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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Recipes by Course ยป Soups

    Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup

    Published by: Adina February 14, 2022 ยท Last modified: October 2, 2024 Leave a comment
    Jump to Recipe

    This flavorful 4 ingredient potato soup with potatoes, leeks, stock, and butter is one of the simplest and best potato soup recipes. There is no need to add anything; this easy and delicious soup is full of flavor, just as it is!

    potato leek soup with bread on a kitchen cloth.

    This 4-ingredient potato soup is one of the quickest ways of putting dinner on the table. And if you would like another easy recipe for soup, try our Italian Zucchini Soup, Panera Black Bean Soup, the Creamy Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup, Chicken and Cabbage Soup, or the Easy Lebanese Lentil Soup. Soups are the ultimate comfort food, perfect for any cold day during the winter months.

    Serve any of them with Guinness Soda Bread, Cornbread without Buttermilk, Feta and Spinach Muffins, or Soda Bread without Buttermilk.

    Ingredients: 4

    Preparation time: 10 minutes

    Cooking time: 25 minutes

    Jump to:
    • What do I love best about it?
    • Recipe ingredients
    • Variations on the recipe
    • How to make potato soup with four ingredients?
    • Tips
    • Make in advance and store
    • What to serve with it?
    • More recipes using just a few ingredients
    • ๐Ÿ“– Recipe
    • ๐Ÿ’ฌ Comments

    What do I love best about it?

    Itโ€™s perfectly delicious without a BUT. You can find many four-ingredient potato soup recipes out there, but most of them say: the recipe is delicious, but to make it even better, you can add this or that (most of the time crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese).

    Hmm, if I am specifically looking for something tasty yet using just a few basic ingredients, I don't want to hear anything about extra ingredients. This recipe has only four ingredients (not counting salt and pepper), and the dish is wonderful!

    Other advantages?

    • Super low budget, you will only need cheap, simple ingredients.
    • Ready in no time.
    • Make a big batch and reheat it (you wonโ€™t get tired of it, even if you have it 3 times in a row).
    • Healthy and vegetarian. You can make it vegan and dairy-free by using vegan butter or oil instead of dairy.
    • Something for the whole family; kids love it despite the many green leeks.

    Recipe ingredients

    chopped potatoes and leeks, stock and butter in bowls on the table.

    This great recipe requires only a handful of ingredients. You only need tubers, leeks, butter, stock, and a large pot.

    Potatoes: I use any potatoes I have at the moment. I've already cooked this recipe with Russet potatoes (especially if I wanted to blend it), with Yukon Golds, red potatoes, or no-name plain sorts. Try the No Cream Leek and Potato Soup or the Celeriac Apple Soup, too.

    Leeks: If you ask me, the leek is an underrated vegetable. It's so great that we should eat it more often. I consider it the secret ingredient for this delicious potato soup; itโ€™s the main reason you will not need to add any cheese or bacon. The leeks impart the soup an incredible flavor: sweet and hearty, somehow slightly smoky, just perfect.

    Butter: To keep the soup vegan, use olive oil or vegan butter instead. I often think that using 3 tablespoons of butter for just a soup is quite a lot. But as this is a very basic recipe, I would not use less butter. The combination of butter and leeks makes this dish so flavorful.

    Stock: Good quality chicken or vegetable stock. To keep the soup vegetarian, use vegetable broth.

    See the recipe card for detailed instructions and full information on ingredients and quantities.

    Variations on the recipe

    You can make an easy four-ingredient potato soup with other vegetables instead of leeks. Try peas, broccoli, spinach, pumpkin, and carrots.
    Another great option is cauliflower (one of my favorite combinations).

    If using cauliflower, itโ€™s always a good idea to replace about half of the stock with milk or cream. In this case, the four-ingredient soup will become a five-ingredient soup.

    How to make potato soup with four ingredients?

    collage of two pictures of melting butter and sauteing potatoes and leeks in a pot.
    • Vegetables: Clean the leeks as instructed above. Chop them into small pieces and set them aside. Peel, wash, and chop the potatoes into bite-sized cubes.
    • Saute: Melt the butter in a large soup pot (1). Add vegetables and a sprinkle of salt, stir well to combine, and saute on medium-low heat for 8 minutes, often stirring (2).
    collage of two pictures of cooking soup in a silver pot.
    • Simmer: Add the stock, stir well, cover the pot (3), and simmer the 4-ingredient potato soup for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (4).
    • Adjust the taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a lot of pepper for a kick.

    Tips

    Clean the leeks very well; the dirt often finds its way between the many layers of this veggie.

    • Wash them thoroughly on the outside, cut them, and discard the roots.
    • If they are wilted, discard the last inch (2 cm) or so of the dark green ends as well.
    • Slice the leek lengthwise, starting at the transition between the white and the green part and moving the knife towards the top of the vegetables.
    • Carefully fan open the layers without taking the leek apart, and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.

    Make the soup creamy: I prefer it chunky, but I often blend it when I think a creamy texture better suits our menu.ย When mixing potato soup with an immersion blender, please donโ€™t overdo it, or the soup will turn gluey.ย You can also mash it with a potato masher; it will be somewhere between chunky and creamy.

    bowl of potato soup on a grey kitchen cloth with bread pieces beside it.

    Make in advance and store

    You can cook this potato soup 2-3 days in advance. Once cooked, let it cool and refrigerate the covered pot.

    Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days, a bit less if you cooked the soup in advance.

    Donโ€™t freeze it; frozen and thawed potatoes are not nice; they are grainy and weird.

    Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.

    close up soup with potatoes sprinkled with herbs.

    What to serve with it?

    Any kind of bread you like, from dark sourdough to French baguette. We also love dinner rolls and garlic bread, or we eat it just as it is, with no extra bread.

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    ๐Ÿ“– Recipe

    4-ingredient potato soup with leeks in a white bowl, close up.

    Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup

    Flavorful4 ingredient potato soup with potatoes, leeks, stock, and butter, one of the simplest and best potato soup recipes. There is no need to add anything; this soup is full of flavor just as it is!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Irish
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 178kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • Soup pot
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients  

    • 1-2 leeks depending on size 12.5 oz/ 350 g
    • 2 lbs potatoes 1 kg
    • 3 tablespoons butter Note 1
    • 3 ยผ cups chicken stock or vegetable broth, 800 ml
    • fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Clean the leeks: Wash them thoroughly on the outside, cut, and discard the roots and the last inch (2 cm) or so of the dark green ends if they are wilted. Slice lengthwise. Carefully fan open the layers without taking the leek apart, and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed. Chop the leeks and set them aside.
      1-2 leeks
    • Potatoes: Peel, wash, and chop them into bite-sized cubes.
      2 lbs potatoes /1 kg
    • Saute: Melt the butter in a large pot. Add vegetables, a sprinkle of salt, stir well to combine. Saute on medium-low heat for 8 minutes, often stirring.
      3 tablespoons butter
    • Simmer: Add the stock, stir well, cover the pot, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft (Note 2).
      3 ยผ cups chicken stock / 800 ml
    • Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. If you want the soup slightly hot, add lots of freshly ground black pepper (Note 3).
      fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Notes

    1. Vegan version: Use olive oil or vegan butter and vegetable broth to make the soup vegan.
    2. Consistency: I prefer it chunky, but you can blend it to make it creamy. Please donโ€™t overdo it; potatoes will turn gluey when blended for too long.
    3. Storage: The soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. Donโ€™t freeze it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 812mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe? Pin it today!Mention @thefastrecipe or tag #thefastrecipe!

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    Adina Beck the recipe writer, creator, and photographer behind The Fast Recipe Food Blog.

    Hi, I'm Adina! I am a foodie, creator, writer, and photographer, creating and photographing recipes for my blogs and clients.

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