Vegan Leek Potato Soup

One bite of this vegan potato leek soup, and you’ll wonder why soup ever needed dairy anyway. As a French-trained chef, I’ve shaped this one-pot wonder to be creamy (but never gluey), and turned humble potatoes and leeks magical with the help of some special ingredients that might surprise you.

Whether you’re making this for Meatless Mondays or just because you want a bowl that hugs you from the inside, you’re going to love this recipe that has been tried, tested, and meant to be savored. Vegan or not, I think you’ll find this irresistible.

What is Potato Leek Soup?

Potato Leek soup is a simple soup that still gives you great flavor. Its main ingredients are potatoes and leeks simmered in broth, though it often includes garlic and onion as well. Most potato leek soups are pureed, like this one, so they are creamy and smooth. Traditional (non-vegan) potato leek soups often use heavy cream to add more luxuriousness to the texture, though this soup uses coconut milk instead.

Why You'll Love This Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup

• Creamy, not gluey: I love the texture of this soup, made velvety with the addition of a bit of coconut milk right at the end. No gloppy potato soup here!
• Total comfort food: This soup is comfort food at its most nurturing, and perfect for chilly days.
• Vegan and delicious: I use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and coconut milk instead of cream. Plus a special ingredient that adds depth and savoriness. And this actually might be my favorite potato soup ever!

Vegan Leek and Potato Soup Ingredients

• Potatoes: For soup, you want a creamy potato rather than a starchy one. Yukon gold potatoes are perfect, as are many thin-skinned potatoes like fingerlings and white potatoes. In France, my potato of choice is the Mona Lisa potato. Potatoes to avoid are traditional baking potatoes, like russet potatoes, which are too starchy for soup and can create a mealy texture. 
• Miso Paste: Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans, and a little goes a long way. The paste is similar in consistency to a nut butter and comes in several different varieties from light to dark (often labeled white or sweet up to red or brown). The darker the miso paste, the longer the fermentation, and the more intense the miso flavor. You can often use any miso you like for this recipe, but you may want to use less if you have a dark miso paste. 
• Coconut Milk: If you want, you can leave this out of the recipe entirely. The soup will still blend together smoothly without it, but I do enjoy the extra richness it brings to the dish. You can also replace with heavy or light cream if you don't need a vegan version of this dish.
• Vegetable Broth: Similarly, if you don't want a vegan version of this soup, you can easily replace the vegetable broth with chicken broth.

How To Make Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Start by preparing your vegetables. Peel and chop 3 medium potatoes into ¾-inch chunks. Peel and dice one small onion. Now, peel and chop one clove of garlic.

Cut off the dark green leaves of 3 medium leeks and rinse out any dirt. Now cut into thin slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic, leeks, and 1.5 teaspoons miso paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned and miso is fully incorporated into the vegetables.

Add potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add 4 cups of vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes, with the pot partly covered, until potatoes are tender. Now blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

After soup is puréed, bring back to a simmer, and add ½ cup coconut milk. If soup is too thick for your liking, add more vegetable broth. Heat soup gently for 5 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with a swizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped chives to serve.

How to Store Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Store potato leek soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months. Make sure it has cooled fully before putting it into an airtight container to freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop—you may need to stir well or use an immersion blender if the soup has separated a little. (Luckily, using coconut milk rather than heavy cream reduces the risk of separation.)

🧐 FAQs

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips for Vegan Potato Leek Soup

• If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender to purée your soup. However, let the soup cool down a little before blending. Blitzing hot soup in a regular blender can be dangerous!
• It can be tricky to remove all the dirt from leeks. When you remove the outside leek layers, check to see if there is dirt between the remaining layers. If so, slice thinly and place leek slices in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Remove leeks with a slotted spoon, trying not to disturb the dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Pat dry before using.

What to Serve with Vegan Potato and Leek Soup

Looking for ideas for how to make this soup into a meal? Try some crusty bread and a side salad. If you want to stay vegan and gluten-free with your meal, try serving with my Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Miso Dressing or my Kale Salad with Cranberries (minus the goat cheese on top). Some simple greens tossed with my Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing or my Meyer Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette would also be delicious with this soup.

If you're interested in other delicious vegan soup recipes, don't miss my Pumpkin Soup without Cream. Still creamy and delicious, with no dairy added! My Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup would also be a good fit—just replace the tablespoon of butter with olive oil. Or try a Cauliflower Leek Soup, using coconut milk instead of heavy cream. This Classic French Lentil Soup is vegan too!

Other Delicious Vegan Recipes

If you are looking for other vegan recipes, I have quite a few on my website. Some of my favorites are:

If you try this Vegan Potato Leek Soup recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!

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Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Chef Molly Pisula

Vegan potato leek soup features potatoes and leeks cooked with onions, garlic, vegetable broth, and coconut milk, then topped with chives.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Soup, Vegetarian

Cuisine French

Servings 4

Calories 305 kcal

Equipment

Cuisinart CSB-179 Smart Stick Hand Blender, 2019, Stainless Steel

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 small onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 medium-large leeks
• 1 ½ teaspoons white or yellow miso paste
• 4-5 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped chives for garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

• Start by preparing your vegetables. Peel and chop potatoes into ¾-inch chunks.
• Peel and dice onion.
• Peel and chop garlic.
• Cut off the dark green leaves of each leek and rinse out any dirt in its layers. Then slice thinly.
• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add chopped onions, garlic, leeks, and miso paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened but not browned and miso is fully incorporated into the vegetables.
• Add potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add 4 cups of vegetable stock, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes, with the pot partly covered, until potatoes are tender.
• Now blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
• Bring soup back to a simmer, and add coconut milk.
• If soup is too thick for your liking, add as much of the extra cup of vegetable broth as desired. Heat gently for 5 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with a swizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of chopped chives to serve.

Notes

If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend soup in a regular blender. Just let it cool somewhat before you ladle it into the blender—blending very hot liquid can be dangerous!

It can be tricky to remove all the dirt from leeks. When you remove the outside leek layers, check to see if there is dirt between the remaining layers. If so, slice thinly and place leek slices in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Remove leeks with a slotted spoon, trying not to disturb the dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Pat dry before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 10gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 646mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8g

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More About Molly

Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!

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