How to Make Potato Leek Soup (Without Cream!)
Learn how to make the most delicious potato leek soup without cream. This healthy vegan version is naturally gluten free, around 200 calories, and tastes absolutely divine!
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This potato leek soup without cream is about to become your new favorite cozy meal! Made with just 5 simple ingredients, this healthy vichyssoise recipe is naturally vegan and gluten free, yet tastes incredibly rich and luxurious.
The secret? Yukon Gold potatoes create a silky, creamy texture without any heavy cream, making this comforting soup light on calories (only 200!) but big on flavor. Serve it warm on chilly nights or chilled like traditional vichyssoise in warmer months!
Why You’ll Love Potato Leek Soup Without Cream
Potato Leek Soup or Vichyssoise?
Call it whatever you want! I call this Potato Leek Soup in the cooler months, but when the weather starts heating up, vichyssoise it is!
If you’re not familiar with vichyssoise, it’s a classic French soup made with potatoes, leeks, and traditionally, heavy cream, typically served cold.
My healthier version, sans cream, was inspired by childhood memories of my grandfather’s favorite Hollywood restaurant, Scandia, where their vichyssoise was legendary!
Ingredients
You need just 5 simple ingredients plus salt and any optional toppings!
- Potatoes. Preferably Yukon Gold potatoes because they add a naturally creamy consistency to the soup. Other options include: russet, red, purple (how pretty would this be?!), or sweet potatoes. Dietitian note: Although I love eating potato skins for additional fiber and nutrients, this potato leek soup is prettier with peeled potatoes. Just sayin’.
- Fresh Leeks. They have a mild, sweet onion taste. Find them year-round, but especially late winter through early spring. Tip! Leeks are a dirty veggie. To clean leeks, be sure to clean & rinse ’em well to remove all the loose dirt.
- Sweet Onion. Choose Maui or Vidalia (regular yellow or white onion works too) for a layer of additional flavor.
- Vegetable Broth. Try my favorite Organic Imagine Vegetarian No Chicken Veggie Broth instead of chicken broth. Or use your favorite brand-or homemade!
- Vegan Butter. I like Earth Balance for buttery flavor, sans butter. Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, both rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fats work well too.
- Optional Ingredients:
- Non-Dairy Milk. I don’t use any milk in this potato leek soup without cream, but feel free to add almond milk or coconut milk. Or, for a protein boost, swirl in organic soy milk.
- Flavor Boosters. Nutritional yeast, fresh ground black pepper, lemon juice.
- Toppings. Pea shoots (my fave!), fresh chives, gluten-free croutons, drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs-thyme, dill, or parsley.
How to Make Potato Leek Soup Without Cream
Step 1: Sauté (2 minutes) Melt butter in large pot. Add leeks and onions. Sauté until slightly wilted, not browned.
Step 2: Simmer (30 minutes) Add potatoes, broth, water, salt. Boil, then reduce to low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 3: Blend Use immersion blender in pot OR carefully transfer to regular blender in batches. Blend until silky smooth!
Serve hot OR chill 4+ hours for traditional cold vichyssoise!
P.S. You’ll want a large pot or Dutch Oven (I LOVE my Le Creuset) to make this creamy vegan potato leek soup. If you make it in an Instant Pot, let me know how it turns out!
👩🍳 Dietitian Nutrition Notes
- Gut Health Superstar. Onions and leeks are prebiotic powerhouses, feeding our good gut bacteria. They’re also both alliums, sulfur and flavnoid rich foods, with potential health benefits including cancer prevention and protection against cardiovascular disease.
- Potatoes are Nutrition Rockstars. Don’t fear them! They’re naturally fat-free, cholesterol-free, packed with vitamin C and potassium. Learn more about potato health benefits.
- Cold Potato Soup = Resistant Starch. Serving cold? Cooled potatoes form resistant starch—special fiber that feeds gut bacteria and helps blood sugar control.
- Low Calorie, Low Saturated Fat. This potato leek soup without cream has about 200 calories per serving (vs 400+ in traditional versions) and just 1 gram of saturated fat.
- Special Diets. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, MIND diet, and DASH diet friendly.
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
- Refrigerator: Airtight container, up to 5 days (flavors deepen!).
- Freezer: Cool completely, freeze in portions up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Overnight in fridge, reheat gently, add splash of broth if needed.
- Meal prep tip: Double the batch! Perfect for quick lunches all week.
What to Serve With Potato Leek Soup Without Cream
- BEST Rolls ever, aka Brazilian Cheese Bread (NOT vegan) or a loaf of crust sourdough gluten-free bread.
- Simple garden salad, paired with chickpeas or lentils (like this Easy Lentil Salad) for extra protein.
Quick FAQ
Potato Leek Soup Without Cream
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan spread , i.e., Earth Balance or Melt Organic
- 4 cups chopped leeks
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, or, to taste
- Spring Pea Shoots, for garnish
- optional seasonings and toppings, see recipe notes
Instructions
- Heat vegan spread in large soup pot or dutch oven until melted and foaming. Add chopped leeks and onions and sauté over medium high heat until vegetables are slightly wilted, but not browned-approximately 2 minutes.
- Add chopped potatoes, broth, water, and salt to pot, and bring to a boil. Bring down heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Puree soup in the pot using an immersion blender, OR transfer carefully in batches to a blender, and combine until well blended. Serve warm OR chill soup in refrigerator, and serve cold.
- Top bowls of soup with fresh pea shoots. Enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
- Swap Yukon Gold potatoes with red potatoes, sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, and more.
- Leeks are a dirty veggie! Be sure to clean & rinse ’em well to remove all the loose dirt.
- I suggest choosing a sweet onion for a subtle layer of additional flavor, but any type of onion will work.
- I don’t use any milk in this vegan potato soup, but feel free to add almond or coconut milk for an extra creamy vegan potato leek soup recipe. Or organic soy milk for extra protein.
- Salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper, a splash of lemon juice
- Toppings: Spring pea shoots! Chives, green onions, gluten-free croutons, fresh herbs-parsley, dill, or thyme.
Nutrition
More Gluten-Free Soups You’ll Love (All Vegan Too!)
Let’s chat! Have you ever had Vichyssoise before? Would you eat this potato leek soup without cream cold, hot, or both ways???
