This leek and potato soup without any cream, is perfect recipe for a quick lunch. Low in calories, this soup is tasty on it’s own or served with a slice of homemade bread.
Leek and potato soup is a classic soup that is perfect for a cozy night in or a comforting lunch. However, many traditional recipes use heavy cream, which makes the soup quite calorie rich.
If you’re looking for a healthier, dairy-free option, my leek and potato soup recipe without cream is for you! This recipe uses simple ingredients and techniques to create a velvety soup that is just as delicious and satisfying as the original. So grab your ingredients and let’s get cooking!
Why make this recipe?
- Great comforting soup that’s perfect any time of the year
- Serve it with a chunky slice of freshly baked bread and you have a meal
- Make 2 or 3 times bigger batch and freeze some for later
- Dairy free & suitable for vegan diets
- Low calorie soup (under 160 Calories per portion)
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SOUP RECIPES
Ingredients & Possible Substitutions
Potatoes
Your soup flavour will partly depend on what type of potato you’ll use. I always use whatever I have at hand.
Bigger potatoes are better because you need to peel them and they are easier to do. I probably wouldn’t use baby or salad potatoes or too floury potatoes, but even jacket potatoes are absolutely fine. You can use frozen potatoes or even pre-baked potatoes, which will save you time.
MORE POTATOE RECIPES
- Potato Cakes >>
- Baked Potatoes >>
- Mashed Potatoes with Chives >>
- Potato Bread >>
- Irish Farls >>
- Potato Omelette >>
Leeks
Use fresh leeks, the white part will go mainly into the soup and you can use the green part to decorate/ garnish the soup when you serve it.
How do I clean and prepare leeks for making potato and leek soup?
Cleaning and preparing leeks for potato and leek soup is an important step to ensure that the soup is free of dirt and grit. Here’s how to clean and prepare leeks for the soup:
- Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks and discard them (or save them for making stock).
- Cut off the root end of the leeks and discard it.
- Slice the leeks in half lengthwise.
- Rinse the leeks under cold running water, separating the layers to remove any dirt or grit.
- Pat the leeks dry with a clean towel or paper towel.
- Slice the leeks into thin half-moons or chop them into small pieces, depending on your preference.
Once the leeks are cleaned and prepared, you can use them in your potato and leek soup recipe.
What else can you put in leek and potato soup?
These are just a few of my favourite ideas, but feel free to get creative and experiment with different ingredients to make the soup your own.
- Add dairy free or normal cream if you like (this adds calories)
- Swap the vegetable stock cube for meat one (chicken goes well with this recipe)
- Add 1/2 teaspoons of caraway seeds (or ground caraway) to the recipe (this brings out the potato flavour)
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg (another spice that goes well with potatoes)
- Other vegetables: Carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and mushrooms are all great additions to leek and potato soup. They will add flavor, texture, and nutrients to the soup.
- Herbs and spices: Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and parsley are all great herbs to use in leek and potato soup. Spices such as cumin, paprika, or chili powder can also add depth of flavor.
- Protein: You can add protein to the soup by adding cooked chicken, bacon, ham, or sausage. Vegetarian options include tofu, tempeh, or beans.
- Greens: Adding greens such as kale, spinach, or chard can add a boost of nutrition to the soup.
- Cheese: If you’re not concerned about keeping the soup dairy-free, adding a sprinkle of grated cheese such as cheddar or Parmesan can add a delicious flavor.
- Toppings: Croutons, crispy bacon bits, chopped fresh herbs, or a drizzle of olive oil are all great toppings for leek and potato soup.
Allergies and special dietary requirements
- Naturally gluten free
- Suitable for vegan & vegetarian diets (plant based and no cream)
Is Leek & Potato soup without cream healthy?
My Leek and potato soup without cream can be a healthy and low-calorie option for your lunch if you use the ingredients and preparation method in my recipe. One portion is less than 160 Calories (the recipe nutritional value is calculated per whole batch, which has 2 portions).
Leeks are a good source of vitamins C and K, while potatoes are a good source of fiber and potassium. By omitting the cream, you can significantly reduce the amount of fat and calories in the soup. To keep the soup healthy and low calorie, you can use low-sodium broth, limit the amount of added fats (such as butter or oil), and add plenty of vegetables and herbs for flavor.
What can you serve leek and potato soup with?
This soup is perfect with a handful of grated cheese (plant based if you like), extra leeks and a slice of freshly baked bread with homemade herb butter. Here are my favourite bread recipes that go well with this soup:
- Quick (no knead) beer bread >>
- Soft yeasted bread rolls >>
- Simple dinner biscuits/ rolls (vegan version) >>
- Soda bread (no buttermilk) >>
My top tips on making this recipe successfully the first time round
- Prepare the potatoes and leeks by cleaning them, peeling and chopping into smaller chunks.
- Saute the onion, garlic and leeks for few minutes (but don’t let them go too brown)
- Simmer everything together until soft
- Blend using a hand-blender
- Serve hot with plant based cheese or garnish from leeks or fresh herbs
Can this soup be made in advance?
Yes, you can make this leek and potato soup in advance and it will be fine in the fridge for 3 days. You can also freeze soup following my directions in ‘How to freeze potato soup‘ blog post since the consistency is very similar.
Because we are not using cream in this recipe, this soup will last longer than more traditional recipes with cream.
How to store & re-heat this soup if you have any leftovers
Leave to cool down and transfer to a airtight container, cover with a lid and place in the fridge (for up to 3 days) or freeze on the same day. If you forget to put your soup in to the fridge, eat it on the same day.
MORE SOUP RECIPES
How can I adjust the recipe for a larger or smaller batch?
Adjusting my Potato & Leek Soup recipe for a larger or smaller batch is super easy as I’ve added 2x or 3x the amount of ingredients in the recipe card – just toggle the ingredients to the amount you need to make large batch of my soup.
If you are making large batch, the cooking time will be slightly longer, but it will depend on the size of your stock pot and the amount of ingredients you will be using.
I also find that whilst I’ll always double or triple the amount of potatoes and leeks in this soup, I don’t normally double or triple the amount of garlic, herbs and salt. This is because they have quite strong taste, so you might like to add the basic amount, cook the soup, taste it and then decide yourself if it needs more seasoning.
How do you thicken potato & leak soup without cream?
There are several ways to thicken soup without cream. Since we are already using potatoes in this recipe (and we are blending them), your soup should be fairly thick already.
If you still find that you’d like the soup to be slightly thicker, here are my favourite ways of doing this.
One way is to add a roux made with flour and butter. All you need to do is to melt some butter on a frying pan or small saucepan and add all purpose (or plain) flour. I find that 1 tablespoon of each ingredients is a good starting point. Mix the flour into the butter and let it cook for a little bit on a very low heat whilst you stir it continuously. Once the flour looks slightly darker (only like an ivory colour not brown) add the mix to the soup and mix in. You can do this right at the end when you’ve finished cooking the soup and only if you feel that the soup needs extra thickness.
You can also use some extra potatoes (cooked and mashed) or homemade potato flour to naturally thicken the soup.
I also sometimes use cornflour or cornstarch and add 1 teaspoon into the soup as it boils. Don’t be tempted to add too much in as the cornstarch reacts with the hot water and takes a time to thicken as you boil it. Boil for 2-3 minutes and if you see that the soup is not thickening enough, just add another teaspoon of cornstarch.
If you have some dairy free cream or milk, you can also use that although I’d probably stay away from coconut cream or milk as it has a very strong coconut flavour. When using dairy-free milk or cream, choose a neutral-flavored variety such as almond, soy, or oat milk.
I don’t have a blender, can I still make this soup?
Yes, absolutely! If you carry on simmering the soup beyond 20 minutes, your potatoes will start to break down by themselves. You can just lightly stir it and you will have a partly blended soup with chunky leeks.
If you wanted to make the soup even more creamy, you could boil the potatoes separately, mash them and then add them to the rest of the soup. This is also a great way to use up potatoes from last night dinner.
Leek & Potato Soup (no cream)
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- 500 grams potatoes 2 large potatoes or 3 smaller-medium size
- 500 ml water or 2 cups
- 1 cube vegetable stock
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 onion
- 1-2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cut up potatoes into a smaller chunks.
- Prepare the leeks by cleaning them first and then chop in 1cm pieces.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large stock pot (or large saucepan) and add the chopped onion, leeks and garlic and cook on a medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until the onion goes a bit see through. Don't let it to brown too much.
- Add the potatoes, water, vegetable stock cube and bring the whole pot to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook/simmer for another 20 minutes (or until the potatoes are done.
- To blend your soup, use either a hand-blender (and blend the soup in the pot) or pour the soup into a mixer /blender to blend.
- Season with salt and pepper and add a few pieces of chopped leeks to serve. Topp up with a grated plant- based cheese if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally written on 16 January 2021 and last tested and updated on 14 September 2023
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So easy to make and a great soup to make for the whole family. Made more to freeze for later and everyone enjoyed it with my homemade bread. Delicious!