Leek and Potato Soup: Easy Recipe

Soup is one of the easiest and cheapest meals to make, and there are so many variations. One of my personal favourites is leek and potato soup. It is a classic British soup that you will find on many menus across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This creamy and warming soup is ideal for any time of the year, and you can serve it as a starter, a lunch or as a main meal. It is a hearty option, especially when it is served with a generous chunk of fresh bread and butter.

Here is an easy recipe for leek and potato soup that serves four to six people.

Leek and Potato Soup: Easy Recipe

Recipe by Liz Flynn

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Soup RecipesCuisine: EuropeanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Vegetarian

YES

Vegan

NO

Gluten-free

YES

Dairy-free

NO

An easy recipe for leek and potato soup, a popular and warming dish eaten across Britain.

Ingredients for Leek and Potato Soup

• 3 leeks, trimmed and sliced

• 4 large white potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1.2 litres/ 2 pts vegetable stock

• 150 ml/ 5 fl. oz. double cream

• 2tbsp vegetable oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Chopped chives or parsley to garnish (optional)

Directions: How to Make Leek and Potato Soup

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the leeks and potatoes to the pan, then cook for five minutes or until they begin to soften.
• Add the vegetable stock, then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Either use a hand blender to blend the mixture to your desired consistency, or transfer it to a food processor for blending before returning it to the pan. 
• Put the soup on low heat, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Stir in most of the cream, retaining just a little for the top. 
• Cook for a further five minutes.
• Serve the soup in soup bowls, then decorate with a small swirl of cream and a sprinkle of chives or parsley.

Additional Tips for Leek and Potato Soup

Like many of the recipes on Hobs and Herbs, you can easily adapt this dish to suit your tastes. Here are some simple tips for making this soup:

• Adding some fennel to this soup adds an interesting flavour of mild aniseed that is surprisingly refreshing. You should add this to the pan with the leeks.
• This is an easy soup to make in a soup maker, and it is a crowd-pleaser iwhen serving soup from a catering soup kettle.
• Switch the black pepper to white pepper if you prefer.
• If you are not a vegetarian, then you may prefer to use chicken stock for a deeper flavour.
• Try adding some croutons to the top for a crunchy texture, although these are not suitable for those on a gluten-free diet. Alternatively, a Parmesan crisp goes well with this soup.
• Craime fraiche is an alternative to double cream if you do not want the soup to be as rich. You can also switch the double cream to single cream if you prefer, but it will have a thinner texture.

If you enjoyed our leek and potato soup recipe, you might also like our recipe for kartoffelsuppe.