A delicious leek and potato soup without cream made with just a few ingredients and ready in about 40 minutes. You can leave it chunky or make it creamy.
This easy no cream leek and potato soup is not only super tasty but also a bit healthier and lower in calories than a classic leek and potato soup made with heavy cream. Still, it remains a comforting and nourishing soup perfect for these cold and wet days.
Try another satisfying bowl of soup that is perfect for this time of the year. For example, make the Easy 4-Ingredient Potato Soup or the Creamy Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup. Serve any of them with Guinness Soda Bread, for instance.
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What do we love about this leek soup?
- Easy: Really, all you have to do is a bit of chopping; the rest takes care of itself.
- Flavor: Leeks are always packed with flavor and impart their sweet and hearty flavor to every dish they are part of. Even if you don’t add any cream to the soup, you will not miss one bit of flavor.
- Low budget: You only need some potatoes, leeks, broth, and a few spices, all cheap ingredients that won’t strain the budget.
- Versatile: You can make a chunky leek and potato soup or blend or partially blend the ingredients to make the soup as creamy as you like.
Recipe ingredients
- Leeks: I had two huge leeks weighing about 1 lb (450 g) after cleaning. Leeks come in very different sizes; make sure you buy enough if they are small.
- Potatoes: All-purpose potatoes, like Yukon gold or white potatoes, are between waxy and starchy and suitable for most recipes.
- I don’t recommend using waxy potatoes for making soup.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter; adjust the salt you need accordingly.
- Broth or stock: I use homemade chicken stock or vegetable broth made from vegetable broth paste and hot water. The latter keeps the soup vegetarian.
- Spices: Three large garlic cloves, dried marjoram, nutmeg, fine sea or Kosher salt, and black pepper.
- I love using marjoram for making potato soups or stews; I think it’s an excellent fit for the tubers. However, if you don’t have it, you can replace it with more common dried herbs like thyme, oregano, or rosemary, or a dried herb mix like Italian herbs or herbs de Provence.
- Optional toppings: Crispy bacon bits, fresh herbs like thyme sprigs, fresh chopped parsley or chives, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions, croutons, etc.
How to make leek and potato soup without cream?
- Clean the leeks: Make sure you do this thoroughly; dirt quickly finds its way between the many layers of the plant.
- Wash them on the outside, top, and tail them, discarding the last inch (2 cm) or so of the dark green ends if they’re wilted.
- Slice the stalk lengthwise, starting at the transition between the white and the green part and moving the knife towards the top of the plant.
- Fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.
- Chop the leeks.
- Potatoes: Peel, wash and cut them into bite-sized chunks.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the chopped leeks, potatoes, minced garlic, dried herbs, and a pinch of salt. If you wish, add one or two bay leaves (1).
- Sauté the vegetables on medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so (2).
- Simmer: Add the stock or broth (4), bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 until the potatoes are soft; the cooking time depends on the size of the potato chunks (5).
- Adjust the taste with a few gratings of nutmeg, salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- The soup’s texture: Leave the soup chunky or blend it with a hand blender to your liking. You can blend it only partially (picture below) or blend it until creamy.
Expert Tips
If you choose to make a creamy leek and potato soup without cream, please don’t over-blend it; it will turn gluey, which is always the case if you overmix potatoes.
Using an immersion blender for blending soups or other hot liquids is preferable.
Food processor or blender: Puree the soup in batches. Increase the speed of the machine gradually to avoid splattering caused by built-up steam (that might even blow the lid of the food processor and cause burns).
Place a kitchen towel on the food processor to prevent drops from reaching the kitchen walls and surfaces.
You can also mash it with a potato masher; it will be somewhere between chunky and creamy.
Recipe FAQ
Sure. Use olive oil or vegan butter instead of butter and vegetable broth or stock.
Yes. Once cooked, let the food come to room temperature, then transfer it (covered) to the fridge. This is the perfect soup to reheat in the evening after a long day at work.
Refrigerate it for 3-4 days. If there’s still a lot left, leave it in the pot. Otherwise, you can transfer it to an airtight container.
Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Don’t freeze it; frozen and thawed potatoes become grainy and weird. If you want to freeze the soup, blend it until smooth to avoid the grainy consistency. If the soup separates after thawing, reheat it and blend it again.
What to serve with potato and leek soup?
- Check out this round-up; it includes many excellent recipes: What to Serve with Potato Soup? (25 Ideas).
- Otherwise, serve the no-cream leek and potato soup with crusty bread, Soda Bread without Buttermilk, or Cornbread Recipe without Buttermilk.
More Delicious Soups for a Cold Day
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📖 Recipe
Leek and Potato Soup (No Cream)
Equipment
- A large Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed soup pot
- Immersion blender optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb leeks 450 g weighed after cleaning, Note 1
- 2 lbs potatoes 900 g, Note 2
- 3 tablespoon butter Note 3
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon marjoram Note 4
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth or chicken stock, 800 ml
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- fine sea salt or Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper a lot
Instructions
- Clean the leeks: Wash them on the outside, top, and tail them. Cut and discard the last inch (2 cm) or so of the dark green ends; they are usually wilted.
- Slice the leeks lengthwise, starting at the transition between the white and the green part and moving the knife towards the top of the plant.
- Fan open the layers without taking the leek apart and rinse under cold running water until all the dirt is removed.
- Chop the leeks.
- Potatoes: Peel and wash them. Cut them into bite-sized chunks.
- Sauté: Melt the butter, add the prepared vegetables, minced garlic, dried herbs, and a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium-low heat for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so.
- Simmer: Add the stock or broth, bring to a boil, and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Adjust the taste with a few gratings of nutmeg, salt, and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- Optional: Leave the soup chunky or blend it to your liking using an immersion blender. You can blend it only partially or blend it until creamy (Notes 5,6).
Notes
- Leeks: I had two very large leeks, but leeks come in very different sizes. If they are small, you might even need 5 or 6. Ensure you check that you buy enough; you should have about 1.2-1.3 lbs (550-600 g) of leeks before cleaning them.
- Use all-purpose potatoes like Yukon or white potatoes. On the potato spectrum, they are somewhere between waxy and starchy. It’s preferable not to use waxy potatoes for making soups.
- Butter: Salted or unsalted; adjust the amount of salt you need accordingly.
- Marjoram is always great in potato dishes. However, you can replace it with other dried herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, or a mixture. You can also use Italian herbs or herbs de Provence.
- Blending in a food processor: Do it in batches, gradually increasing the speed to avoid the machine’s lid exploding and causing burns or other damages. It’s preferable to always use an immersion blender for blending soups or other hot liquids.
- Don’t over-blend any potato soup, or it will turn gluey.
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