Slow cooker potato leek soup is a rich & creamy soup that is wonderful for lunch or a first course at dinner. This Crock-Pot potato leek soup is a quick & easy recipe with a lot of flavors. Leeks and potatoes are a classic combination for a hearty yet smooth soup. It has a bit of cayenne for some heat that pairs well with the heavy cream for balance. Cream of potato leek soup has a pungent almost onion flavor from the leeks combined with the starchy potatoes and the rich mouth-feel the cream gives for an all-around delightful taste.
Potato and leek soup made in a slow cooker is a simple recipe. In just a few steps, the ingredients are in the Crock-Pot and ready to cook for hours while you go about your day. The potatoes add thickness to the soup and the cream and cheddar cheese also add to the texture of the soup. Because of these wonderful ingredients, this is a gluten-free potato leek soup that is still thick and creamy. Then all you do is puree, add the final ingredients to warm it up, and enjoy. I love to add delicious fun toppings to this soup too. Potato leek soup along with bacon, dill, cheese, and more puts this soup over the top.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup
For this recipe, you will need a few fresh ingredients along with some pantry staples. For the fresh produce, you will need Yukon gold potatoes, garlic, and, of course, leeks. I got some huge leeks from our vegetable box so I only need a bit over one huge leek to get the 4 cups needed. You may need 2-3 regular-sized leeks to get the 4 cups needed.
For your refrigerator, you will need cheddar cheese, salted butter, and cream. You can use your favorite cheddar cheese. This potato leek soup works with any mild, medium, or sharp cheddar. From the pantry, you will need a bay leaf, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and broth. I am using chicken broth in this recipe.
You can adjust a few ingredients in this recipe to meet special diet needs. For a rich and delicious vegetarian slow cooker potato leek soup, use vegetable or mushroom broth. There is no flour or roux in this potato leek soup, which makes it a great gluten-free or grain-free recipe. This recipe has 12 carbs per serving which are not high but for an ever more keto-friendly version, you can use only ½ a pound and the carbs would be only 8 carbs per potato leek soup serving. The soup would not be as thick but it would still be just as wonderful.
How to Make Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup
Begin this recipe by prepping and cleaning the leeks, since this will be the main step that is really time-consuming. Slice the leeks into rings, both the white & green parts. Keep in mind leeks are a member of the onion family, so there will be fumes that could bother your eyes. Do not touch your face while handling cut leeks, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly.
How to Clean Leeks
Place the sliced leeks in a large bowl, breaking the rings apart so they are separated. Now add enough water to submerge them. This is how you will clean them. Let the grit or sand that is inside the leeks fall to the bottom of the bowl & let them sit for at least 5 minutes in the water.
Use your hands to agitate & move them around every minute or so to really work the dirt out. After the leeks have been soaking for about 5 minutes, using your hands or a large slotted spoon, remove them from the large bowl of water and place them in a colander. Rinse with clean water to get any last bit of dirt from the leeks. Let the leeks sit to dry a bit while prepping the remaining ingredients.
While the leeks are submerged to clean, begin prepping the other ingredients. Wash, peel, and cube the Yukon gold potatoes. You will want them to be in about 1" cubes, as seen below.
Cook the Leeks
Cooking Potato Leek Soup in the Crock-Pot
How to Puree Potato Leek Soup
One of my favorite cheap kitchen tools is an immersion blender. Using one here is the easiest way to puree the potato leek soup. I highly recommend you get one, my favorite one is listed below and is not expensive at all. It is so much easier than transferring the soup to a blender and being careful not to do so when it is hot. This way you can keep the soup hot and blend!.
To puree the potato and leek soup, use the immersion blender for 1-2 minutes moving it all around to get all the soup. The best part is you can make it your way, I like a chunky potato leek soup so for this recipe I only blend it until it seems to come together and then leave it. It is still creamy and thick with just a bit more texture to it than a completely liquified soup.
What to Serve with Potato Leek Soup
Here are some recipe ideas on what you can serve alongside your homemade potato leek soup. All of these are great to make and eat with it. There are sandwiches, bread, and salads that go well with potato leek soup.
Toppings for Potato Leek Soup
To add more flavor and fun to potato leek soup, try one or more of these great topping ideas. Potato leek soup with bacon is my favorite way to enjoy this soup.
- Crumbled cook bacon
- Minced fresh herbs like parsley, dill, & chives
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- A drizzle of heavy cream or sour cream
- Croutons or oyster crackers
- A dash of hot sauce
How to Store & Reheat Potato Leek Soup
Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month.
PIN FOR SAFEKEEPING & SHARING!
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Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cups clean & sliced leeks about 1.5 large or 2-3 regular
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes washed & peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Slice the leeks into rings, both the white & green parts. Place them in a large bowl and separate the rings so they are exposed and can clean easily. Now add enough water to submerge them. This is how you will clean them. Let the grit or sand that is inside the leeks fall to the bottom of the bowl & let them sit for at least 5 minutes in the water. Use your hands to agitate & move them around every minute or so to really work the dirt out.
- After the leeks have been soaking for about 5 minutes, using your hands or a large slotted spoon, remove them from the large bowl of water and place them in a colander. Rinse with clean water to get any last bit of dirt from the leeks. Let sit to dry a bit while prepping the remaining ingredients.
- Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into 1" cubes. Also, peel the garlic from the clove and remove the outer skin. There is no need to cut the garlic, it will cook easily in the slow cooker and will be pureed later.
- Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saute pan. Once melted, add the leeks. Cook for about 5 minutes until they are tender and soft.
- To the slow cooker insert, add the leeks, potatoes, garlic, and all seasonings through the cayenne pepper. Pour in your broth of choice either chicken or a vegetarian broth.
- Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. The potatoes should be tender and soft when the cooking stage is done. Remove the bay leaf. Let the slow cooker then sit on warm or low if your slow cooker doesn't have a "warm setting".
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth.
- Add the cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine and melt through the soup. Let the dairy products warm through for about 15-30 minutes, leaving it on warm or the low setting.
- Ladle the soup into a soup bowl. To serve you can also top with fresh herbs, crumbled cooked bacon, or more cheddar cheese.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month. To thaw, defrost for 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or microwave and add a touch of cream again to bring back the creamy texture.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 152 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 8.7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat 5.5g | 27% |
| Cholesterol 26mg | 9% |
| Sodium 572mg | 25% |
| Total Carbohydrate 14.3g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 2.1g | 7% |
| Total Sugars 2.3g | |
| Protein 4.7g | |
| Vitamin D 6mcg | 29% |
| Calcium 64mg | 5% |
| Iron 1mg | 7% |
| Potassium 390mg | 8% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
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Caroline Parrott says
I bet those leeks saute-ing made the house smell awesome!
Angela says
They sure did. The only hard part is waiting the hours for the slow-cooked soup to be done but it is worth it.
Dorothy says
This hit the spot and a good soup recipe. Creamed soups are my favorite and besides clam chowder this is my favorite and a keeper of a recipe.