Vegetarian potato soup with crispy leeks is a super easy plant-based soup recipe to make any day of the week. Coconut milk gives it a luxuriously cream consistency - no dairy required - for a soup everyone will LOVE.
UPDATED: This collection was originally published in March 2020. It has been updated for photos and additional content.
This tasty vegan leek potato soup works great for the cooler weather of fall and winter. It’s hearty and satisfying without being too heavy. I love that it’s so easy to make and also budget-friendly.
If you enjoy this vegan soup recipe, you might also enjoy Chickpea Orzo Soup and Celeriac Soup.
Jump to:
- 💚 Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- 🛒 Ingredients
- ✅ How to Make Vegan Leek and Potato Soup
- 🍽️ What to Serve with Vegetarian Potato Soup with Leeks
- ❄️ Storage Tips
- 🔪 Helpful Kitchen Tools & Gadgets
- ♻️️ How to Store and Use Leeks to Reduce Waste
- ❓Recipe Tips and FAQ
- 🌎 Sustainability Suggestions
- More Vegan Soup Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- Vegetarian Potato Soup with Crispy Leeks
- 💬 Comments
💚 Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- Mostly hands-off cooking. This dairy-free potato soup recipe requires only a few simple steps to make.
- All the flavor of the traditional potato leek soup with a few simple swaps. Substitute the butter with olive oil, chicken stock with vegetable broth, and dairy with coconut milk.
- Perfect for meal prep. Vegetarian potato soup reheats quickly and travels well. It also stores great in the freezer!
🛒 Ingredients
- Olive oil: A healthy oil for cooking the aromatics at the start of the recipe.
- Aromatics: We will be using a combination of onion, leeks, and fresh garlic.
- Russet potatoes: This all-purpose potato is perfect for this vegan leek potato soup. They blend up nicely in the soup without becoming too gluey.
- Seasoning: Bay leaf and fresh thyme add flavor to the soup while fresh chives are sprinkled over the top.
- Vegetable broth: Soups cook up more flavorful with vegetable broth rather than water. Use store-bought broth for speed or use homemade.
- Lemon juice: Just a bit to add some brightness to the soup’s flavor.
- Coconut milk: Use canned coconut milk for a creamier texture.
- Grape seed oil: Used for frying the leeks but you can swap with an alternative high-heat frying plant oil if you prefer.
- Garnish: With a sprinkle of red chili flakes and chopped chives!
🤔 What are Leeks?
In season from late winter through to early summer - but typically grown all year round - leeks provide a welcome bit of green as well as a pleasantly mellow alternative to onions during the colder months as part of the allium family. They are also closely related to garlic.
Leeks are delicious when eaten on their own, either roasted, steamed, or sliced. Often they are cooked low and slow with plenty of salt into a soft muddle.
However, they also form the backbone of many dishes, including this vegan potato leek soup. Swap them in any recipe that calls for white, brown, or sweet onion for a sweeter, more mellow flavor.
The list of vitamins and minerals found in leeks is endless: eating more leeks is good for your digestion and will help promote gut health as they’re also packed with soluble fiber.
✅ How to Make Vegan Leek and Potato Soup
Here’s an overview of what goes into making this healthy potato soup with leeks. For detailed instructions, check the recipe card at the end of the page.
Prep up all the veggies: Peel, clean, and cube the potatoes. Dice the onion. Trim off the root end of the leek and most of the green end. Cut the whites of the leek in half lengthwise, remove the outer layer, and slice. After slicing, rinse well to remove any dirt.
TOP TIP: Remove and compost any discolored outer leaves on the leek and any very dark green tough tops. Rinse leeks twice. Once before cutting to remove visible dirt, but again after slicing to remove any dirt that’s hidden.
1- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or a large pot and cook the onions for five minutes. 2- Add the leeks and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3- Add the potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable broth to the pot. Partially cover with a lid and cook the soup for 30 minutes.
4- Cut and fry the leek greens: Cut the clean leek greens into 3-inch lengthwise strips (cut the strips in half lengthwise and then into strips). Make sure they are thoroughly dry.
5- Heat the grape seed oil in a small frying pan. Add the leeks in small batches.
6- Remove with tongs when golden brown and place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Set the fried leeks aside when done.
7- When the potato soup is done cooking, and the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf and thyme. Use a hand immersion blender or a mixer to puree the soup.
8- Stir in the lemon juice and coconut milk. Heat on low until the desired temperature is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9- Ladle into bowls and top with fried leeks, chopped chives, and red chili pepper flakes.
🍽️ What to Serve with Vegetarian Potato Soup with Leeks
This soup makes an excellent starter for meals but can also be the star of the show as a main dish, or served as a side dish.
- Vegan leek potato soup works great as a soup and salad combination for meals. Serve it up with a Roasted Butternut Squash Salad or a Simple Caesar Salad.
- Kick off your meal with a bowl before serving up Stuffed Shells or Stuffed Acorn Squash.
- Pair it with a Jerusalem Artichoke Pie or a sandwich for a quick lunch.
- As a main dish, serve it up with a fresh artisan loaf of bread.
❄️ Storage Tips
Proper storage is important to reducing food waste. Here are my top tips for storing vegetarian potato soup.
- Make ahead: This potato soup works great to make ahead of time to use for meals throughout the week. After cooking, allow it to cool completely and then store it for future meals in individual containers. Store in the fridge or freezer.
- Refrigerator: Store the soup in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freezer: Store the containers of soup in the freezer for up to three months. Allow the soup to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Return the soup to a saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot. Add more broth or coconut milk as needed if the soup is too thick.
🔪 Helpful Kitchen Tools & Gadgets
- Soup pot to cook the soup.
- Immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot.
- Cutting board for slicing & dicing.
- Sharp knife to prep ingredients.
- Vegetable peeler to peel the potatoes.
- Colander to rinse leeks.
- Tongs to use when frying leeks.
- Ladle to serve the soup.
- Meal prep containers to store soup for future meals.
Check out TMF's Resources for more kitchen tool suggestions!
♻️️ How to Store and Use Leeks to Reduce Waste
- Untrimmed leeks will keep well in the refrigerator for a week or two.
- Prepped leeks will typically last 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
- Uncooked leeks can be prepped, sliced, and frozen for use in blended soups like this one, but they don’t work well after freezing in other dishes as they give off a lot of water as they defrost, and their texture may become less desirable.
- Unless you are suffering from garden pests, leave homegrown leeks in the ground until you’re ready to eat them, until they start to go to seed, at which point they should all be harvested.
❓Recipe Tips and FAQ
- Be sure to wash the leeks thoroughly. Dirt hides easily, and nothing is worse than grit in your soup.
- Save your veggie scraps when prepping and add them to your compost.
My favorite substitute is canned coconut milk because it creates a similar texture to heavy cream and it's vegan. You can also use other types of plant-based milk to swap out the cream, but they don't have the same consistency and result in a less creamy soup.
I recommend making potato soup with all-purpose potatoes such as Russets or Yukon gold. More waxy potatoes, such as red potatoes, don't break down as easily when cooked and also become quite thick and sticky when blended.
🌎 Sustainability Suggestions
When it comes to the environmental impact, leeks are considered sustainable, using a relatively low amount of water to grow (39 gallons per pound) and only producing 1.6kg of Co2 per 1 kg of leeks.
They don’t cause any damage to the land they’re grown in as long as they are grown organically without the use of GMOs or chemical pesticides.
Remember to buy locally if possible to support local agriculture, as well as organically!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
If you made this recipe, please leave a star 🌟 rating on the recipe card right below! You can also drop a review in the comment section. Your feedback is appreciated! And don’t forget to tag @themindfulfork so we can see your creations.
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Potato Soup with Crispy Leeks
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ large onion 1 cup, diced
- 2 leeks 1 leek set aside for frying
- 1 garlic clove optional, chopped
- 5 medium russet potatoes 5 cups
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons high heat grape seed oil
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- Peel, clean & cube the potatoes. Dice onion. Trim off the root end of the leek and most of the green end. Cut the leek in half lengthwise. Remove the outer layer and slice. Rinse well.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, in a dutch oven or a large pot. Cook onions for 5 minutes, then add leeks and garlic. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, salt, bay leaf, thyme and vegetable broth. Partially cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, cut and fry the leeks - Clean and trim the leek the same as in Step 1. Cut the leek into 3 inch lengthwise strips (cut in ½ lengthwise and them into strips). Dry the leeks thoroughly. Heat 3 tablespoons grape seed oil in a small fry pan. Add leeks in small batches, remove with tongs when golden brown and place on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Set the fried leeks aside when done,
- When potatoes are done, remove the bay leaf and thyme. Use a hand immersion blender or a mixer to puree the soup. Stir in the lemon juice and coconut milk. Heat on low until desired temperature is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top with fried leeks, chopped chives, and red chili pepper flakes.
Notes
- Be sure to thoroughly wash the leeks. Dirt hides easily and nothing is worse than grit in your soup.
- Save your veggie scraps when prepping and add them to your compost.
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