If you've never tried potato leek soup, what are you waiting for?! This Vegan Potato Leek Soup is made with a secret ingredient to make it extra creamy and filling without any dairy needed. It's a healthy, gluten-free, & nourishing soup recipe you will love!
I first tried Potato Leek Soup at an airport lounge. Yes, it's super random, but it was the only food I could eat in the buffet and after traveling all day it honestly tasted like the best soup I had ever had. After trying that soup, I knew I had to recreate my own creamy vegan version for you!
Like my Carrot Cauliflower Soup and Vegan Broccoli Soup, this is a blended soup that is thick, creamy, and can be made in just one pot!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- White beans: This is the secret ingredient that makes this soup super creamy! At grocery stories, it is usually labeled cannelini beans or white kidney beans. If you can't find any it can be substituted for chickpeas.
- Vegetable broth: You can totally make your own homemade vegetable broth, but I used a store bought broth to make this recipe easy.
- Potatoes: For this recipe I stuck to russet potatoes. They're a starchy potato so they work best in this soup to make it thick and creamy. Yukon potatoes are another great option.
How to make vegan potato leek soup
Prep the veggies
This involves chopping the leeks and peeling and chopping the potatoes. It's really important to rinse your leeks after chopping to remove any dirt and to only use the stalks of the leaves and to not use the tough leek ends.
Here is a guide on cleaning and slicing leeks for reference.
Don't discard those leek stems though! You can rinse them and then store them in a freezer-safe bag to make vegetable stock later. It's one of my favorite ways to cut down on food waste!
When it comes to the potatoes, just make sure to not chop them too small. If they are too small, they will cook too quickly and release too much starch into the soup, making it kind of slimy and gummy.
Cook leeks & spices in vegan butter
Once the veggies are prepped, melt the vegan butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Then add in the leeks and spices.
This step is crucial to bring flavor to this potato leek soup as sauteing the leeks gives them a really good depth of flavor.
P.S- here is the Le Creuset Dutch Oven I used. It's pricey, but I have found it more than worth the investment as I use it all the time.
Add remaining ingredients
Once the leeks are cooked, add in the peeled diced potatoes, cannellini beans, veggie broth, and bay leaves. You can also add additional salt & pepper to season at this point.
Simmer 10-15 minutes
Bring the potato leek soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
The potatoes should be easily piercable, but not falling apart or mushy (which would mean they're overcooked). The key to a really good vegan potato soup is to NOT overcook the potatoes for the right texture.
Blend the soup until thick
First, remove the bay leaves from the soup as you don't want to eat them.
Then, use an immersion blender to blend up the vegan potato soup until it's thick and creamy. You can also blend the soup in a large blender, but you'll want to let it cool slightly before blending if using this method.
This is the immersion blender I used and love!
Serve with any toppings!
I chose to keep things really simple and just added some freshly chopped chives and pepitas to this potato leek soup.
However, some other great toppings could be chili oil for a kick of spice, crispy leeks (check out my Vegan Lemon Butter Pasta with charred leeks for reference), or even some homemade vegan bacon. Fresh microgreens are a great addition as well!
FAQ & Tips:
This is likely due to overcooking the potatoes. If you chop the potatoes too small or cook them too long, they will release too much starch into the soup and it could become slimy and gummy.
The best way to avoid this is to make sure you are using the right type of potatoes (russet or Yukon work best) to make this soup. Also, make sure not to overcook the potatoes for the best results.
Yes- you can substitute cooked chickpeas 1:1 in this recipe.
If you want, you could also substitute in 1 cup of soaked cashews, but you'll have to blend it with some of the veggie broth before adding it to the soup. Other dairy substitutes don't really work in this recipe as they won't provide the same thickness.
This vegan potato leek soup can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If storing in the freezer, I recommend storing in individual containers so it's easy to defrost.
Ultimately, you have to answer this question for yourself, but this soup is incredibly filling, packed with protein, and has fresh vegetables too. It's a great addition to any meal and, because of the beans, it's actually a great source of plant-based protein too.
I can't wait for you to try this Vegan Potato Leek Soup with white beans. It's super creamy without any cream needed for a nourishing vegan soup recipe.
-TSG
More vegan soup recipes you will love:
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Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2-3 medium/large leeks about 4 cups diced, make sure to use the white/green stems and not the tough dark green ends
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 5-6 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 large russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 6 pieces each
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 15 ounce can cooked cannelini beans strained and rinsed, about 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1.5 Tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Prep the veggies by dicing the leeks and peeling and chopping the potatoes. I like to chop each potato into 6 evenly sized pieces so they're not too small. If using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, also mince the garlic at this point.
- Once the veggies are prepped, add the vegan butter to a large pot or dutch oven and turn on the heat.
- Once the butter has melted and is bubbling, add in the diced leeks, garlic/garlic powder, dried parsley, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. For reference, I use about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper to start and add more if needed.
- Then, saute the leeks for about 5 minutes until they have become soft and are starting to caramelize.
- Next, add in the vegetable broth, chopped potatoes, cooked cannelini beans, and Bay leaves. Stir together and brign the soup to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and easily piercable, but not too soft and musghy.
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard. Then, turn off the heat and use an immersion blender or add the soup to a standing blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the soup is completely smooth and creamy, add in the lemon juice and any additional salt and pepper needed to season the soup. Then, stir and serve warm with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- For convenience I used garlic powder to make the soup you see pictured, however, I have also made it with freshly minced garlic and it is even better!
- Leftover soup can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If freezing, I recommend storing it in individual containers so it's easier to defrost.
- This is the immersion blender I used for this soup recipe
- Cannelini beans can be substituted 1:1 with cooked chickpeas
- Russet potatoes really work best for this soup, but Yukon potatoes are another good option. Just avoid waxy potatoes or your soup won't end up as creamy.
- I topped this soup with pepitas and freshly chopped chives, but it also goes great with fresh microgreens, vegan bacon, chili oil for spice, or homemade croutons!
Avery Stewart says
I made this soup last night and it was so creamy and luscious! I had potatoes (russet & yukon gold) and leeks from my CSA. The yukons cooked quicker, so if you mix like I do, I might add the russets first. I used 3 leeks and the flavor really stands out, in away that other potato leek soups don't. Definitely a winter staple for our house!
Megan says
Thank you so much for sharing and for the tip on the Yukon potatoes. I'm so happy you liked it 🙂