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    Home » Recipe » Soup and Stew » Vegan Potato Leek Soup

    Vegan Potato Leek Soup

    Published: Jan 29, 2019 · Modified: Oct 28, 2021 by Sabrina Currie · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The ultimate in simple elegance, vegan potato leek soup is creamy, comforting, healthy and easy. A pretty winning combination if you ask me. With just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, this soup will simmer away into a magically wonderful nourishing meal.

    Potage Parmentier or Potato Leek Soup. Easy and vegetarian.

    Want an awesome side dish for this soup? Check out What To Serve With Potato Soup!

    Jump to:
    • Vegan Soup Inspiration
    • Ingredients
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Variations
    • Why A 5 Ingredient Vegan Soup Works
    • Expert Tip
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Get My Free Book
    • 10 Herbs 10 Ways
    • 💬 Community

    Vegan Soup Inspiration

    I love a good soup on a cold day. Rich with flavor, warmth seeping into my hands as I hold my bowl, nothing beats a good soup and this vegan potato leek soup is no exception. I was inspired by one of my hero's, the great Julia Child. I have just a few of her cookbooks 😉

    If you like soups too, try my vegan Roasted Red Pepper Soup, vegan Carrot Pumpkin Soup, Gluten Free Broccoli Cheddar Soup or my favorite fall Wild Mushroom Soup. The last 2 are easily made vegetarian and the first is of course vegan. And for a really hearty vegan dish, easy vegan Italian White Beans are a cold weather staple.

    My Julia Child Cookbook Collection
    My Julia Child Cookbook Collection

    Ingredients

    Leeks and potatoes are really the star ingredients. Salt and pepper are required to accentuate the vegetables and I like the touch of olive oil to enrich the soup. An extra swirl of good quality olive oil as a garnish on the individual bowls is lovely too. This is really one of the most simple, iconic dishes you can make and it truly doesn't need anything else.

    "An excellent lunch or light supper need be no more that a good soup, a salad, cheese and fruit. "

    Julia Child

    Step by Step Instructions

    1. Choose a heavy bottomed soup pot, heat your olive oil on medium-low and sauté your leeks until fragrant but not browned.
    Sauteing leeks for the soup in a white enamelware pot.

    2. Add in potatoes, water and some salt and pepper. Simmer until soft enough to mash to a creamy consistency with fork or potato masher.

    Leeks and water simmer for soup with a ladle in the pot.

    3. Season at the end with salt and pepper to taste, garnish as you like and serve.

    Black bowl of vegan potato leek soup, garnished with slivered leeks and herbs on a natural colored linen tea towel.

    Variations

    Try this soup as is and have fun making it again and use it as a jumping off point for your creativity.

    • Add some watercress leaves, diced carrot, turnip or scallions for a little texture and color.
    • Enjoy adding various herbs, greens and some rosemary flowers like I did from these photos. I foraged through my garden for fragrant and colorful edibles to fancy up the presentation.
    • Serve this potato leek soup cold! With the addition of some rich unsweetened nut milk you have an (almost) traditional vegan vichyssoise, perfect for a light summer lunch.

    Why A 5 Ingredient Vegan Soup Works

    The original recipe is simply equal parts leeks and potatoes, water and salt and simmered so feel free to be completely hands off if you wish. I enjoy the process of cooking and the fun of building flavours so I sauteed my leeks gently in a small bit of olive oil first and used a bay leaf from my garden. Many people choose to use stock, garlic, other herbs etc but I purposely chose to keep this simple in the spirit of Julia Child's recipe to enjoy the beauty, simplicity and pure flavour of the leeks. I urge you to try it first this way to see how amazing a few simple ingredients really can be and then adapt it to your preference as you make it again and again.

    Expert Tip

    The first batch I used my hand blender but realized Julia was right (uh, the potatoes will get gluey if blended, I should have known). Use a potato masher or simply simmer until it becomes creamy from stirring at the end which is what I did the second time round and it works perfectly. This is a low tech soup!

    I hope you find this soup a comforting reminder that sometimes all we need are the most basic of ingredients and a moment of peace in front of a warm stove.

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    PS. Anyone else love Julia??? So inspiring and I love her sense of humor. Comment below if you have a favourite recipe or TV episode! And if you'd like to learn more about Julia Child, check out "The Julia Child Foundation" to learn about her and the initiatives dedicated to supporting the culinary arts.

    As Julia used to say, "Bon appetit my friends!"

    For more on what I'm cooking up, follow me on Instagram or Facebook. You might also like my FREE printable weekly meal planner.

    Cheers friends! Sabrina

    Simple And Easy Potato Leek Soup

    📖 Recipe

    Quick Easy Delicious Potato Leek Soup, Classic French Recipe
    Print Pin
    5 from 24 votes

    Vegan Potato Leek Soup

    Potato leek soup is a French classic for a reason.  This simple soup is so much more than the sum of it's parts.  Warm and comforting, delicious and fragrant, made creamy from the potatoes it is also healthy and very easy to make.  Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
    Course Main, Soup
    Cuisine canadian, French
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time 50 minutes minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 198kcal
    Author Sabrina Currie

    Ingredients

    • 3 Large Leeks, Cleaned And Sliced Thinly
    • 3 Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Diced ½"
    • 4 c Water Or vegetable stock
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
    • Salt And Pepper To Taste

    Instructions

    • In a medium heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil on medium-low and then add leeks.  Saute gently until translucent but not browned. 
    • Add potatoes, water and bay leaf and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are soft enough to mash easily. 
    • With potato masher, ricer or the back of your large spoon, mash the soup until it is creamy and fairly smooth.  This should be fast and easy once the potatoes are cooked properly. 
      Season to taste with salt and pepper. ( I used 2 teaspoon salt) 
      Serve in bowls and garnish as desired with chopped chives, parsley or other fine herbs from the garden or a swirl of cream.  

    Notes

    *Ensure you have cleaned your leeks well by cutting them in half lengthwise and then rinsing between the layers well to catch any hidden dirt.  
    *If you choose to simmer this longer it will get thicker and you may need to add a bit of water to achieve desired consistency. It will not harm the flavor though.
    *Do not mash potatoes until they are all cooked as the soup will burn easily once it is creamy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 786mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1116IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 3mg
    Potato Leek Soup, Vegetarian And Gluten-Free
    Potato Leek Soup, Vegetarian And Gluten-Free
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    About Sabrina Currie

    Classically French trained cook, photographer and food stylist living on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bernice

      February 11, 2019 at 7:50 pm

      Your photography is absolutely stunning! Isn't it amazing how a few simple ingredients can turn into something so beautiful and nourishing?

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        February 12, 2019 at 9:39 am

        Thank you Bernice! Yes it is amazing and the perfect soup to show how simple and economical good cooking can be.

        Reply
    2. Laura

      February 11, 2019 at 8:43 pm

      I love simple soups like this that are just so warm, comforting and have so much flavour from only a few ingredients. Your photos are stunning!

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        February 12, 2019 at 9:38 am

        Thank you Laura! This was such a fun and comforting soup to make 💚

        Reply
    3. Chef Sous Chef

      February 12, 2019 at 9:32 am

      Loving the colour you got on the soup and the styling is absolutely gorgeous.

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        February 12, 2019 at 9:38 am

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    4. Leanne | Crumb Top Baking

      February 14, 2019 at 4:43 pm

      5 stars
      This soup looks delicious Sabrina, and the photos are absolutely stunning! Love the dark tones with the pop of colour from the soup! Pinned!

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        February 14, 2019 at 9:25 pm

        Thank you so much Leanne! I was inspired by my photo challenge with @thelittleplantation 💚

        Reply
    5. Melanei @ Bon Appet'Eat

      February 15, 2019 at 10:18 am

      5 stars
      Almost too pretty to eat! 🙂

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        February 19, 2019 at 7:09 am

        Thanks Melanei! Almost lol!

        Reply
    6. Terri

      February 15, 2019 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      I love the photos - you really stepped up to the challenge and I really need to make this soup. I have never actually made potato soup! On my bucket list now 🙂

      Reply
    7. Denise@urbnspice

      September 12, 2019 at 7:44 pm

      5 stars
      Oh! So very French! I love this soup, Sabrina and j'adore Julia Child. She was and is an awesome culinary mentor. Your photographs are so wonderful! You inspire me to make this my favourite potage again. Many thanks for sharing such a beautiful rendition of this classic recipe.

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        September 15, 2019 at 7:55 pm

        Thank you so much Denise! I truly love how this soup is so much more than the sum of its simple parts 🙂

        Reply
    8. Jo Vanderwolf

      September 14, 2019 at 7:54 pm

      5 stars
      Those photos are art! Just beautiful.
      Also... I need to make this soup ASAP. I'm drooling over here!

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        September 15, 2019 at 7:55 pm

        Thanks Jo! It’s such a simple soup to make but so rich in flavour:-)

        Reply
    9. Terri

      September 16, 2019 at 8:03 am

      5 stars
      That is one gorgeous soup and my mouth is watering too!

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        September 18, 2019 at 4:15 pm

        Thank you so much Terri 🙂

        Reply
    10. William Zander

      January 13, 2020 at 7:34 am

      So much for keeping it simple. Bay leaf is unnecessary as is cooking the vegetables in oil.

      Reply
      • SabCurrie

        January 13, 2020 at 3:31 pm

        Hi William, thanks for weighing in. True you can omit the bay leaf and oil but I felt that sautéing the leeks first and using the bay leaf in the simmering step added a little depth to this soup. These two steps/ingredients are still pretty easy for a beginner cook but can be omitted if you don't have them on hand.

        Reply
    11. Jules

      October 28, 2021 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      First of all, I LOVE potato soup. It's been my favorite since I was a kid, but these days I am gluten, dairy, and egg-free so I thought I'd never see potato soup again! Until now so thank you so much for putting this on the internet!

      Reply
      • Sabrina Currie

        October 28, 2021 at 9:35 pm

        That’s so awesome! I love finding a recipe that ticks all those boxes without having to compromise anything. Cheers!

        Reply

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