This Cheesy Potato & Leek Soup is my favourite soup! It's creamy, filling and full of cheese flavour. It is everything I'm looking for in a soup! I like it chunky, with the pieces of potato and leek intact, but you could also blitz it into a puree. It's a great vegetarian soup choice, and with a couple of swaps you can make it vegan too.
What's great about this recipe
- It's delicious and filling
- It's a hearty and chunky soup option
- It'll warm you up on a cold day
- It is SO much better than tinned leek and potato soup
- It's got loads of cheese in it!
What you will need
- Onion - a medium sized white onion is perfect for this recipe
- Leeks - similar to onions, but with a milder flavour, leeks are one of the star flavours in this recipe. I used the white and light green parts of the leeks
- Potatoes - you'll need four or five baking sized white potatoes (jacket potatoes) for this recipe. They need to be peeled and chopped into small cubes, no more then 1cm wide
- Water - doesn't need much explanation I hope!
- Milk - I've made this soup with cow's milk and also with almond milk. You can use either, or try making it with soy or oat milk too. I wouldn't recommend using coconut as it could affect the flavour
- Flour - Plain flour, also known as all purpose flour, is used to thicken this soup
- Vegetable stock cubes - add essential flavour to this soup
- Cheese - grated cheddar cheese is added right at the end of this recipe and stirred in so it melts into the soup
- Salt - Optional, but it does boost the flavour of this soup and makes it extra yummy!
How to make Cheesy Potato & Leek Soup
Start by cooking the onion and leeks in some oil and butter. Meanwhile add milk to the flour slowly and stir into a paste.
Add the flour paste, the rest of the milk, the water and the vegetable stock cubes. Also add the potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil until the potatoes are soft. Take off the heat, add the cheese and salt and stir in.
How should the soup be stored and can it be frozen?
Once the soup has fully cooled down you can store it in an airtight container, either in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will develop a skin as it cools, and a quick stir will get rid of this. When the soup is stored in the fridge or freezer and reheated, it does thicken up more than when it is fresh. You can add a glug of milk or water as you reheat it to thin it out a bit.
Does this soup have to be served as a chunky soup?
I am a big fan of chunky leek and potato soup, so I always serve it as is, however you can definitely blitz it using a blender to make it into a smoother soup.
Can this recipe be made vegan?
Yes! You will need to use dairy free milk and either omit the cheese, or use a vegan cheese. I regularly make this soup using almond milk. You could also use soy or oat milk. I wouldn't recommend using coconut milk as it could affect the flavour. For the cheese, use a vegan option that melts well. Or you could add some nutritional yeast instead for a cheesy flavour.
More tips for making Cheesy Potato & Leek Soup:
- I've never used cornflour (corn starch) to thick the soup instead of flour, however they do both perform the same function so I have no reason to believe that you could not use cornflour instead
- My favourite cheese to use for this soup is extra mature cheddar
- This soup is great served with crusty bread and butter!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
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Cheesy Potato & Leek Soup
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 White onion diced
- 275 g Leeks chopped (2-3 medium sized leeks)
- 100 g Plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 litre Water
- 775 ml Milk (cow's or dairy free milk)
- 3 Vegetable stock cubes I used Oxo
- 200 g Cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tsp Salt more or less, to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil and butter to a large pan and warm on a low heat until the butter is melted
- Add the sliced leeks and diced onion to the pan, and cook them for 5-8 minutes until soft
- In a mixing bowl, measure out the flour. Add some of the milk slowly, whisking as you add it. Stop when you have a smooth paste
- Add the paste to the pan, then add the rest of the milk and mix together
- Add the water, stock cubes and diced potato. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it bubble for 15-20 minutes, until the potato pieces are soft. Make sure to stir it often so it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan
- When it is done, turn the heat off and stir in the cheese. It will melt into the soup
- Then add salt to taste. I like to add 2 tsp, but you may like less depending on your preference or the strength of the cheese
- Serve immediately, or allow to cool fully and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this soup
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