The savory flavors of pureed creamy potatoes, leeks, celery, bacon, herbs, and broth combine for an irresistible bowl of whole-food goodness. Our blender technique provides a creamy texture without the armwork of a potato masher or the heaviness of added cream. Make extra batches of this favorite soup, freeze it in an airtight container, and reheat it for an easy comfort food meal any night of the week. We’ve included directions for both stovetop and the Instant Pot.
Recipe Highlights: Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
This potato leek soup tastes like your favorite loaded baked potato in one amazing bowl of good-for-you soup. The texture of potatoes and leeks makes it thick and velvety without the addition of milk or cream.
Our recipe combines boldly flavored real-food ingredients, a simple cooking technique, and one of the very best uses for leeks!
Health Benefits of Leeks
Leeks are one of the 10 whole-food ingredients that come together to make this nourishing veggie-loaded soup. They’re part of a family of vegetables called alliums, along with all types of onions and garlic.
This family of vegetables is particularly high in anti-inflammatory compounds like vitamin C, vitamin K, and beta-carotene. Getting plenty of these compounds in your diet over time may lower your risk of inflammation-related conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, and digestive ailments.
Leeks are also an excellent food source of prebiotic fiber, the type of fiber that promotes good gut health and helps you absorb other nutrients to their fullest.
Ingredients To Make Potato Leek Soup
This recipe all comes together with a sweep through the produce aisle plus some bacon and broth – that’s it!
- Red or Yukon gold potatoes – use either kind or a mix of both potatoes
- Bacon – we like the no-sugar bacon from Applegate or the bacon from ButcherBox
- Fresh leek – see below for how to select a leek
- Celery
- Yellow onion – or use a white onion
- Garlic
- Dried thyme – can use fresh thyme or substitute dried oregano or dried marjoram
- Dried parsley – can use fresh flat-leaf parsley or substitute dried cilantro, dried basil, or dried or sprigs of fresh chives
- Salt
- Low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth – substitute chicken stock or vegetable stock, or make your own broth with our recipes for broth on stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Highlight: Leeks
A leek is a green vegetable of the allium family with an edible bulb that grows underground. Leeks taste like a mild, sweeter version of an onion.
Cut the bottom roots and the top (hard and dark) leaves off your clean leeks, and then slice the remaining stalk and bulb into half-moon slices. It can be helpful to swish the chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove any dirt that may have gotten stuck between the layers.
We know that leeks can be a little intimidating. Start to think of a leek as a tender, mild, flavorful (and giant) green onion, then you’ll start to see all the possibilities for using this wonderful, approachable vegetable.
While the top dark green leaves of a leek are hard and flat, it’s the bottom light green and white parts that chefs and in-the-know home cooks love to incorporate into recipes of all kinds.
Leeks are a classic flavor pairing with ham, chicken, seafood, cream, garlic, parsley, and thyme – yes, a lot of the flavors you get in this soup! Sauté them in olive oil and season with kosher salt for a simple stand-alone side or topping, or add them to your favorite stew for a light oniony flavor.
How To Make Potato Leek Soup
To make potato leek soup:
- Cook the diced bacon in a heavy-bottom pot (such as a Dutch oven) on medium heat, then remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Next, sauté the leek, celery, onion, and garlic in the bacon drippings.
- Once the onion has softened, add the broth, potatoes, and seasonings. Cook the potato leek soup for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are quite tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Ladle between half to three-quarters of the soup into the container of a blender. This step is what makes the soup creamy and thick. Blend the soup until it is mostly blended with some small chunks of potato remaining.
- Return the blended portion of soup to the pot and stir it all together. To finish this easy potato soup recipe, simply add the bacon back in.
- Ladle it into bowls and garnish with some of the leftover bacon and fresh herbs. Top with croutons for a crispy crunch, or add a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt if you don’t mind the dairy, and enjoy!
For the Instant Pot directions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
How to Pick a Good Leek
Buy a leek with the roots and dark green stems still intact, which will help it stay fresher for longer. Select a leek that has firm (not flimsy) dark leaves and a clean and white slender bulb.
How To Store
To eliminate prep time for a weeknight meal, make a large batch of this potato leek soup over the weekend. You can store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
This potato leek soup is dairy-free since we use the blender technique instead of heavy cream to achieve a thick and creamy soup. It is also Whole30-friendly, paleo-approved, as well as gluten-free and nut-free.
We’ve found 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes are the best potatoes for potato leek soup. These potatoes strike a balance between starchy and waxy with a naturally buttery flavor and a slightly creamy texture.
Yes! We’ve included directions for using an Instant Pot in the recipe card below.
Video: How to Make creamy potato leek soup
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Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
The complementing flavors of creamy potatoes, leeks, celery, bacon, spices, and broth combine for a delicious, nutritious, and budget-friendly bowl of whole-food goodness.
Ingredients
- 4–5 strips slices bacon, chopped
- 1 large leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only; about 2–3 cups)
- 2 celery ribs, finely diced (about ⅓ cup)
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley)
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 lbs. red or Yukon gold potatoes (or a mix), cut into ¼–½-inch cubes with skin still on
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- Optional: Chopped parsley and/or chives, fresh cracked black pepper, or red pepper flakes
Instructions
Stovetop Directions:
- Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- When the pot is hot, add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp (about 5 minutes).
- Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.
- To the same pot with the bacon drippings, add the sliced leek, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until the onions start to soften.
- Add garlic, stir, and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot (except for the bacon, ½ cup of the broth, and any garnishes). Set aside the ½ cup broth for later.
- Bring ingredients in the pot just to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer and cover with a lid.
- Cook for 20-22 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat and ladle half to three-quarters of the soup into the container of the blender.
- Secure the blender lid in place and blend until the soup is creamy with some chunks remaining. Or, if you want it extra creamy, blend it even further to your desired consistency. (You can also use an immersion blender.)
- Carefully remove the blender lid and stir the blended soup back into the pot.
- Add the reserved ½ cup broth, if needed, to thin the soup to your desired consistency.
- Season with salt as needed, stir in the bacon, and garnish with optional toppings of choice.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Select the ‘sauté’ function on the Instant Pot, and when heated, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally until crisp (about 3-5 minutes).
- Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.
- To the Instant Pot (still on the ‘sauté’ function), add the leeks, celery, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions start to soften.
- Add garlic, stir, and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot (except for the bacon, ½ cup of the broth, and any garnishes). Set aside the ½ cup broth for later.
- Lock the lid in place and set the vent valve to the ‘sealing’ position.
- Cook for 13 minutes at high pressure.
- When cooking time is up, allow 5 minutes of natural release before flipping the vent valve to the ‘venting’ position to release any residual pressure.
- Remove the lid from the Instant Pot, and transfer half of the soup to the container of the blender.
- Secure blender lid in place and blend until soup is creamy with some chunks remaining. If you want it extra creamy, continue to blend to your liking. (You can also use an immersion blender.)
- Carefully remove the blender lid and pour the blended soup back into the pot. Stir in an additional ½ cup broth, if needed, to thin the soup to the desired consistency.
- Salt to taste, stir in bacon, and garnish with optional toppings of choice.
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Notes
You can store this soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 261
- Fat: 5 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 588 mg
- Carbohydrate: 45 g
- (Fiber: 5 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.
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Tasted delicious! Added a bit of cream as well
Great Lisa!