Easy Vegan Potato Leek Soup (Chunky or Smooth)

Name: Easy Vegan Potato Leek Soup (Chunky OR Smooth)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 25 ounces potatoes (new potatoes, yukon golds (check FAQs)); 11 ounces leek; 6 cups vegetable stock; 2 garlic cloves; 2 Tbsp dairy-free butter (or olive oil); 1 tsp salt (or to your preference); 1/2 tsp pepper (or to your preference); 1 sprig fresh thyme (and/or rosemary, coriander, tarragon, herbes de Provence.); 1 bay leaf

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Combine the flavors of creamy potatoes with delicate leek and thyme, for a more-ish vegan potato leek soup to get you through the winter months. Best of all, this easy potato soup recipe uses under 10 ingredients, can be enjoyed chunky or smooth, and is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-fat, and naturally vegan!

This past year I’ve really been appreciating all things potato: from Easy Homemade Potato Gnocchi to Super Crispy Smashed Potatoes (With Herbs), and even Easy Crispy Salt-Baked Potatoes (With Rosemary). Now it’s the turn of this vegan potato leek soup. Now that the weather is chilly outside, it’s the perfect time to put out that big soup pot and get to filling your kitchen with the heavenly smells of simmering broth for this homemade potato soup.

A bowl with potato leek cram soup topped with seeds

This leek and potato soup is warming, comforting, and more-ish – super satisfying for all! Plus, it’s got a great shelf-life, perfect for meal-prep or even to make-ahead and freeze! Serve some chunky, some smooth, and swap out the ‘toppings’ for an easy potato soup that will never get boring.

Best of all, leek and potato soup, while relatively mild in flavor, is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants – to get you through those cold winter months.

Enjoy this healthy potato leek soup as an appetizer, side, or main – alone or with crusty bread and lashings of dairy-free butter!

The Ingredients

This leek & potato soup comes in at under 10 ingredients – and that’s including salt and pepper. Even better, it’s primarily made up of pantry staples and things you likely already have in your kitchen.

Leek: I use whole leeks and chop away the stiff, dark green tough outer leaves. You can also buy ‘prepared’ leeks, with the dark outer bits already removed.
Potatoes: I used small new potatoes, skin-on. Yukon golds are another great option, whether you want your soup chunky, smooth, or a bit of both. (Check the FAQs for more.)
Butter: your favorite dairy-free butter. If you want vegetarian potato soup, then feel free to use dairy (or this homemade butter). You could also use oil instead (like olive oil).
Garlic: feel free to increase the amount based on personal preference.
Bay leaf: will be used to flavor the broth, then removed before serving.
Thyme: I kept things simple with fresh thyme. You can experiment with using different herbs or combining multiple – rosemary, coriander, herbes de Provence, tarragon, etc. Use dry herbs if you don’t have fresh.
Vegetable stock: I use homemade vegetable stock.
Salt & Pepper: to season.

Optional Add-ins

Onion: onion and garlic are a great base to any soup, so feel free to add some, if preferred.
Kale: if you’re planning on keeping the soup chunky, then kale makes for an excellent nutrient-dense addition to your vegan potato soup.
Milk/Cream: if you want more of a creamy soup, you can add some canned coconut milk or any full-fat dairy-free milk or cream alternative. (For vegetarian potato soup, then you can use light cream.)

How To Make Leek & Potato Soup

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables

Leeks can be very dirty as the sand/dirt gets stuck between the layers, so you’ll want to clean them thoroughly. To do this, I like first to chop away the tough dark green outer layers of the leek (not all are super tough, so only remove the hardest bits) that I won’t be using (they can be kept to make future veggie stock).

Then, slice the remaining leek right down in slices to almost the root, add these to a sieve/colander and rinse well to eliminate any dirt between the layers.

You could also slice the leek lengthways before chopping for even easier dirt removal – but I find this unnecessary as you can just agitate the leek slices when rinsing.

To prepare the potatoes, rinse them thoroughly and then roughly chop them into 1-inch pieces.

Finally, roughly chop or mince the garlic.

Step 2: Sauté the vegetables

Add the dairy-free butter (or oil) to a large pot and heat over medium until melted, then add the leek, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, cover with a lid, and cook for a few minutes, occasionally stirring, to soften the leek.

Step 3: Simmer the vegan potato leek soup

Add the potatoes and stock and mix well. Bring the leek & potato soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender (usually between 10-18 minutes, but this will vary based on how much soup you’re making, the size of the potato chunks, etc.)

Remove the bay leaf, and any hard herb stems from the soup. The vegan potato leek soup is then ready to enjoy!

Step 4: Optional – blend into a smooth potato soup

If you want a creamy, smooth leek and potato soup, you can either use a handheld stick blender directly in the soup pot OR use a blender.

To blend, add the soup in batches (never more than halfway up the jug), making sure to allow steam to leave the blender.

I like to pull a little of the un-blended potato soup to one side, blend the rest and then combine the two.

Steps for making creamy potato leek soup

How To Serve

Enjoy this vegan potato leek soup as is, or with a different topping each time. Here are just a few ways to top the easy potato soup;

With a sprinkle of vegan cheese, like this Simple Smoky Vegan Cheddar Cheese or even some nutritional yeast.
Chopped spring onion (green onion), parsley, or chives.
With a drizzle of olive oil, chili oil, or extra vegan butter.
Spoon over some cashew cream or coconut milk.
A sprinkle of chili flakes or other seasonings – pepper, sumac, etc.
Add some garlic confit (or even tomato confit).
Sprinkle with omega seed sprinkle for more nutrients.
Sprinkle over some lightly spiced crispy chickpeas or Baked Potato Skin Chips.
Serve with crackers (seeded or classic) or crusty bread.
For less ‘crunch,’ but still tons of flavor, then serve with homemade pita or garlic naan (perfect for soaking up all the vegan potato leek soup juices).

A bowl with potato leek cram soup topped with seeds and a spoon dipped in it

FAQs

What potatoes are best for potato soup?

This depends on whether you want a chunky or smooth soup. Waxy potatoes (high in moisture, low in starch) hold up well when boiled, compared to starchy potatoes. Those include red potatoes, small new potatoes (red or white), round white potatoes, and fingerling potatoes.
If you want a creamier, blended potato soup, then you can use more starchy potatoes too – Russet, Idaho, etc.
For an all-purpose option, where you plan to blend some and leave some chunky, Yukon Golds work great (as they’re medium-starch but still hold their shape fairly well).

How to store leftovers in the refrigerator?

Leftover vegan potato leek soup will store well, in an airtight container, for between 5-7 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat it in the microwave (around 2 minutes at the highest power) or on the stove-top.

Can I freeze the vegan potato leek soup?

Yes, in fact, it can be kept for up to 3 months in the freezer. Just freeze in a container or freezer-safe bags (in individual portions).
This leek and potato soup is best frozen once blended smooth (not chunky) – as potatoes can sometimes become a bit mealy/grainy (not always).
You can either leave the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight before using or heat up straight from frozen. To re-heat the vegan potato soup, either use a microwave or stove-top until piping hot.

A bowl with potato leek soup and a spoon

Recipe Notes

The potatoes: feel free to leave them with their skin off or peeled. I like the additional nutrients from the skin. However, if you want a super smooth homemade potato soup, it may be best to ditch the skins.
If you want an oil-free/low-fat option, you could add a little water to the pan to help ‘steam’ the leek instead of butter/oil. Though, it won’t be as flavorful.
Feel free to use a combination of all vegetable stock or vegetable stock and water (for less sodium). I use homemade stock so I can control the sodium levels but still get the maximum flavor in the leek and potato soup.

A bowl with tomato soup and a toasted piece of bread being dipping into it

This coconut curry pumpkin soup uses just 15 ingredients and is a great easy pumpkin recipe for leftover pumpkins. Plus, it's 100% vegan and served in a pumpkin or coconut bowls

If you try this easy vegan potato leek soup recipe, then let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and would love to see your recreations – just tag @AlphaFoodie.