This classic, thick and creamy dairy free potato and leek soup is topped with a crispy bacon and herb infused breadcrumb. Coming together in under an hour and made with just a few inexpensive ingredients, this easy and cosy meal is the perfect weeknight comfort food to feed the whole family.
Potato and leek soup is a classic recipe and one that I think is a staple every year when the weather cools down and we get deep into soup season.
There is something wonderful about just a few simple ingredients coming together to produce a soup that is so full of flavour. It surprises me every time just how good this soup is!
This version is made super thick and creamy just as it should be, however differs to a classic recipe in that we aren’t using any butter or cream. Instead, just a little coconut milk is added at the very end which gives that silky smooth finish to the soup. And I promise it doesn’t make the soup taste like coconut.
The thing with a creamy, blended soup is you still need some texture and for that, I’ve made a super easy bacon crumb that get’s sprinkled over the top. It’s crispy, it’s garlicky, it’s salty, and it’s just so good.
The bacon crumb, in my opinion, turns this potato and leek soup from couch comfort to cosy dinner party.
If you love this soup recipe, make sure to also try my classic dairy free pumpkin soup or this warming pressure cooker chicken noodle soup.
Key Ingredients
There are two parts to this recipe, the dairy free potato and leek soup and the crispy bacon crumb which is optional but adds a delicious textural element to the creamy soup.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Onion and garlic – building out the flavour base of our soup.
- Leeks – essential for a potato and LEEK soup! The leeks cook down and become sweet and are so delicious. Just make sure to wash them well as they are notorious for having a lot of dirt between the layers.
- Potatoes – you can use any all rounder potato for this recipe such as the widely available coliban or sebago potatoes. While you don’t have to, I recommend peeling them when making this soup as it’s going to result in a much smoother finish.
- Stock – you can use either chicken stock or vegetable stock depending on your preference. Both will add extra flavour to the soup. I usually like to use a salt-reduced stock so I can control the amount of salt but just make sure to taste the soup before adding your seasoning as all stocks are different in terms of saltiness.
- Bay leaf – adding a subtle depth of flavour to the soup as it simmers. Just make sure to remove it before blending!
- Coconut milk – keeping this recipe dairy free and adding a creamy finish. The coconut flavour doesn’t really come through at all, but if you prefer, you can leave it out, however I find the finish much more creamy and smooth with the coconut milk.
For the bacon crumb you’ll need:
- Crusty bread – if it’s stale, that’s going to be better and result in a more crispy crumb.
- Bacon – I like to use shortcut bacon as it has less fat so works better for this crumb.
- Garlic – adding flavour. You could also use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Parsley – fresh parsley adds flavour but you can use any herbs you like. Thyme or rosemary would be a good alternative however reduce the amount as they have a strong flavour.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this soup, you will need a large pot such as a Dutch oven and as it’s a blended soup, a immersion blender will make things easier but a regular blender will also work just fine.
To make the bacon crumb I also recommend a food processor. I love my Cuisinart food processor as it’s not too big for small jobs like this and is very easy to clean (my last one had waayyy too many parts to wash!).
Start by prepping all of your vegetables. Finley dice the onion, slice the leeks and peel and cube the potatoes.
Once the veggies are prepped, heat some oil in the base of your pot and begin sautéing the onions and leeks until soft. Add in the garlic and potatoes and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
Once things have started to brown, its time to add in the chicken or vegetable stock and the bay leaf. Scrape the bottom of your pot to ensure nothing has stuck and then just allow the soup to simmer away for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft.
While the soup is simmering, you can prepare the bacon crumb. Pop all of your crumb ingredients into the food processor and blitz until a crumb forms.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and add the crumb mixture. Toast the crumb, using a wooden spoon to move it around so it doesn’t stick/burn for about 5-8 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the bacon cooked. Set aside until ready to serve.
Once the potatoes are soft, it’s time to blend. Allow the soup to cool a little bit before doing this step as boiling soup has a tendency to explode when blended too hot.
An immersion/stick blender is the easiest way to do this as you can do so right in the pot, but otherwise transfer the soup (in batches if necessary) to a regular blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
Finally, put the soup back on the stove and add the coconut milk. Heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a sprinkle of the bacon crumb over the top. You can also serve extra bread on the side because who doesn’t love dunking crusty bread into a creamy soup?!
Storage and reheating instructions
This dairy free potato and leek soup is a fantastic option for meal prep or leftovers.
I love to make a batch on Sunday, eating it for dinner that night and then having the rest for lunches during the week.
This soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container or you can freeze it in individual portions for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight and heat it up in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove.
More easy soup recipes:
Easy Vegan Tomato Soup
Mum’s Pumpkin Soup
Beef Minestrone Soup
Healthy Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Barley
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
Dairy-Free Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon Crumb
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 leeks sliced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 4 medium potatoes chopped
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Bacon Crumb
- 1 slice crusty bread torn into pieces
- 2 rashers of shortcut bacon roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- small handful of fresh parsley
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove. Add in chopped onion and leeks and saute until soft using a wooden spoon to ensure they do not stick to the bottom. Add garlic and potato into the pot and continue to saute for a further 5 minutes, again being sure to scrape any browning bits off the bottom.
- Add in chicken stock and the bay leaf and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft.
- While the soup is cooking, make the crumb topping. In a blender or food processor add the bread, bacon (uncooked), garlic and parsley and pulse until a fine crumb forms.
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan and add crumb mixture. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until brown. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
- Remove the bay leaf from the soup and let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before blending. You can either use an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender in batches and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add blended soup back into the pot and mix through coconut milk and salt and pepper over low heat for 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This post was originally published on the 13th June 2019 and has been republished to include better instructions, more helpful information and new photos.
Jamie-lee says
So delicious and simple to make!
Sally says
So happy you enjoyed it!