A plant-based spin on the traditional, this Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup marries buttery leeks and tender potatoes with creamy cannellini beans, lemony herb oil, and greens for an entire meal.
Whereas the traditional French model options butter and cream, I promise you received’t miss the dairy right here (no gluten, nuts, or soy both!). Thanks to some secrets and techniques, this soup is wealthy and creamy and brimming with cozy taste (however filled with good-for-you components!).
Not solely is that this soup scrumptious, nevertheless it additionally boasts a easy ingredient listing and a one-pot choice. And it’s nice for meal prep!
Desk of Contents:
1. Why you’ll love this recipe
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step directions
4. Suggestions for making this recipe
5. Variations
6. Ceaselessly Requested Questions
7. Recipe card with notes
Why you’ll love this recipe
Comforting but healthful
This soup is cozy, creamy, and all the pieces you need in a bowl of consolation. With melt-in-your mouth golden potatoes and candy leeks, it delivers pure consolation meals, bowl after bowl.
And the key to its wealthy, velvety texture? Including creamy cannellini beans and mixing half the soup—no dairy wanted.
However don’t let the indulgent vibe idiot you—every bowl is filled with fiber, protein, and antioxidants from leafy greens, garlic, and contemporary herbs. And simply if you assume it will probably’t get higher, a drizzle of lemony herb oil is available in for that good, wealthy end and splendid mouthfeel.
Healthful consolation, perfected.
Easy components, massive taste
You’ll be shocked by the gourmand flavors and class of this soup given the easy ingredient listing. On a regular basis components like white beans, leeks, potatoes, child spinach, garlic, olive oil, lemon, contemporary herbs, and vegetable broth combine and mingle till they remodel right into a medley of wealthy but shiny flavors.
Nice for meal prep
This potato leek soup works nice for meal prep in some ways.
One, the leftovers are glorious, so you possibly can get pleasure from a scrumptious, hearty soup for midweek lunches.
Two, the soup is freezer pleasant, so you possibly can whip up a double batch and retailer it within the freezer for busy weeks. Souper Cubes (affiliate hyperlink) are your finest good friend right here!
Three, you possibly can prep a number of gadgets forward of time to chop down on prep time the day you make this soup. As an example, you possibly can slice and wash the leeks 3 to five days forward of time: simply pat them dry, then retailer in a paper towel-lined hermetic container within the fridge).
You may as well chop the garlic as much as 5 days forward of time (retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge). And you’ll whip up the herby oil just a few days forward of time and refrigerate it in a small jar.
PS: When you love my Creamy White bean Soup with Kale, you’ll positively love this soup, because it’s tailored from that fan-favorite recipe (with over 500 5-star evaluations!).
Ingredient notes
Leeks
Is there any larger winter vegetable than the standard leek? Okay, possibly fennel or cabbage (I’ve a number of “favourite” greens), however leeks really shine in winter and I’m on a mission to make extra folks fall in love with them.
When cooked down, their oniony taste mellows right into a candy butteriness that makes the proper base for soups (and mushroom dishes, like this Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff or Vegan Mushroom Risotto!).
Gold Potatoes
On the subject of selecting the kind of potato for a potato leek soup, there’s just one good choice for my part: the Yukon gold potato (or every other golden potatoes).
Golden potatoes have each medium starch and waxiness. They’re just like the Goldilocks of potatoes. In distinction, Russets have little or no taste and are much less creamy, so keep away from these right here. And crimson potatoes are waxy potatoes, which implies they’ll be scrumptious however received’t get as creamy.
Cannellini Beans
The traditional potato leek soup is extra of a facet dish, however I’m extra of a soup-for-dinner-kinda-girlie, particularly in winter.
The addition of cannellini beans (AKA the king of creamy beans) brings protein and fiber to the soup but in addition one other layer of creaminess, particularly if you mix half of the soup.
Substitute: Cannellini beans can also be bought as “white kidney beans.” in the event you can’t discover these, use one other white bean, ideally a medium or bigger sized bean.
Tip: Need to take the soup excessive? Cook dinner your beans from scratch. You’ll want 8 ounces or 225 grams of dried beans. If in case you have a replica of my first cookbook, The Vegan Instantaneous Pot Cookbook, flip to web page 38 an Instantaneous Pot prepare dinner time chart for dried beans (affiliate hyperlink).
Contemporary Herbs
When you make my recipes even considerably commonly, you already know I’m an enormous fan of incorporating contemporary herbs into my meals. They add a lot taste, nuance, and dimension.
And the contemporary herbs hit exhausting on this recipe. First, a medley of sturdy herbs (sage, thyme, and bay leaves) is tied right into a bundle (a “bouquet garni”), infusing the soup with woodsy, natural aroma whereas it simmers. Then, the soup will get completed with essentially the most luscious lemony herb oil.
The lemony herb oil would possibly sound sophisticated, nevertheless it’s merely a matter of finely chopping some parsley and dill and mixing them with lemon zest, grated garlic, flaky sea salt, and good high quality olive oil.
Substitutes: Across the holidays, at some American grocery shops, you can see a mix of “poultry herbs,” which usually options thyme, rosemary, and both sage or rosemary. Be at liberty to make use of these. Additionally, you possibly can substitute the sage with rosemary. When you don’t have dill, you possibly can simply exchange it with extra parsley.
Child spinach
Whereas a standard potato leek soup doesn’t have any greens, I snuck in just a few handfuls of child spinach for a vitamin enhance. I promise you’ll hardly even discover the greens!
Tip: Need a purely creamy soup with out the feel of silky greens? Merely omit the spinach.
Step-by-step directions
Warmth the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high warmth and add the sliced leeks.
Stir sometimes till the leeks have softened and are beginning to brown, then add the garlic and chili flakes (non-compulsory).
Sauté briefly, stirring ceaselessly. Add within the vegetable broth to deglaze the pot.
Add the peeled and diced potatoes, cannellini beans, bouquet garni, salt, and pepper. Carry the soup to a boil, then cut back the warmth and simmer, lined, for 20 to 25 minutes.
As soon as the potatoes are tender, scoop out half of the soup right into a stand blender*. Mix the half batch of soup till creamy and thick.
*For a one-pot choice: use an immersion blender as a substitute. Add the immersion blender instantly within the pot and mix roughly half of the soup, taking care to not mix all of it (you need some texture!).
Pour the blended soup again into the pot and stir till the soup has thickened.
Add the chopped child spinach and simmer briefly till the spinach has wilted.
Whereas the soup simmers, make the lemony herb oil.
Finely chop the parsley and dill. Zest the lemon and grate the garlic. Mix the herbs, lemon zest, garlic, and a little bit of flaky sea salt.
Switch to a small jar and drizzle within the further virgin olive oil. Stir, including extra salt to style.
Suggestions for making this recipe
Don’t skip the lemony herb oil!
This soup is sweet by itself, however you’d be promoting it quick in the event you didn’t end it with the lemony herb oil.
The contemporary parsley and dill add further layers of taste and character, the additional virgin olive oil provides silky richness and a stunning mouthfeel, the lemon zest brings a delightfully shiny aptitude, and contemporary garlic provides all the pieces a enjoyable zing.
You possibly can retailer leftover herby oil within the fridge for about 1 week. The oil will seemingly solidify after being refrigerated for greater than 24 to 48 hours, however simply let the jar of herby oil sit out at room temperature for ~10 minutes.
Whereas it doesn’t take lengthy to cut the herbs and zest the lemon/garlic, you probably have a mini chopper or mini meals processor, you possibly can add the entire components for the herby oil to the machine and whiz it up.
Wash the leeks completely
Leeks are certainly one of my very favourite greens, however they’re fairly filthy. Actually. They’re lined in grime.
You’ll want to wash them completely so that you don’t find yourself biting into any gritty sand whereas slurping your luxurious soup! Washing directions are within the recipe card.
Use good high quality broth
The standard of your vegetable broth issues in a soup with easy components, so use the best-quality broth you will have entry to.
For store-bought broths, my favourite model is Think about Natural (affiliate hyperlink). The broth is wealthy and flavorful (and if you style it by the spoon, it’s truly fairly tasty–—one thing I positively can not say for different store-bought broths).
You may as well use a Higher than Bouillon “no-chicken” broth base for a savory depth of taste (affiliate hyperlink). Begin with 2 to three teaspoons of the bottom for 4 cups (960 mL) broth to keep away from oversalting the soup.
Multitask
To make this recipe most effectively, lean into multitasking a bit bit.
Whereas the leeks are cooking on the range, peel and cube the potatoes. And whereas the soup simmers, make the Herby Oil.
Variations
This soup is kind of versatile and will be tailored primarily based on what you will have readily available and/or what you favor.
Don’t have leeks? Whereas this soup will now not be a potato leek soup, it might nonetheless be scrumptious with candy onions. Use 2 medium candy onions or 6 giant shallots.
Swap up the herbs. Use contemporary rosemary as a substitute of sage or thyme within the bouquet garni. Use chives as a substitute of dill within the herby oil, or simply extra parsley.
Skip the child spinach or exchange it. Need a purely creamy soup? Skip the child spinach. Or, in the event you choose, exchange it with child kale or just a few handfuls of thinly sliced lacinato kale. If utilizing entire kale, simmer for just a few further minutes, or till the kale is tender.
Add extra veggies in the event you like. Be at liberty to make use of as much as 5 ounces (140g) of child spinach (a typical dimension bag of child spinach). You’ll want to add extra salt to style and/or extra herby oil per serving. Or, cube just a few carrots or thinly slice a fennel bulb; sauté for a couple of minutes after the leeks soften.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
When you don’t have kitchen twine to tie up the thyme/sage right into a “bouquet garni” you will have a number of choices:
(1) exchange the twine with both (a) an extended stem of flat-leaf parsley, with leaves eliminated or (b) plain, unwaxed dental floss; OR
(2) Add the herbs to a cheesecloth and take away the cheesecloth after simmering; OR
(3) Add the thyme sprigs and sage sprigs plus bay leaves entire within the soup; after simmering and earlier than mixing, use tongs to fish the entire sprigs and bay leaves out, discarding.
As soon as cooled, retailer leftover soup in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
For the herby oil, retailer it in a sealed jar within the fridge for as much as 1 week. The oil will seemingly solidify after being refrigerated for greater than 24 to 48 hours, however simply let the jar of herby oil sit out at room temperature for ~10 minutes.
Sure! This soup is freezer-friendly and will be frozen for about 3 months.
For faster defrosting, I like to recommend freezing particular person servings of the soup in these Souper Cubes (affiliate hyperlink).
To reheat smaller parts, you possibly can add them on to a saucepan and warmth till defrosted and warmed by means of.
For bigger parts, you’ll get the perfect texture in the event you thaw the soup within the fridge, then reheat.
If the soup is just too thick, skinny out with a splash of broth or water whereas reheating on the range.
As for the herby oil: I’ve not tried freezing the herby oil, however I’d advocate freezing it in ice dice trays, much like the way you freeze pesto. As soon as the cubes are frozen, you possibly can pop them right into a freezer bag.
This soup is finest paired with a slab of crusty bread! I wish to toast mine within the oven, then rub it with a halved garlic clove, lower facet dealing with the bread. Drizzle the toast with a bit of fine olive oil or a schmear with a pat of vegan butter, and you’ve got prompt garlic bread!
If gluten-free and/otherwise you don’t need to serve with bread, you possibly can serve alongside some roasted potatoes and even stir in cooked quinoa, brown rice, or different entire grains into the soup to bulk it up extra.
Searching for a wonderful soup and salad pairing for fall/winter? I like to recommend this Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad!
When you love this creamy vegan potato leek soup, please remember to depart a ranking and evaluation under! It’s at all times a lot appreciated 🙂
Massive Vegan Taste
Strategies and 150 recipes to grasp vegan cooking.
Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Made with easy, healthful components, this Vegan Potato Leek Soup is deceptively flavorful! Basic buttery leeks and tender potatoes pair with creamy cannellini beans and a shiny herby oil for a nourishing full meal.
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Prep the leeks: Reduce off the roots and the highest few inches of darkish inexperienced tops first, then thinly slice the remaining leeks. Add to a bowl of chilly water and gently agitate them to loosen the grime. Use your fingers or a slotted spoon to scoop out the leeks onto a clear towel and pat dry (don’t drain them, or the grime will fall again into the leeks).
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Make the Bouquet Garni: Collect the bay leaves, sage sprigs, and thyme sprigs in a single pile. Use kitchen twine to tightly tie them collectively (see Be aware 1). Put aside.
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Warmth the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high warmth. As soon as shimmering, add the leeks with just a few pinches of salt. Cook dinner till softened and beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring sometimes.a. Whereas this cooks, rinse the potatoes, then peel and cube them.
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Add the garlic and chili flakes to the pot. Cook dinner for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring ceaselessly. If wanted, add a splash of broth to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Add the broth, Bouquet Garni, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, pepper to style, potatoes, and beans. Stir effectively.
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Carry the soup to a boil. Then cut back the warmth to medium-low, cowl the pot, and simmer the soup for 20 to 25 minutes, or till the potatoes are tender, uncovering to stir just a few instances.
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In the meantime, make the Herby Oil: Finely chop the parsley and dill. Utilizing a microplane, zest the lemons on high of the parsley, then grate the garlic into the combination. Add to a small jar (this makes it simpler to distribute the oil).a. Stir within the flaky sea salt and the ¼ cup (56g) olive oil. Style, including extra salt to style.
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As soon as the potatoes are tender, scoop out the Bouquet Garni and discard. Mix about half of the soup (3 to three ½ cups / 680 to 800g).a. Stand blender choice: Switch half of the soup to a stand blender. Change the blender cap with a dish towel to permit the steam to vent. Mix till thick and clean. Return to the pot and stir to include.b. One-pot choice: Use an immersion blender all through half of the soup, however remember to not mix all of it—you need to retain some texture.
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Add the child spinach to the soup. Simmer for two minutes, or till the spinach has wilted and is silky. Season with salt to style and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
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Serve the soup in bowls. Spoon the Herby Oil over every bowl.
- When you don’t have kitchen twine to tie up the thyme/sage right into a “bouquet garni”: (1) exchange the twine with both (a) an extended stem of flat-leaf parsley, with leaves eliminated or (b) plain, unwaxed dental floss; OR (2) Add the herbs to a cheesecloth and take away after simmering; OR (3) Add the thyme/sage sprigs & bay leaves entire within the soup; after simmering and earlier than mixing, use tongs to fish the entire sprigs and bay leaves out, discarding.
