The Best Cream of Potato and Leek Soup

The Best Cream of Potato and Leek Soup is old fashioned, simple, without bacon, with or without cream and the perfect blend of potato and leeks! Served with green onions, cheese, bacon or ham, parsley or chives, this soup will not disappoint!

Best Potato Soup Recipe

I was just released from the hospital and I had this super easy and delicious soup waiting for me when I arrived home. The Best Cream of Potato and Leek Soup is total comfort, bowl after bowl!

My husband believes this soup even helped me get better and he might be correct. There's nothing like a bowl of comfort!

I suspect truthfully that the leek and potato soup had little to do with my recovery but I know for sure that I enjoyed eating every last spoonful.

You will too! I can't wait to hear your opinion in the comments as I always love to hear.

I love how easily this soup comes together and the flavors are totally perfect in this simple and tasty potato soup. This is the best potato soup recipe.

Without question. You'll see.

I have also compiled an AMAZING list of the best cream soup recipes ever at the end of this post. All of my favorites. All in one place.

If you're a huge soup fan like I am you will totally LOVE this list. Hopefully you will try more than one of them!

For those of you that are interested in making potato soup in a slow cooker check out this wonderful Crockpot Potato Soup. I wish I created the recipe myself!

What To Serve With Potato Soup

If you're stuck for ideas and need a little inspiration, these next level soup sides will help you decide what you want to add to make that absolutely perfect meal...and don't forget the wonton crisps...they will blow your tastebuds away!

Leek and Potato

There is something about the way leeks taste with potatoes, especially in an easy potato soup, that work perfectly together.

That being said, I have used regular onions in a pinch and still enjoyed this soup just as much! Sometimes leeks just aren't available.

It's better to use fresh leeks from the garden, although they can be a tad difficult to wash.

I also make sure to use mostly the white fleshy part with a little bit of the green leafy part in my recipe. Store bought will work great too but there's nothing that beats food fresh from the earth.

We usually find leeks at our local farmers market since we haven't been successful growing our own. Leeks and potatoes were made to go together in my mind.

As I've stated in my other posts, my son Patrick used to go nuts when it was time to harvest vegetables in our garden.

He'd pull everything out of the ground and off the stalk with such precision and ease that you'd swear he had about another 20 years of experience.

He'd get dirty but it was easy because we'd just hose him off out back (and the vegetables at the same time).

He'd eat the spoils of his work with a giant grin that I remember fondly and it makes me smile when I think of it still.

Simple Potato Soup

Soup is so easy to make and takes little time to complete. This simple potato soup is no different. Some would even say it's "super simple"!

When Patrick was young he used to chomp at the bit to help me make this soup. He loved, and still does to this day, anything cooking related. Some things I would let him assist with and others were just too dangerous. Regardless, he was able to help me with this one.

I would let him hold the immersion blender while I blended the soup. He had strong little hands and was able to keep his fingers on the button.

There would be a bit of a mess but it was worth it to see the sheer joy on his face while he watched this simple potato soup transform.

Old Fashioned Potato Soup     

This easy, old fashioned soup is still wonderful comfort food to this day with some modern touches.

Throughout history, potato soup has been quite popular for a variety of reasons. It's so easy to make and there are many varieties that the possibilities are endless.

Potatoes are inexpensive, widely available and loved by all.  The universal comfort soup which can be dated back to as far as 20.000 BC according to some experts.

Talk about getting better with age! LOL

All kidding aside, this old fashioned potato soup recipe is a definite keeper.

Try it and you will see for yourself.

 Best Potatoes for Soup

When you're making an old fashioned potato soup, or modern day potato soup for that matter, there are a few different potatoes that you can use.

It all depends on the skin thickness, starch content, moisture content etc... It also depends on what kind of soup you're making.

Below I have listed a variety of potatoes and what soups they work best in. You'll then be able to decide which potato is best for your soup.

Round White Potatoes  These have a low starch content and a waxy skin.  They also have a higher moisture content which makes them great for soups where you want to put in skin on chunks.

Round Red Potatoes  These potatoes also have a low starch and a higher moisture content as well as a waxy skin.  They are perfect for soups where you want to add color on the skin chunks.

Yukon Gold or Yellow Potatoes  These have a medium starch content, moisture content and skin wax. They are best used in soups where you need the potatoes to work as a thickening agent and when you still want some potato chunks left.

Russet Potatoes  These potatoes are the best for cream of potato or baked potato soups.  Their high starch, lower moisture content and thin skin make them thicken soups quickly so it's best to use them modestly.

Ingredients for Tasty Potato Soup

• potatoes
• leeks
• vegetable or chicken broth
• heavy or whipping cream
• butter
• sour cream
• bay leaves
• salt
• pepper
• thyme
• bacon, cooked and crumbled or ham, diced
• green onions, shredded cheese, fresh chives or parsley for serving if desired

How to make Cream of Potato Soup

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.

Add sliced leeks, reduce heat to medium-low, and sauté, stirring frequently, until very soft but not browned, somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes.

I prefer using chicken broth in this recipe but feel free to use vegetable broth in this next step.

Add broth, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium-low, cover, simmer, and cook until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 15 minutes.

Discard bay leaves.

Puree with a handheld immersion blender, or in batches, in a food processor or blender.

Add cream, stir, and reheat before serving.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and fresh sliced green onions, shredded cheese, parsley or chives as desired.

Cream of Potato Soup with Ham or Bacon

Even though I don't always add it, you have the option of adding ham or bacon to this old fashioned potato soup.

I find when ham is added to the best cream of potato soup it becomes more of a hearty soup or meal.

Most commonly, potato soup is made with bacon or a ham of sorts. At least sprinkled on top of the tasty soup when serving.

Everyone associates potatoes with cheese, bacon and all that good stuff. Like I said, feel free to experiment and add what you want.

You need to create the perfect soup for you and your family.

You want to make your potato soup and you can be so flexible with this recipe.

Sometimes I add bacon because my husband and son LOVE it. Okay, I love bacon too.

Other times, especially if I have leftover ham, I will make this soup when I want to use the ham up.

Otherwise I will make this simple potato soup all by itself. Just potatoes and leeks.

The beauty of the recipe is that you can do whatever you like with it.

Now I have to mention that if you're going to add bacon then make sure it's cooked first.

Crispy or chewy, it doesn't matter, as long as it's cooked before it goes into the soup.

Potato Soup without Bacon

After all that talk about adding ham or bacon, let's talk about potato soup without bacon.

I created the final version of this recipe after stumbling upon an old fashioned potato soup recipe I already had, in the winter, many years ago.

I seem to recall being sick and I needed something warm, smooth and wet to sooth my throat and help me feel better.

It took me a couple of tries but finally I perfected this comforting soup recipe. So much so that, as I mentioned above, Ken made it for me when I got out of the hospital.

Everyone in my family now reaches for this smooth and creamy soup when they're feeling under the weather.

This cream of potato and leek soup is also great for those of you that can't eat solid food for a variety of reasons.

My friend Kim had her wisdom teeth out a few years back and she swore that it eased her pain.

I felt so much pride over my recipe at the time, and still kinda do.

Potato Leek Soup No Cream

Like any of my other cream soups you don't have to actually use cream when you make potato and leek soup. The cream adds a richness that you're not always looking for so it's great to have this option.

My cousin Sara is lactose intolerant so my aunt makes her all of my soups without the cream. She says that they taste delicious and that she doesn't feel like she's missing out on anything.

I'm so glad to hear that!

Now don't get me wrong, the potato leek soup no cream version isn't only for those that are lactose intolerant.

If you're looking for something a little on the lighter side but still want comfort food, then this soup version is perfect for you.

Potato and Leek Soup without Cream

Soups that contain milk or cream, like chowders and bisques, don't hold up well in the freezer — they tend to take on a grainy texture and separate when defrosted and reheated.

This potato and leek soup without cream freezes exceptionally well though (as well as any other cream soups made without the cream). The key is to just omit the cream when you make the soup.

Transfer the blended potato and leek soup (without the cream) to an airtight container in the freezer. When you're ready to eat it, defrost it in the microwave or on the stove, then stir in the cream and garnish.

Generally, the rule is do not freeze potatoes in soup as they will fall apart when freezing and give you a chunky consistency. Use an immersion blender, if necessary, while reheating the soup.

You can make the soup and keep it in the fridge, covered, in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months

Then simply add it in when you've reheated the soup

Best Cream Soup Recipes Ever

I have included a list of my favorite cream soups below and it's it's true that I don't always include the cream in all of them because they ALL taste great without it, in my opinion.

This is a list of the best cream soup recipes ever.

I recommend tasting your soup before adding the cream, whenever possible, to get the taste you are looking for or desire.

I also don't always blend or puree the soups after they are made either. Sometimes I just don't feel like doing it and other times I am just in the mood for a chunky soup.

Taste yours and see what you prefer. I just can't decide on a favorite. They are all so good.

This is my personal list of the best cream soups ever and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

My Grandma's Cream of Tomato Soup

Creamy Mushroom Soup

The Best Cream of Broccoli Soup

Perfect Sweet Potato Soup

Thai Carrot Ginger Soup

Butternut Squash, Pear, Leek, Carrot and Parsnip Soup

Mom's Chicken Paprikash Bisque

Other Soup Recipes to Try

The Easiest Steak Soup

Slow Cooker Moroccan Tomato Soup

Slow Cooker Italian Hamburger Soup

Marcel's Lentil Soup

Copycat PF Changs Canada Green Veggie Soup

The Best Cream of Potato and Leek Soup Video