Why I love this Potato leek soup recipe
I originally made this recipe way back when I started my blog, and, believe it or not, that was all the way back in 2012. We were living in France at the time, and I had become obsessed with leeks.
It wasn’t an ingredient I was too familiar with, but it’s commonly used in French cooking, so I was growing to love it. I still do, but my original potato ham and leek soup recipe was full of dairy.
Obviously, since we’ve gone dairy free, we can’t make it anymore. I’ve since made a few simple changes to make the potato ham and leek soup a little healthier and just as creamy (at least, in my opinion).
Since we’ve been back in the states, I have realized that our leeks are a bit larger too, so I’ve cut down the number of leeks I used. I’ve also updated the recipe to make it more user-friendly because the instructions are a bit clearer.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
Ingredient notes: This recipe calls for dairy free milk. We usually use almond milk, but you can use any kind you prefer or need, just make sure you’re using an unsweetened and plain flavor.
How do I make this potato leek soup dairy free?
To make this dairy free potato soup nice and creamy, I use a base of almond milk and chicken broth (a little of both creates more flavor), which I thicken with a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
I wanted to limit the amount of flour to prevent it from tasting flour-y, and the cornstarch offers more thickening power and a slightly silkier texture. A little of both creates the perfect thickener for the almond milk base.
How do you prepare leeks for cooking?
In case you haven’t used leeks before, I find that the easiest way to clean them is by cutting them in half lengthwise and then slicing them into half-moons. This way when you clean them, they will break apart and you can really rinse them. Then you place them in a big bowl of water and stir them around to release and dirt bits.
The dirt will sink to the bottom, and you can remove the leeks from the bowl before discarding the water. To make sure my leeks are extra clean (because you don’t want to end up with a gritty piece of sand or dirt in your soup), I transfer mine to a colander and rinse them again.
What are the best potatoes for soup?
For the longest time, I used baby red potatoes for this soup. I’ve since started using the Dynamic Duo from The Little Potato Company because I love the variation of color (and they’re already washed and ready to use). They are creamer potatoes and they’re perfect for making this kind of soup.
How to make potato leek soup
Heat a dutch oven. Add ham, celery, carrot, and onion.
Sauté ingredients. Until onions are translucent – about 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients. Add potatoes, leeks, bay leaf, almond milk and 2 cups of broth.
Cover pot and bring to boil. Cook until potatoes are tender and carrots have softened – about 15 minutes.
second.
In a separate bowl, whisk remaining brother, flour and cornstarch. Stir mixture into soup until combined.
Cook broth until thickened. If needed adjust with salt and pepper.
More potato recipes:
More dairy free soup recipes:
- Chicken pho recipe
- Creamy asparagus soup
- Wisconsin booyah
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Creamy tomato soup
- Vegetable beef barley soup
Dairy Free Potato Ham and Leek Soup
This creamy potato ham and leek soup is rich and dairy free. It comes together quickly, and it’s the best way to use up leftover ham.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 – 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced ham
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds creamer potatoes, halved
- 3 leeks, halved and sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large stockpot to medium-high. Add ham, celery, carrot, and onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Add potatoes, leeks, bay leaf, almond milk and 2 cups of broth. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender and carrots have softened – about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining broth, flour and cornstarch. Stir mixture into soup until combined. Allow soup to continue cooking until broth has thickened. If needed, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 172
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 279.5 mg
- Fat: 4.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.8 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 11.1 g
- Cholesterol: 25.6 mg
Last Updated on October 15, 2021 by Melissa Belanger
Yeah leeks here aren’t that big here in Ontario either. Soup looks wonderful.
This recipe is delicious! I went to my local Meat guy and picked some ham up, so glad I did. Yum Yummy!
I’m not sure what time of cream your referring too, is it like half and half or sour cream or milk? Just wondering, I’d love to make this!
I used a low-fat cream (sort of like half-and-half but here in France it’s called light cream), but you could use half-and-half, whipping cream or even fat-free half-and-half. Probably sour cream wouldn’t work here though because it wouldn’t taste right with the soup.
Thank you! I made it with a fat free half and half, my family loved it! We will definitely have this again 🙂
Do you still have your original ham, leek, and potato soup with dairy? I think there was also thyme in it. Unfortunately I never printed it and I’d prefer to use the dairy one.
Thanks.
Followed recipe mostly and it was excellent. Made two changes that I thought helpful. A half teaspoon of dried thyme and a shot glass of sherry. Oh also used bacon since no leftover ham.
Thank you.
★★★★★
That sounds great! You can’t go wrong with bacon. Thanks for sharing!
I did make a few changes to this, but the whole family enjoyed it very much. To start, I sautéed two thirds of the leeks until soft and wilted. I then put them in the blender with 1/2 cup of broth and puréed them. I set them aside. I cooked the ham and onion first, so they could brown up a little and set them aside. Then I did the carrot and celery. Added back in the ham and onion. I added potatoes, remaining leeks, 2 cups of broth and only 1 cup of milk. Boiled until potatoes were tender, then added back in the puréed leeks. Used the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and 1 T of corn starch to thicken the soup. It was silky, creamy and very tasty.
★★★★★