Leek and Potato Soup (No Cream)

This Leek and Potato Soup is a fantastic soup recipe for any time of the year! It’s so creamy and delicious, but wait, there’s NO cream!? That’s right, folks! No cream! It gets its silkiness from a secret ingredient…cauliflower.

It’s delicious hot, and you can also enjoy it in the summer by serving it chilled. For a heartier soup that serves as a meal, try my Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup or my Chicken Tortellini Soup. For a potato soup with a little more protein, try my Potato Cheddar Bacon Soup Recipe 

Recipe Pairing Ideas:

• Serve this soup with my Garlic Knots with Pizza Dough Recipe or my Parmesan Tuiles Recipe.
• Serve as a starter to my White Wine Chicken or Seared Salmon with Buerre Blanc sauce.
• For dessert, try my Pear Spiced Cake or French Apple Tart

Leek and Potato Soup Video Demo

 

An Easy Weeknight Soup Recipe

• The best way to make this simple soup is to use the freshest ingredients possible, nothing frozen, because you’ll get the best flavor that way.
• In a large pot, you’ll sauté the leeks, celery, onions, and garlic in olive oil.
• It’s the combination of these four ingredients that will give your soup great flavor and prevent it from becoming bland. 
• If you have ever experienced bland potato soup, chances are it was missing celery and garlic. These two vegetables can make any bland soup more flavorful. 
• Then add the potatoes, cauliflower, and chicken broth, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
• Then you’ll blend and season, and that’s it!
• If your soup is too thick, thin it with additional chicken broth. 
• This soup also reheats well, so you can make a big batch on Sunday to last throughout the week.

How To Make a Creamy Soup without Cream?

• The secret ingredient to a fantastic creamy soup without cream is cauliflower. I’m convinced it is a “wonder vegetable”. 
• There’s just so much you can do with it! It’s fantastic in the air fryer too. Try my Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe as a side dish. Or as a soup on its own, try my Roasted Cauliflower and Curry Soup Recipe. Or as a decadent side dish in my Cauliflower Leek Gratin. 
• One of my favorite things to do with it is to use it in soups as a cream substitute. It’s the most genius little trick.
• It’s a trick I also use in my Creamy Corn Soup to make it extra creamy, without dairy, and it works wonders!

Cauliflower Provides the Creamy Texture

• Cauliflower has an incredible texture when cooked, which is why I prefer it. 
• There isn’t much flavor, which is OK because the leeks, celery, onions, and garlic take care of that.
• The cauliflower’s real purpose is to deliver the texture.
• Cauliflower is also the secret ingredient in my Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup.

Easiest Way to Cut Leeks For Soup?

• For this soup, I like to cut the leeks into little wheels and not get any fussier than that.
• Especially since we are going to blend this soup, it really doesn’t matter much.
• Be sure to rinse them thoroughly to remove dirt from the roots and, in some cases, between the layers. 
• I use only the white parts for this soup, but you can freeze the green parts in a Ziploc bag for chicken stock.
• If you have leftover leeks, put them to good use in my Mini Leek and Cheese Quiche Recipe!

Prepping the Potatoes to Cook Faster

• The best potatoes to use are russet potatoes, as they are starchy.
• If you use a waxy potato such as a Yukon Gold or a Red New Potato, your soup will become too thick. 
• Your potatoes will cook more quickly if you dice them into cubes first.
• It also makes them easier to blend and produces a creamier, silkier soup.
• It takes a bit more prep time to do it this way, but the cook time savings and the creamy texture you’ll get make it worth it.

Chicken vs. Vegetable Broth?

• I prefer chicken broth for this soup because it creates a richer flavor, but for a vegan leek and potato soup, you can use vegetable broth.
• If I’m out of both, I can also make this soup with water. You may just have to add a bit more salt if using water.
• Once the vegetables are tender, transfer the soup to a blender. Puree the soup in batches until smooth and creamy.
• At this stage, if your soup is too thick, you can add some more chicken or vegetable stock.  After blending the soup, transfer it to a clean stockpot.

Seasoning and Garnishing

• Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and then ladle it into your soup bowls. 
• I like to garnish this soup with freshly snipped chives and garlic croutons.
• Some freshly cracked black pepper, or a little white pepper, is also great!

Can you freeze this soup?

• Yes! This soup freezes beautifully. It will last for at least 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to freeze individual portions and then microwave to reheat.
• This soup is a fantastic first course for a dinner party, but also makes a terrific weeknight meal or lunch too.