This velvety Vegan Potato and Leek Soup is a quick and easy soup that employs the natural creaminess of potatoes. Gluten-free and nut-free, too!
Leeks are one of my favorite vegetables. I love using them in things like rice pilafs, börek, tofu scrambles, and especially soups. I usually buy a few bunches of them at a time, remove the tough green tops, slice them down the center, then wash them really well between each layer. Because they are grown in sandy soil, leeks can sometimes accumulate dirt in between the many layers.
So what I usually do is buy several bunches of them at a time, remove the tough green tops, slice them down the center, and wash them really well between each layer. Then I slice them and store in the freezer. Whenever I need some, I grab a handful of frozen slices and sauté them for my recipe. I also do this for green onions, too. It just makes prep work so much quicker and more convenient.
Whereas my Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup uses cashews and walnuts to impart creaminess, I often chose to omit nuts in this recipe. When blended, the potatoes bring a velvety texture that more than makes up for the creaminess that comes from the fat in nuts. By all means, if you prefer, go ahead and add a handful of soaked cashews when blending this soup to bump up the richness. I sometimes do!
You can use any type of potato for this recipe. This time, I used a combination of Russet and yellow potatoes, hence the golden color of the soup in the pictures. The only thing to keep in mind, however, is to make sure you don’t over-blend the soup since the starches in potatoes can become gluey when over-processed. Simply blend just until smooth and add it back to the pot with the unprocessed half for a thick and smooth soup that still preserves texture from the unblended potato portion.
- 2 lbs (a little under 1kg) potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped leeks
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano or thyme
- ½ teaspoon finely minced rosemary or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups hot water
- 4 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, or replace 4 cups of the water with 4 cups of prepared vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- fried leek strips for garnish
- Peel and cut the potatoes into small dice of around ½ inch pieces.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the olive oil and the leeks until softened, around 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Now add the oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and black pepper and stir around for 10 seconds. Immediately add the water, broth powder (or prepared broth), salt, bay leaf, and potatoes.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check to see if the pieces of potato are cooked. Boil a few more minutes if they need more cooking. When done, remove the bay leaf and transfer half of the soup to the blender and blend just until smooth. Be careful not to over-blend as potatoes can become gluey when over-processed. Don't worry if you notice that your potatoes have become gluey, you are going to mix it back into the watery portion---it will come out fine. So now return the blended portion back to the pot and stir in the chopped parsley.
- Taste for seasoning and serve as is or with a garnish of fried leek strips. Make them by slicing thin strips of leek lengthwise, then frying quickly in oil until browned and crispy.
-This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and uses the natural creaminess of potatoes for thickness and body. If you want even more richness, however, you can add a handful of soaked cashews to the blending portion.
-The dark green tops of leeks can be very tough, so wash and save those for making veggie stock. For this recipe, use the bottom, more tender, half of the leek.
I always use potatoes in my soups instead of cream as they seem to reheat nicer! Though ive always just used 1 tiny potato like you could cup in your hand and then used my hand blender in the pot. Perfect thickness.
Right on Colleen! The mighty potato! 😀