Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Vegan Potato Leek Soup makes the perfect creamy comforting soup for all seasons! This Whole30-compliant, Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free soup recipe takes an hour to make and packs a flavorful punch. Makes 8 servings.
Love Whole30 meals? You don’t want to miss Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Plates, Taco Zucchini Boats and Steak Salad with Orange Vinaigrette!
This tomato soup recipe was originally published on May 11, 2017. It was updated and republished in January 2021.
I developed this recipe when we were in the third week of our first Whole30, cruising along but no longer wanting to eat salads.
We discovered some giant leeks and red potatoes from our CSA. We also had vegetable stock, garlic and onions on hand, AND we had a can of coconut cream.
So this adaptation of my Potato and Leek Soup became a thing.
Why I love this recipe:
This vegan potato soup recipe is so darn comforting.
And as someone who is not a fan of coconut, I was impressed that this soup didn’t taste like coconut. Instead, the coconut cream adds a lovely richness without overwhelming the other flavors while adding in so much comfort.
This soup is perfect for a cold winter’s day… or it could be enjoyed in the summertime, too, if that’s you jam.
Other comforting soups: Roasted Cauliflower Cheddar Soup | Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup | Spicy Tomato Soup | Chicken Spaetzle Soup | Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup
What you need to make Vegan Potato Leek Soup
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In addition to these tools, you’re going to need a few ingredients, too:
- Extra virgin olive oil, or another lightly flavored oil like avocado
- Leeks
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Vegetable stock
- Red potatoes—you could also sub gold potatoes here, too!
- Coconut cream
- Fresh chives, additional coconut cream and paprika, for garnish
A note on coconut cream and its flavor: Different brands have stronger or lighter coconut notes in the coconut cream. I’ve found that the Sprouts brand of coconut cream doesn’t have any coconut flavor while other brands we’ve tried have.
How to make Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Prepare the vegetables
Slice the leeks down the middle and chop, creating little half moons. You only want to chop up to the light green parts of the vegetable because the darker green parts are tougher and more fibrous.
Transfer the chopped leeks to a large bowl of water. Massage the leeks to release any sand or dirt from between the layers. Use your hands to remove the leeks from the water and place in a colander. Rinse.
Depending on how dirty the water is, you might want to massage and rinse your leeks a second or even third time.
Chop the onion. Mince the garlic. Chop the red potatoes, too.
Make the vegan soup
Once your vegetables have been prepped, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. You can also do this in a large pot if you don’t have a Dutch oven.
When the olive oil is warm, add the leeks, onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir constantly until vegetables have softened, about 5-8 minutes.
When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable stock and potatoes. Bring ’em to a boil, and cover the Dutch oven for 15-20 minute, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Using a ladle, scoop the soup out of the Dutch oven into a blender. You can also leave the soup in the Dutch oven and use an immersion blender if that’s more your speed.
Blend until smooth, then return to the Dutch oven. Turn off the heat, and add the coconut cream. Stir until incorporated.
Serve the soup warm with a dollop of coconut cream, a sprinkling of chives and a dash of paprika.
Frequently Asked Questions
I love a good bread side with potato leek soup, provided that I’m not doing a Whole30.
Here are a few ideas:
Easy Vegan Cornbread
Hatch Chile Mini Cornbread Muffins
Rosemary Sourdough Bread
Whole Wheat Italian Beer Bread
Slice the leeks down the middle and chop, forming little half moons. You only want to chop up to the light green parts of the vegetable because the darker green parts are tougher and more fibrous.
Once the leeks have been chopped and the darker green parts discarded, transfer the chopped leeks to a large bowl of water. Massage the, to release any sand or dirt from between the layers. Use your hands to remove the leeks from the water and place in a colander, then rinse.
Depending on how dirty the water is, you might want to massage and rinse your leeks a second or even third time.
This soup tastes like straight up comfort. You’ve got creaminess from both the red potatoes and the coconut cream.
Leeks taste similar to an onion, but they are milder and sweeter. Since we cook them down a little bit, too, their flavor softens even more and is just really lovely when paired with the potato.
Yes! Transfer this soup to your favorite freezer-friendly storage container, and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to use, let it defrost in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.
Vegan Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 leeks chopped (about 6 cups chopped)
- 1 onion diced (about 1 cup chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 5 cups 40 fl. oz. vegetable stock
- 1 ½ lbs. red potatoes cut into 1/2” cubes (about 5 cups chopped)
- ½ cup coconut cream
- Fresh chives additional coconut cream and paprika, for garnish
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables
- Slice the leeks down the middle and chop, creating little half moons. You only want to chop up to the light green parts of the vegetable because the darker green parts are tougher and more fibrous.
- Transfer the chopped leeks to a large bowl of water. Massage the leeks to release any sand or dirt from between the layers.
- Use your hands to remove the leeks from the water and place in a colander. Rinse.
- Depending on how dirty the water is, you might want to massage and rinse your leeks a second or even third time.
- Chop the onion.
- Mince the garlic.
- Chop the red potatoes.
- Make the soup
- Once your vegetables have been prepped, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven.
- When the olive oil is warm, add the leeks, onion and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook for about 5-8 minutes while stirring constantly until vegetables have softened.
- When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable stock and potatoes.
- Bring to a boil, and cover the Dutch oven. Cook for 15-20 minute, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Using a ladle, scoop the soup out of the Dutch oven into a blender. You can also leave the soup in the Dutch oven and use an immersion blender.
- Blend until smooth, then return to the Dutch oven. Turn off the heat.
- Add the coconut cream, and stir until incorporated.
- Serve the soup warm with a dollop of coconut cream, a sprinkling of chives and a dash of paprika.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
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