Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup is an incredibly easy and flavorful dump and go soup loaded with buttery gold potatoes, wholesome leeks and delicious seasonings. It's made with 7 simple ingredients and in 4 hours on the low setting or 8 on the high.
Preparation is minimal. You can peel the potatoes or leave the skins on to make it really quick. And you only need to chop the leeks, throw everything into the crockpot, set it and forget about it til the broth is done and ready to be blended. Easy peasy!
What I really love about this soup is that it's pureed into creamy perfection with just a dash of cream and no need for cheese. The potatoes add the creaminess- they're all you really need to make this potato and leek soup recipe perfectly rich, silky and satisfying. You can keep it dairy-free by skipping the cream and butter and instead adding a few handfuls of extra potatoes.
And if you love potato and soup, make sure to check out my loaded crockpot baked potato soup and air fried baby potatoes next!
Table Of Contents
What Do Leeks Taste Like?
Leeks are like onions, but they have a milder and sweeter taste. When they're cooked, leeks develop a rich and savory flavor with a hint of sweetness. They have a soft and buttery texture that adds depth of flavor and aroma to soups.
How To Prepare Leeks For Cooking
Cut the white ends off of the leeks, then pull apart the pieces and rinse. They are filled with sand and need to be rinsed after cutting to get rid of it all. Once rinsed, pat dry and slice into rounds. Since we are pureeing the soup, you don't need to dice them into small, bite sized pieces.
Ingredients
- Gold potatoes: I love using buttery Yukon gold potatoes in this recipe. When cooked they are very creamy and blend with great texture. Creamer (or baby) potatoes also work well. Avoid using russet potatoes.
- Leeks: this flavorful vegetable looks like a big scallion. It's part of the onion family but has a milder sweeter taste than an onion.
- Garlic cloves: or use roasted garlic for extra flavor.
- Chicken broth: or use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.
- Seasonings: dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Heavy cream: this is added at the end to make the soup creamy. Substitute with evaporated milk or whole milk.
- Unsalted butter: optional, to give the soup a silky texture and buttery taste.
Kristina's Tips
- You can puree the soup to make it completely smooth and creamy or just a little bit so it's chunky with bits of potatoes.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, use a food processor or blender and puree the soup in small batches.
Instructions
This recipe works in a 6 or 8 quart slow cooker but can be reduced to fit smaller crockpots.
- Add cubed gold potatoes, sliced leeks, minced garlic cloves, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt and black pepper to the slow cooker. Pour in chicken or vegetable broth (or bouillon and water).
- Cover and set to HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- When done, add the heavy cream and butter. Use an immersion blender to puree to your desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Serve warm topped with croutons, crackers, red pepper flakes and other herbs as desired.
Variations
- Add cooked bacon crumbles, diced ham or prosciutto or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Make it creamier by adding a bit more heavy cream.
- Make it cheesy. Add about a cup of grated parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar cheese to the warm soup after pureeing.
Why Is My Potato Leek Soup Gummy?
As it rest the soup may become gummy or a little thicker. Simply warm it up and give it a good stir to get it back to it's right consistency.
How To Store
Store soup in a covered airtight container for up to 7 days in the fridge. It freezes well for up to 6 months in freezer safe storage bags.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes roughly peeled and cubed
- 3 leeks sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except heavy cream and butter to the slow cooker.
- Set to HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- When done, add the heavy cream and butter. Use an immersion blender to puree to desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve topped with croutons, crackers, red pepper flakes and other herbs as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Anonymous says
Generally a really tasty soup. My only issue was the amount of thyme in it. I think it overpowered the soup quite a bit, it was almost all I could taste in every bite. Also just a suggestion, but serve with dollop of sour cream for a creamy tang.
Cathleen says
I love leek and potato soup, and this version in the slow cooker is calling my name! I am definitely going to give this a go, thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Dennis says
I love love love this soup. My family raved about it and wanted to know when I'd be making it again!