Hands down the BEST creamy leek and potato soup recipe you'll ever try - Smooth and rich, loaded with flavour and topped with crispy leeks and toasted hazelnut!

There's nothing more comforting than a big hearty bowl of creamy leek and potato soup. It makes just the perfect starter heartwarming starter for a dinner party or for a family weeknight meal.

Why is it the best leek and potato soup recipe you'll ever try? Because it has it all!

It's smooth and creamy, loaded with flavour coming from the crispy leeks and fluffy potatoes, fresh aromatic herbs, and toasted extra nutty hazelnuts.

And it's just INCREDIBLY easy to make, making it totally accessible both to experienced and novice home cooks alike.

If you're thinking about serving soup at your Christmas dinner party, that's definitely the one you should be going for.

Serving soup at holiday dinner parties may seem a bit old-fashioned these days, but I have to say, this fancy yet simple, and naturally gluten-free leek and potato soup is one of my favourite things to serve at a large dinner party.

It makes dinner prep A LOT simpler, plus it's nicely filling whilst being relatively light. Did I mention it's also super pretty? They say we eat first with our eyes, so, pretty soup is what I aim for from now on!

Just 8 Ingredients

To make this classic winter comfort food all you need is just a bunch of ingredients:

potatoes
leeks
fresh herbs (rosemary, bay and thyme)
garlic
vegetable broth
extra-virgin olive oil ( or butter)
toasted hazelnuts
fresh milk

Opt for organic ingredients whenever possible, don’t skip on the fresh herbs, and use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (which is an even better option than butter if you ask me).

For best results, I recommend using Ratte, Yukon Gold or the UK-loved Maris Piper potatoes.

They all have a moist and fluffy texture, and a hint of sweetness flavour, which pairs perfectly with the delicate aroma of the leeks.

You can totally omit the toasted hazelnuts if you like, but since they take just 3 minutes to make, why not giving it a try? They add such an extra special flavour to the soup, which makes it even more interesting and puts any other soup to shame.

How To Make Leek and Potato Soup

Now, let's talk about how beautifully mess-free this dish comes together. Really, it couldn't be simpler to make.

Step 1: Start by heating the extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the potatoes, leeks and garlic, and stir-fry, stirring regularly for about 5 minutes.

Then fold in the fresh herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with a lid (but not entirely so that the steam can escape gently) bring to the boil.

Lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender and cooked through.

Step 3: Toast the hazelnuts for about 3-5 minutes in a skillet over medium-low heat. Chop them roughly and set aside until ready to serve.

Step 4: Remove the bay leaf (you can use one or two), rosemary and thyme sprigs from the pot, together with a handful of leeks and potatoes.

Step 5: Finely chop the reserved crispy leeks and cut the potatoes into tiny cubes, and set aside until needed.

Step 6: Adjust seasoning, then pour in the hot milk You can add in a tiny dollop of soured cream if you like.

Blend until smooth using a hand-held immersion blender (aka a stick blender).

The soup is now ready! Divide it into bowls, and top each one with chopped leeks, 3-4 potato cubes, chopped hazelnuts and extra rosemary and thyme leaves.

Season with extra white pepper (or black pepper if you like) if desired, and serve straight-away, nice and hot!

Can I freeze this awesome soup?

Yes, absolutely, it freezes beautifully! Once it's ready, transfer into freezable containers, and store in the freezer up to 1 month.

Whenever you fancy, take it out from the freezer, and defrost in the fridge for 12 hours, or over the kitchen counter for about 6 hours.

Then place in a pot and reheat until nicely hot.

In the meantime, you can toast the hazelnuts and prep some crispy leeks and small potato cubes to go along with your soup.

Creamy Vegan Leek and Potato Soup

If you wonder how complicated might be to make a dairy-free version, fear not.

It's totally easy to make a plant-based soup with no cream or milk.

Simply omit the milk and pour in a little bit of extra stock if necessary.

If you want to give it a nice twist, pour in a little coconut milk. I promise it will taste equally delicious!

More Soup Recipes For Winter:

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment and/or a rating below, and share a picture and tag @thepetitecook on Instagram! Reading your feedback and looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!

Leek and Potato soup in white bowl over two white plates, spoon on the side over a white napkin. brown and green leaves, and toasted hazelnuts scattered over a wood table.

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5 from 2 votes

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

Name: Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 4 leeks (white and light green parts only, roughly chopped); 2 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed); 900 gr Ratte, Yukon Gold or Maris Piper potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped into chunks); 2 bay leaves; 1 sprig fresh thyme (plus more for garnish if desired); 1 sprig fresh rosemary (plus more for garnish); 200 gr hazelnuts (peeled); 1.5 lt vegetable stock (homemade is best); 100 ml fresh whole milk (hot); 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked white pepper

Hands down the BEST creamy leek and potato soup recipe you'll ever try - Smooth and rich, loaded with flavour and topped with crispy leeks and toasted hazelnut!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British

Serving: 6

Calories: 455kcal

Author: Andrea Soranidis - The Petite Cook

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 leeks white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
900 gr Ratte, Yukon Gold or Maris Piper potatoes peeled and roughly chopped into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme plus more for garnish if desired
1 sprig fresh rosemary plus more for garnish
200 gr hazelnuts peeled
1.5 lt vegetable stock homemade is best
100 ml fresh whole milk hot
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly-cracked white pepper

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add leeks, garlic and potatoes, and stir-fry, stirring occasionally for about 5 min,
Fold in bay leaves, thyme and rosemary and season with sea salt and white pepper.
Pour in the stock and cover with a lid. Bring to a light boil, then lower the heat and cook with the lid slightly on the side (to let the steam escape) for a further 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender and cooked through.
In the meantime, heat a large skillet and toast the hazelnuts for about 3-5 mins, until lightly browned, then cut into halves and set aside until ready to serve.
Remove the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme sprigs from the pot, together with a handful of leeks and potatoes.
Adjust seasoning, pour in the milk, then blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
If the soup is too thin, return the pot to the heat and simmer the soup until thickens, if the soup is too thick, just add a little bit of extra stock.
Chop the reserved crispy leeks and cut the potatoes into tiny cubes.
Divide the soup into bowls, and top each soup with chopped leeks, 3-4 potato cubes, chopped hazelnuts and extra rosemary and thyme leaves. Season with extra white pepper if desired, and serve immediately.

Notes

To make vegan leek and potato soup, simply omit the fresh milk and add a little more vegetable stock if necessary.

To freeze this soup transfer leftovers into freezable containers, and store them in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Whenever you fancy, take it out from the freezer, and defrost it in the fridge for 12 hours, or over the kitchen counter for about 6 hours. Then place in a pot and reheat until nicely hot.

Did you try this recipe? Tag @thepetitecook or use the hashtag #thepetitecook - Looking at your pictures makes my day!

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in December 2016 and updated with more useful info and extra pictures.