Creamy Potato Leek Soup

The delicious comfort food of potato leek soup is enhanced with roasted garlic and creamy starchy potatoes. This soup is perfect for a cool fall evening.

What potatoes are starchy?

I use high-starch potatoes in this potato leek soup. The most common would be Russets, the oblong-shaped potatoes you use for baking. These make the best baked or mashed potatoes because they are so fluffy when cooked.

These potatoes are dry so they soak up the flavor of the soup leaving them moist and delicious.

How do you roast garlic?

One of the secrets to making this recipe go from good to amazing is the roasted garlic. Yes, it takes a few extra steps and time, but it’s worth it for the deep rich flavor it produces. Garlic goes into the oven crunchy, with biting flavor and emerges soft and almost sweet.

Learn how to roast garlic now and you will be adding this secret ingredient to everything. Plus, you can store it in the refrigerator for three to four days.

1. Peel off the outer layer on the garlic bulb but leave all the cloves attached to each other.
2. Slice the top off the garlic so that the interior cloves are exposed
3. Drizzle olive oil inside each clove
4. Put the bulbs in a cocotte (Dutch oven) or wrap them in foil
5. Cook for 40-50 minutes in an oven at 400 degrees.
6. The cloves will pop right out of the skin after being roasted

How do you blend this soup?

This soup should be creamy. Using starchy potatoes will help with this. Russet potatoes are the kind that make smooth creamy mashed potatoes. Your soup will have this texture as well.

You will want to blend it all together after you have cooked it. You have two options to do this.

1. The easiest way is to use an immersion blender. Even while the soup is still hot, you can put your immersion blender right into the pot and puree it.
2. Use a regular kitchen blender. You will have to do this in two or three batches. Only fill the blender about half way each time and cover it with a towel rather than the plastic lid. That way the hot soup will not build up as much pressure and explode the top off the blender.

How long does potato leek soup last in the refrigerator?

You can keep leftover potato leek soup in the refrigerator for three to four days. The flavor gets even better after it sits for awhile!

Can you freeze potato leek soup?

Potato leek soup freezes very well. It will keep in the freezer for two to three months and is an easy way to store leftover soup.

You can also make this ahead of time and divide it into individual portions. Meal prepping in this way will provide you with several servings of potato leek soup with no prep time the day you want to eat it.

To reheat, let it thaw in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

4.5 from 2 votes

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Creamy Potato Leek Soup

The most flavorful Creamy Potato Leek Soup ever! A bowl of hearty dairy-free potato soup with a nutty flavor thanks to a lot of roasted garlic. 

Course Soup

Cuisine American, International

Keyword Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 large leek
• 2 lbs white starchy potatoes the ones used for mashed potatoes
• 6 cups flavorful chicken broth
• sea salt
• pepper
• 6 strips bacon
• parsley

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F (200°C).
2. Peel off the paper-like outer layer of the garlic bulb, leaving intact the skins of the individual cloves and being careful to keep the bulb as a whole.

3. Cut the top part of the garlic in order to expose the upper part of every clove (see video).

4. Drizzle a few drops of oil onto each clove.

5. Place garlic bulb in cocotte and cover (or lack thereof wrap in aluminum foil).

6. Put garlic in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes or until cloves are soft and golden and caramelized. They should pop right out of their skins (see video).

7. Crisp bacon on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at the same time.

8. Wash and slice leek.

9. Preheat a big pot over medium heat.

10. Once hot, add a splash of avocado oil and add sliced leek. Reduce heat to medium-low.

11. Caramelize leek on medium-low heat by stirring often. This takes about 15 minutes.

12. While leek is caramelizing and in-between stirring peel and dice potatoes into about 1" (2.5cm) cubes.

13. Once leek is caramelized, add broth and peeled diced potatoes. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low again, cover and let simmer until potatoes are cooked through.

14. Once garlic is out of the oven and soft and tender and cold enough to handle, remove cloves from peel and add to bubbling soup.

15. Transfer into a blender in 2-3 batches, or use an immersion blender to blend and season with more sea salt and pepper if necessary.

16. Serve hot with crumbled up crispy bacon and freshly chopped parsley.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 301 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 22mg7%

Sodium 1536mg67%

Potassium 1324mg38%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 371IU7%

Vitamin C 53mg64%

Calcium 102mg10%

Iron 9mg50%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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