A classic vegan leek and potato soup — simple ingredients prepared with a few special steps to concentrate the flavour of both the leeks and potatoes.
🍴 Why you will love this recipe
With only five ingredients, this soup is straightforward to make yet full of depth. A couple of small technique tweaks — stewing most of the leeks, reserving a portion to add back at the end, and using whole potatoes with the skins on — concentrate flavour and give a silky mouthfeel with delicate strands of leek throughout.
Leaving the potato skins adds body, colour and a creamy texture; removing a third of the cooked leeks to return later provides an extra hit of savoury leek flavour. The result is a timeless, autumnal soup that’s comforting on a weeknight and elegant enough for a starter when dressed up with a garnish.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Leeks: Use three good-sized leeks. The green tops hold a lot of flavour, so include them after trimming any tough ends. Wash thoroughly — dirt hides between the layers.
Potatoes: Choose floury varieties such as Maris Piper or King Edward. Keep the skins on for extra flavour and texture; wash well before chopping.
Vegetable stock: Use a vegan stock powder, cubes or ready-made stock. Adjust salt to taste — lower-salt options give you better control over seasoning.
Dairy-free cream: Any unsweetened plant cream (soya, oat, etc.) will work. For a lighter soup, substitute unsweetened plant milk instead.
Equipment
A stick blender is the easiest tool to blitz the soup straight in the pan to a smooth purée. If you prefer an extra-silky finish, pass the blended soup through a fine sieve to remove small flecks of potato skin.
👩🏽🍳 How to make your vegan leek and potato soup
For a printable recipe with exact quantities and timings, see the recipe section below.
Thinly slice the leeks and sweat them gently in oil in a large saucepan until soft and fragrant. Remove about one third of the cooked leeks and set them aside — these will be stirred in at the end for texture and brightness.
Wash and cube the potatoes — there’s no need to peel. Add them to the pan with the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 6–8 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth. If you prefer a very silky texture, pass the puréed soup through a fine sieve to remove the tiny brown flecks from the skins. Return the reserved leeks to the soup, stir through the dairy-free cream or plant milk if using, reheat gently and adjust seasoning before serving.
🔪 Top tips and FAQs
For an extra-smooth finish: press the blended soup through a sieve to remove small flecks of potato skin while keeping their flavour.
Use as much of the leeks as possible: the green parts are the most flavourful. Trim any tough ends and wash the leeks well.
Yes — this soup freezes extremely well. Portion into containers, label and freeze. Reheat from frozen in a saucepan or defrost and warm in the microwave.
A spoonful of dairy-free crème fraîche with snipped chives is lovely. For texture, add sourdough croutons tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and briefly baked until golden.
Swap the vegan cream for unsweetened plant milk or use a bit more vegetable stock to reduce fat while keeping creaminess from the potatoes.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Leek & Potato Soup
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 3 leeks
- 350 g potatoes (any floury variety like Maris Piper or King Edward)
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 50 ml dairy-free cream (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole. Finely slice the leeks and cook gently for 4–5 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile, wash and cut the potatoes into cubes; there’s no need to peel them.
- Remove about one third of the cooked leeks from the pan and set aside in a small bowl.
- Add the potatoes and vegetable stock to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 6–8 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Use a hand blender to blitz the soup to a smooth purée. If desired, pass the puréed soup through a fine sieve for an extra-silky texture.
- Stir the reserved leeks back into the soup, reheat gently, adjust seasoning and serve.
Notes
For a silky texture: sieve the blended soup to remove small brown specks from the skins while keeping their flavour.
Use as much leek as you can: the green parts add the most flavour; just trim any tough ends and wash thoroughly.
Nutrition
Calories: 188 kcal
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 9 g
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