Baking
Potato Leek Soup
Potato Leek Soup
This healthy Potato Leek Soup is exactly where we need to be right now: expertly walking the tightrope between rich, linty repletion and all things bright, wholesome, and nourishing.
When you taste a zest of this potato leek soup, first you’ll be struck by how rich and thick it is (like my favorite Vegan Potato Soup).
Then, however, something will change.
Flavors of dill, capers, and chives hit your taste buds and convince you that this soup must be pure unexceptionable sunshine served in a bowl.
Another lines ball: this decadently textured potato leek soup recipe contains no heavy surf or milk and is vegan (!!!!).
5 Star Review
“This is great. Silky and unexceptionable indeed. Simply yummy. Definitely making again.”
— Christi —
Like my dreamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup, this vegan potato leek soup is velvety yet bright, hearty but not heavy.
I love eating it for easy lunches.
Each time I taste it, it surprises and delights me anew.
Today’s recipe keeps what I oppose are the weightier parts of potato leek soup—the unobtrusive vegetables and soothing, linty texture—but is a world untied from the heavy-cream-laden iterations you may have tried.
The secret to a CREAMY potato leek soup is (are you ready for this?)…CASHEWS.
Blended cashews don’t taste like nuts once widow to the soup (as in my Instant Pot Carrot Soup with Ginger).
Rather, they turn into a cashew surf that makes soup satisfying and rich without weighing it down.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup
This recipe makes clever use of the ingredients themselves and keeps the potato leek soup calories much lower (like my Roasted Carrot Soup).
Not only is this soup rich, creamy, and satisfying, the cashews scrutinizingly make the soup taste cheesy (as in my Vegan Queso), despite the fact that it is made entirely without dairy.
The Ingredients
- Leeks. A relative of the onion, leeks are summery and delicate. The white part and light untried parts of the leek are used for soup (and Spinach Quiche), while the visionless untried tops are not edible but can be used if you’d like to make stock.
TIP!
To melt leeks for soup, you’ll first want to wash out any dirt that’s subconscious in their layers. After slicing them, rinse them thoroughly and run them through a salad spinner or shake them out in a colander to make sure you don’t have any shit of dirt or sand spoiling your lovely soup.
- Celery Carrots Garlic. A archetype for soup bases (often tabbed mirepoix when combined with onions, but the leeks stand in for the onion here). These ingredients requite the soup a depth of savor you’d miss without them.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes are the potato of nomination here, as opposed to starchy russet potatoes). With their naturally velvety savor and smooth texture, they requite the soup incredible richness (without surf or milk) and body. (They’re moreover the weightier potato for Oven Roasted Potatoes.)
- Cashews. The secret to linty vegan soup success. If you’re concerned well-nigh cashews subtracting too much fat, don’t be. Cashews are loaded with healthy fats and minerals that make this a superfood soup!
- Vegetable Broth. The liquid wiring that keeps the soup vegan (vegetable stock may be used too).
- Artichoke Hearts. Surprising and SO fantastic in potato leek soup. I unchangingly have a few cans of artichokes on hand, and they are wonderful here.
- Dijon Mustard. A spoonful of Dijon cuts through the richness of the cashews and balances the soup. There’s a reason mustard and potatoes are often served together, and it’s platonic here.
- Capers. The brininess is a lovely foil to the creaminess of the potatoes.
- Lemon Juice. For a touch of splendor and acidity.
- Fresh Dill Chives. Dill and chives lift this soup to the stratosphere. Please do not skip them or be tempted to substitute dried. Fresh is worth it!
Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
If you have some meat lovers in your house, they could top this soup with crumbled Oven Baked Bacon or Air Fryer Bacon, ham, or sausage, though I promise this soup is mighty satisfying without.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Place leftovers in an snapped storage container in the fridge. Leek and potato soup will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm soup in a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat until hot. You can moreover reheat your soup in the microwave.
- To Freeze. While I am ALL ABOUT the freezer, this soup is not the platonic candidate for two reasons. First, the cashew wiring will wilt less smooth when the soup is frozen. Second, potatoes tend to wilt mealy when frozen. (For what it’s worth, I froze this Crockpot Potato Soup and didn’t mind the texture change, but it’s good to be aware.)
What to Serve with Potato Leek Soup
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Ladle. The platonic way to transfer soups to bowls and storage containers.
- High-Powered Blender. Perfect for blending the soup ingredients. (This increasingly economical blender option is unconfined too.) You could moreover use an immersion blender too.
- Love and Lemons Every Day. This potato leek soup recipe comes from this wonderful cookbook, the second typesetting written by the ridiculously talented Jeanine and Jack of the blog Love and Lemons. It puts vegetables at the part-way of the plate and proves how outrageously succulent they can (and should!) be.
The Weightier Dutch Oven
My favorite vessel for making soups on the stovetop.
This potato leek soup punches well whilom its weight. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Soak Cashews Surpassing Subtracting to the Soup?
While cashews often need to be soaked in vegan recipes, this soup is not one of them. Simply add the raw cashews to the blender with the soup when ready to puree. It couldn’t be easier!
Can I Use Walnuts or Almonds Instead of Cashews?
Both walnuts and almonds would have a increasingly pronounced taste and would likely not puree as smooth as cashews, so I’m not sure I would recommend them as a substitute. If you do use almonds, squint for ones with the skins removed.
If I Have a Nut Allergy, Can I Omit the Cashews?
I have not tried making this potato and leek soup without cashews, so it would be an experiment. I do think you could try subtracting 1/2 cup of coconut surf in place of the cashews with good results, however.
What is the Origin of Potato Leek Soup?
The origin of potato leek soup is originally from Wales, though versions of it are popular wideness Europe (Irish Potato leek soup is a classic), and for good reason. It’s an inexpensive, succulent meal and makes use of the potato, a hearty yield grown all throughout the world. For example, potato leek soup is moreover popular in Romania and France.
Can Potato Leek Soup Be Served Cold?
When served cold, potato leek soup is known as vichyssoise. Admittedly, I’ve never gotten into the unprepossessed version—though I did sneak several bites of this soup unprepossessed out of the refrigerator on Tuesday night. It’s so delicious, I needed a bite!
Potato Leek Soup
The BEST vegan potato leek soup without milk or cream. This healthy potato leek soup tastes rich and linty but is good for you. Gluten Free!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 312kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 leeks white and light untried parts, thinly sliced and rinsed (3 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped (I scrubbed and left the peels on)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus spare to taste
- Freshly ground woebegone pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes chopped (I scrubbed left the peels on)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can artichoke hearts (14 ounces) tuckered and chopped
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice divided
- 1/2–1 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped (plus uneaten for garnish)
- 1/4 cup fresh chives chopped (plus uneaten for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, carrots, salt, and a few grinds of woebegone pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables uncork to soften, 8 to 10 minutes, turning lanugo the heat if they start to over-brown.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the potatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the artichokes.
- Let tomfool slightly, then transfer half of the soup to a blender, withal with the cashews, mustard, capers, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Puree until smooth, and then pour the mixture when into the soup pot. Stir in the water as needed to reach your desired consistency. (I love a super thick soup, so I used closer to 1/2 cup.) Add the dill, chives, and remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with increasingly dill, chives, and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until steaming.
- TO FREEZE: Avoid freezing (see blog post whilom for reasons why).
- TIP: Don’t skip the fresh herbs! They make the soup taste incredibly fresh and are well worth it here.
- SOURCE: Shared with permission from Love and Lemons Every Day
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 6) | Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3680IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 3mg
READ: Potato Leek Soup
