Rustic Potato Leek Soup! Imagine a bowl that’s hearty enough to warm you from the chilly day outside, yet gentle enough to sip slowly as you curl up with a good book.
This Rustic Potato Leek Soup—a timeless peasant staple—gets a modern, plant-based makeover that shines with light, warming flavors. Traditionally rich with olive oil, butter, and a shower of Parmesan, this Whole Food Plant Based version embraces simplicity while delivering depth. The result is a broth that feels light on the palate yet lingers with savory warmth, letting the leeks and potatoes shine through in every spoonful. Historically, this humble soup fed families on a budget, especially during Lent, and today it remains a cozy, budget-friendly staple that proves you don’t need cream or dairy to get rich, comforting flavor.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Easy and delicious, we loved the simplicity of this tasty soup. The clean, plant-based approach lets the natural sweetness of leeks intertwine with potatoes in a silky, comforting broth that feels indulgent without any heaviness. I’m always surprised how a handful of pantry staples can become something so satisfying—no dairy needed, just wholesome ingredients and patient simmering.
You gotta give this one a try! For readers seeking plant-based comfort food that’s easy to make, budget-friendly, and endlessly adaptable, this potato leek soup is a delicious keeper.
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Rustic Potato Leek Soup is a classic peasant soup. Traditionally the soup is made with a generous amount of olive oil and butter and is often topped with Parmesan cheese; however, this Whole Food Plant Based soup does not use any of these ingredients. The broth is light on the palate yet has great leek flavor. Hearty and filled with leeks and potatoes in a light savory broth, this soup is perfect for cold winter days and was often served during lent as a rustic humble soup.
- Broth Flavor: If you are not a fan of the flavor of leeks (from the onion family), then consider skipping this recipe. This recipe is all about leeks. There are no substitutions.
- Herbs/Spices: This soup is intentionally lightly flavored yet is savory and delicious. You can easily add some additional herb/spices if you wish.
- Potatoes: We kitchen tested several types of potatoes in this soup, and most will work perfectly as long as you select a potato that can hold its own while being boiled for a long period of time and does not disintegrate into the broth. We tested unpeeled, cubed red-skinned potatoes and all-purpose white potatoes. Both work perfectly.
- Amount of Leeks: We used 8 cups of cleaned, sliced and separated green leeks. This was 2 large leeks, using only the white and light-green parts, sliced into ½-inch half-moon slices. After cleaning and slicing, the sliced leeks used for this recipe weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. You can easily use less or more leeks.
- Soaking the Leeks: Leeks can sometimes hold dirt within the layers that is why it is important to soak them after slicing them. Fill a large bowl with water, then add the sliced leeks and use your fingers to separate the layers. Swish the leeks around in the bowl of water. The dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl. When getting ready to use the leeks, use your fingers to gently extract the sliced leeks from the bowl being careful not to disturb the dirt that has fallen to the bottom. You don’t want to dump the bowl of leeks into a colander simply because it may cause the dirt laying on the bottom of the bowl to become reintroduced into the layers of leeks defeating the purpose of soaking the leeks.
- Leek Substitutions: The recipe is all about those tasty leeks. There is no substitution offered since that is a major component of the recipe.
- Tamari: The tamari is used to add a savory element to the soup.
- Almond Butter: The almond butter is used to balance the flavors.
- Almond Butter Substitutions: The almond butter can easily be substituted with your favorite nut or seed butter with the understanding that the flavors are impacted accordingly.
- Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme but use half the amount.
- Optional Topper – Vegan Parmesan Cheese: We used our recipe, Vegan Parmesan Cheese. Feel free to use your favorite vegan parmesan cheese recipe. A sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese on individual servings really elevates this dish.
- Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed to properly flavor this soup. For most palates, we felt 1 ¾ teaspoons worked well. We suggest starting on the lower side (3/4 teaspoon) and build from there.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This soup can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients. Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos. We recommend using reduced-sodium products.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large stock pot with a lid
- Large bowl (to soak the leeks)
If you try this rustic soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
Print
Rustic Potato Leek Soup
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 65 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 10 ½ Cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Rustic Potato Leek Soup—a timeless peasant staple—gets a modern, plant-based makeover that shines with light, warming flavors.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 2 large leeks, 1/2-inch half-moons, (white and light green part only)
- 1 large white onion, fine dice
- 2 celery ribs, small dice
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *
- ¼ to 1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
- Pinch to ½ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
- 2 bay leaves
Other Ingredients:
- 5 cups potatoes, peeled, ¼-inch dice *
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons almond butter *
Optional Toppings:
- Chopped fresh parsley (or fresh chives)
- Sprinkle Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Chop and clean the leeks, using only the white and light green parts. Place the chopped leeks into a large bowl filled with cold water, separate the layers, swish the leeks in the water to release any dirt that could be trapped within the layers, and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Then lift out the leeks from the water into a colander to drain. Set aside until ready.
- In a large stockpot, sauté the diced onions and celery, simmer for 5 minutes over medium-high heat until they start to become tender. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking/burning if needed.
- Add the leeks and continue to sauté until the leeks are reduced in size, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the pot, continue to sauté over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Next add all the remaining Base Ingredients, the Spice/Herb Ingredients, and cubed potatoes, stir well, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a low-percolating boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the almond butter and red wine vinegar, stir well until the almond butter is completely dissolved into the soup broth, simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are perfectly tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and the potatoes to continue to infuse with the soup broth flavors. After 15 minutes, then remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Top individual servings with a sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy with crusty bread or with a simple side salad.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Serving: 8 to 10 (makes 10 ½ cups)
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.