Leek and potato soup

Name: Leek and potato soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 30 g butter; 450 g leek, trimmed, washed and sliced; 1 onion, chopped; 500 g potato, peeled and diced; 1200 ml vegetable stock; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 100 ml heavy cream (optional); 2 tbsp chives, snipped (optional)

Vegetarian

A gentle, velvety soup of slowly softened leeks and potatoes in stock, blended smooth and finished with a little cream and chives.

Leek and potato soup is a British soup, ready in about 50 minutes and made with leek and potato. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Leek soup — Photo: Ewan Munro from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 245

Ingredients

4 servings

30 g Butter (opens in a new tab)Swap: Olive oil (Makes the soup dairy-free with plant cream.)Contains milk
450 g Leek (opens in a new tab), trimmed, washed and sliced
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), chopped
500 g Potato (opens in a new tab), peeled and diced
1200 ml Vegetable stock (opens in a new tab)Swap: Chicken stock
½ tsp (3 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)Adjust to taste; stock is often salty.
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab)
100 ml Heavy cream (opens in a new tab) (optional)Swap: Coconut creamContains milk
2 tbsp (6 g) Chives (opens in a new tab), snipped (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a large pot and cook the leeks (opens in a new tab) and onion (opens in a new tab) with a pinch of the salt, covered, over low heat until very soft but not browned.
- 12 min
- low heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the potatoes (opens in a new tab), stock and remaining salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the potatoes are completely soft.
- 20 min
- medium-low heat
3
Step 3
Blend until smooth (or leave a little texture if you like). Stir in the cream, season with pepper (opens in a new tab) and reheat gently. Serve topped with chives (opens in a new tab).
- 4 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Blend hot soup in batches with the lid vented to avoid burns.

About this dish

Origin: Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainEaten across Britain, Ireland and France (where the chilled version is vichyssoise); no single origin.Also popular in United Kingdom, Ireland, France
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Soups
Cooking method: Simmered, Blended
Taste: mild, creamy, savoury
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pot · Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with: Leek · Potato · Butter · Onion · Vegetable stock
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter, heavy cream
May contain: Glutenfrom vegetable stock
May contain: Celeryfrom vegetable stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

245 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 573 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 8%
Carbohydrate 68%
Fat 24%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	245 kcal	43 kcal
Protein	5.4 g	0.9 g
Carbohydrate	43.2 g	7.5 g
Net carbohydrate	38.1 g	6.6 g
Sugars	8.2 g	1.4 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	5.2 g	0.9 g
Fat	6.8 g	1.2 g
Saturated fat	4 g	0.7 g
Trans fat	0.2 g	0 g
Cholesterol	16 mg	3 mg
Sodium	1259 mg	220 mg
Salt equivalent	3.1 g	0.5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 835 mg
Calcium: 99 mg
Iron: 3.6 mg
Magnesium: 66 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 181 µg
Vitamin C: 41 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 96 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: heavy cream, chives.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Wash sliced leeks in a bowl of water — grit sinks to the bottom.

Common mistakes

Over-blending potatoes in a high-speed blender can make the soup gluey; pulse briefly.

Serve with

Serve with crusty bread or cheese on toast.

Storage

Refrigerate for 3 days or freeze (before adding cream) for 3 months.

Reheating

Reheat gently, stirring, until piping hot.

Variations

Vichyssoise (France): Use only leek whites, enrich with more cream and serve chilled.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Butter30 g
Leek, trimmed, washed and sliced450 g
Potato, peeled and diced500 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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