Warm up with a comforting bowl of this easy vegan leek & potato soup. This dairy-free delight combines the delicate sweetness of leeks with the satisfying potatoes, using soy milk and olive oil to lend a creamy & rich flavour. Perfect as a quick dinner on those cold, Winter days or when you’re craving a comforting & nourishing one-pot meal.
Easy Vegan Leek & Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 450 g (around 3 medium) potatoes
- 500 ml (2 cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I like soy milk most)
- 500 ml (2 cups) water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- black pepper & salt, to taste
Instructions
- If your leeks aren't trimmed you need to prep them first. Remove any outer layers which look a bit dodgy and discard. Trim off the dry bits at the top of the leek. Score around the top third of the leek (the bit with the dark green leaves) and peel away & discard any dark green leaves.2 large leeks
- Cut down the length of the leeks and slice into 2cm wide strips. Scrunch to separate the layers and add to a bowl of cold water. Swish the sliced leeks around in the water to remove any grit/dirt and drain. Rinse and drain again if you feel like they need it.
- Add the oil to a large pot (I know it seems like a lot but the soup needs fat to have bags of flavour!) over a medium heat on the stove. Add the drained leeks and a pinch of salt and stir. Once the leeks are getting hot, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for around 15 minutes until they've softened completely but haven't turned golden at all (gentle cooking is key to retain the delicate flavour of the leeks).5 tbsp olive oil
- As the leeks soften, prep the potatoes: I like to leave the skin on the potatoes as it adds extra flavour but if you're not a fan, peel them! Either way, dice the potatoes into roughly 2cm chunks and add to the pot with the non-dairy milk and water. Crumble in the stock cube and stir to combine.450 g (around 3 medium) potatoes, 500 ml (2 cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk, 500 ml (2 cups) water, 1 vegetable stock cube
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are super soft. The milk may look a bit curdled as the soup cooks but that's fine!
- If you don't have a blender, use a potato masher in the pot to mash the potato chunks. You'll never get a completely smooth soup this way but it's still delicious and great for those who like it chunky!I like to use a stick blender (immersion blender) in the pot to blend around 2/3 of the soup, leaving the rest chunky. If you prefer a smooth soup, blend the entire contents of the pot. Only blend until you think it's done as overblending can make the soup a bit gluey.
- Stir in the lemon juice and a generous pinch each of salt and black pepper. You'll need to salt this soup quite generously as the potatoes absorb a lot of the saltiness. Serve the soup warm, with a drizzle of olive oil on top if you like (a garnish of thinly sliced chives or spring onions is also tasty but not required).1 tbsp lemon juice, black pepper & salt, to taste
Notes
- Leeks : £1.30
- Olive oil : £0.51
- Potatoes : £0.21
- Unsweetened soy milk : £0.25
- Vegetable stock cube : £0.08
- Juice from a fresh lemon : £0.05
- Total cost: £2.41
- Cost per serving: £0.60
Nutrition
Chunky leek & potato soup without a blender
I prefer chunky soups as I get bored of eating a whole bowl of completely smooth liquid. The easiest way to acheive this texture is to cook the soup as directed then use a potato masher in the pot to break up some of the chunks. It’s easiest to do this when you’ve allowed the potatoes to cook until they’re really soft so make sure you remove a chunk from the pot and smush it with a fork to see if it’s soft enough yet. This potato masher method allows you a lot more control over the texture of the soup and you’ll only be breaking down the potatoes, not the leeks, so you’ll have plenty of texture.
Avoiding a gloopy / gluey texture in your potato soup
Potatoes can act a bit weird when they’re blended. The blades break up the starch granules, releasing the starch within and resulting in a gluey, sticky texture. When it comes to soup you can’t fully avoid blending (unless you like a chunky soup, in which case – see above) so the key is to limit how much you blend it. Blend only until it’s *just about* smooth. If you’re after a suuuper smooth texture you can pass the blended soup through a seive to remove any large bits.
Making it creamy… without cream?
There are many ways to go about this when it comes to dairy-free soups. The two obvious answers are cashews or coconut milk but (a) cashews are pretty pricey and mean you’ll need to use a high speed blender which can result in a gluey soup and (b) I really do not want my potato leek soup to taste of coconut!!! So, the other options that I prefer are to:
- Incorporate a decent amount of olive oil into the soup base
- OR swirl some vegan ‘cream’ into the soup at the end.
To make the recipe more accessible and ‘pantry-friendly’ I decided to go with olive oil since then it’s one less ingredient to buy! This method works well because the olive oil emulsifies into the soup thanks to all the starch from the potoatoes, giving you a creamy & rich texture.
The other thing I do which makes this soup slightly creamier is to replace part of the water with a non-dairy milk. I prefer an unsweetened soy milk as it adds a good amount of protein and keeps the recipe nut-free (for those with allergies). If you don’t do soy, feel free to replace with your favourite non-dairy milk (you could go with pea milk for extra protein, or even oat milk if you’re okay with gluten!).
How to retain as much leek flavour as possible
The key with leeks is to cook them gently so that they steam and soften down. You have to avoid letting them brown as this will start to kill off their delicate flavour. A low and slow approach is the best and make sure you stir them every minute or so to prevent any browning.
My soup tastes bland, how do I fix it?
Honestly, the answer is probably just SALT. Soup is notoriously bland unless you salt it adequately. If you think about it, the majority of the contents of soup is water so you’ve got the season not just the vegetables but the water too! Stock cubes do contain a good bit of salt but usually not enough to fully season a soup. If you’ve added a generous pinch of salt to your soup and think it’s salty enough but still missing something, the next answer is ACIDITY. I like to add a bit of lemon juice – a couple of tablespoons is more than enough here to enhance the savoury flavours. If that doesn’t float your boat, try swirling in some vegan unsweetened soy yogurt! It’s got a lactic tang that will pep up the flavour perfectly.
Ingredients for vegan potato leek soup – explained:
- Leeks – these aliums have a gentle flavour which becomes sweet and fragrant when softly cooked down
- Olive oil – adds a creamy texture to the soup as it emulsifies into the liquids, thanks to the starch from the potatoes. Fat carries flavour is it’s also really important for adding that je ne sais quoi to your soup, making it irresistable
- Potatoes – you can use any potato here but I think starchy ones work better than waxy so go for any variety which says it’s good for mashing or baking! I think the variety Vivaldi are particularly nice as they have a buttery flavour.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk – I prefer using soy milk as it gives a protein boost to this soup whilst having a pretty neutral flavour. You can use oat milk but it won’t give you as much protein and it may make the soup taste a little sweeter. Nut milks will work great as long as they’re unsweetened and unflavoured!
- Vegetable stock cube – I use this for ease but if you have homemade veg stock, use 500ml of that instead of the water + stock cube. I also particularly like using the vegan ‘chicken-style’ stock cubes you can get nowadays from OXO, Massel or Better Than Bouillon.
- Salt & black pepper – be generous with these as they really lift up the flavour of the soup!
- Lemon juice – this is a ‘seasoning’ too, really. It rounds out the flavour in a similar way to salt. If you don’t have it, don’t worry you can leave it out! But if you do have some, give it a go – a little squeeze of juice goes a long way 🙂
How long will potato leek soup last? Can I freeze it?
To store in the fridge, let the soup cool to room temperature then place into a lidded container. It will last in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
If frozen, allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating to piping hot before eating.
Why does my potato leek soup taste bitter?
This can happen if you’ve included the darker green parts of the leek in the soup which is why it’s important to properly prep your leeks as described in the recipe.
What toppings are best for potato leek soup?
I tend to think an alium-based topping works amazingly here as it picks up the flavour of the leeks so:
- You can set aside a few tablespoons of the softened leeks (before you add the potatoes etc to the pot). These can then be scattered over the finished soup to hint at the flavours within.
- A handful of finely sliced chives or spring onions highlights that soft fragrance of the leeks.
- You can thinly slice and gently fry some fresh garlic in olive oil until turning golden. Drizzle the garlicky oil and crispy garlic chips over the soup before serving.
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is SO GOOOOD – it really adds a new layer of flavour and gives the soup an even creamier mouthfeel.
- If you peeled the potatos before adding them to the pot, take the potato peelings and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes until they’re crispy for POTATO SKIN CROUTONS. Yum.
- A spoonful of vegan yogurt or creme fraiche atop your soup will always be a great idea (just make sure they’re unsweetened!).