Easy Vegan Leek & Potato Soup

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5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings 4 people

Calories 306kcal

Cost £2.40 (whole recipe)

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

Gluten-free: ensure the stock cube and non-dairy milk you're using is gluten-free. Some oat milks may contain traces of gluten so be mindful of this.

Nut-free: use a non-dairy milk which doesn't contain nuts e.g. oat milk or soy milk.

Soy-free: use a stock cube and non-dairy milk which isn't soy-based. A great option instead is an unsweetened pea milk (e.g. Sproud or Mighty) - these are higher in protein than oat/nut milks generally so will keep the protein content of the soup relatively equal to if you used soy.

Price breakdown (based on prices from ASDA as of November 2023)

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