can also use a hand-held immersion blender or a food processor. If using a food processor, be sure to blend in batches as some processors will leak out liquid if over-filled above the top of the processing component.