This easy Potato Leek Soup recipe is a creamy, comforting French classic that's simple to make on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or slow cooker.
Unassuming Potato Leek Soup
Unassuming Potato Leek SoupIt's like a reliable friend who isn't flashy, and is always there to comfort you, you know? I always make Potato Leek Soup in the cooler months and pair it with crusty Artisan No Knead Bread, soft Homemade Rolls, or ladled into a Homemade Bread Bowl. My kids absolutely love it too and it makes great leftovers. Plus, it's super versatile! Whether you need to make it dairy-free, vegetarian, or want to use your Instant Pot or slow cooker, this recipe adapts beautifully to fit your needs.
Don't miss my other soup recipes, like Cabbage Roll Soup, Homemade Chili, Ham Bone Soup, Hungarian Goulash, or Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup!
How to make Potato Leek Soup:
How to Chop Leeks: Chop off the small root end and the leaves. Rinse the remaining white and light green leek with water, checking for any dirt in the cracks. Chop the leeks thin, like you would celery.
Cook Bacon and Combine: Melt butter then add bacon, cooking until crisp. Add leeks and potatoes and cook until leeks are soft. Add white wine, stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer until potatoes are very soft.
Blend and Add Cream: Blend soup with an immersion blender until it's creamy with just a few chunks. Remove from heat and cool slightly before adding the cream (we don't want it to curdle), or you can slowly temper the cream before adding it to the hot soup. Taste this easy potato and leek soup then season with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper or hot sauce, if desired. Let it cool slightly before serving (it will thicken slightly as it cools).
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Recipe
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 slices bacon , chopped
- 2 large leeks , (the white and light green part only), chopped
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes , peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock , or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme , or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- Freshly cracked pepper and salt
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream (can substitute whole milk or half and half)
- crushed red pepper flakes , optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp and the fat is rendered off into the pan. Add chopped leeks and potatoes to the pan and cook until the leeks are soft.3 tablespoons butter, 2 slices bacon, 2 large leeks, 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes
- Stir in white wine to deglaze the pan. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme then season generously with salt and pepper.4 cups chicken stock, 2 bay leaves, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ cup white wine, Freshly cracked pepper and salt
- Simmer until the potatoes are very soft. Remove bay leaves. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until creamy with just a few chunks. Remove from heat and cool slightly then add the cream. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper or hot sauce, if desired.1 cup heavy cream, crushed red pepper flakes
- Soup will thicken slightly as it cools.
Notes
- Instant Pot: Turn instant pot to sauté. Add butter to the pot. Once melted, add bacon. Once cooked, add leaks and potatoes and cook until leaks are softened. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine, if using. Add stock, bay leaves and thyme.Cook on manual, high pressure, for 9 minutes. Quick release and turn pot off. Blend soup lightly with an emersion blender. Stir in cream.
- Slow Cooker: Sauté bacon in butter. Add leeks and cook until tender. Deglaze pan with wine, if using. Add everything to slow cooker along with potatoes, stock, thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours, until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream. Taste and season if needed.
- Vegan: Substitute plant butter or coconut oil for the butter, omit the bacon, and substitute the cream with cashew cream.
- Vegetarian: This soup can be made vegetarian by simply omitting the bacon and substituting vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
- Gluten Free: Unlike some potato leek soup that is made using flour, this dish is already gluten free :).
- Dairy Free: Substitute plant butter or coconut oil for the butter and substitute the cream with cashew cream.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this soup February 2020. Updated January 2023 and November 2025.
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Can I leave out the wine?
Totally! You can leave out the wine, just deglaze the pan with a splash of extra broth instead.
Also works well as a stew! My immersion blender wasn’t working so I had to skip that step, but it still turned out great!
I have made without leeks and with. It is the best potato soup ever. Substitute a half mild onion or a bunch of green ones if leeks are scarce (or expensive).
Super easy to make. Tastes great. All the family loved it. 😋
OMG, this is sooo good! I doubled the recipe so that I would have enough to freeze at least one bowl apiece for my three college-aged grandchildren. I left out the cream as suggested before freezing. The only thing not written out is how to make use of the bacon after frying it. Of course, I chopped and used it as garnish right before serving, and the little crispy bits were like icing on a cake. I will make this again and again. Thank you, Lauren, for sharing this recipe!!
I used cheap wine and it tasted almost vinegary in the soup. It wasn’t bad, but strange. Everyone liked it, regardless. Excellent recipe!
Delicious! I followed the slow cooker instructions this time and it turned out beautiful and rich after 8 hours on low. Only other change I made was using half cream and half milk instead of all cream. Looking forward to it for lunches this week!