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Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup + VIDEO

Slow cooker potato leek soup is a comforting soup that is perfect for fall & winter. This paleo and Whole30 compatible soup is flavorful yet very simple to make. A true set-it-and-forget-it recipe, sit back and let your crockpot do the work. The end result is a creamy soup that can be served as a started or main course. Instructions to make this easy potato and leek soup in the Instant Pot are also included. 

overhead shot of potato leek soup in a white bowl

Ingredients For Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup

  • Russet Potatoes
  • Leeks
  • Chicken or Vegetable Broth
  • Garlic
  • Ghee or Butter
  • Seasonings: salt, pepper, dried thyme

collage of ingredients for crockpot potato leek soup

How To Make Potato Leek Soup In The Crock-Pot

Slow Cooker

  1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 2-3, LOW 4-6.
  3. See final step below.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add the butter and melt. One melted, add the leeks and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
  2. Pour in the broth and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well.
  3. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure for 10 minutes. When done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release the pressure.
  4. See final step below.

Final Step

  1. Let the soup cool slightly. When cooled, blend down to smooth using your preferred method.

before

after

What Are Leeks & How To Prepare Them

Leeks are very similar to onions as they are from the same family. Unlike onions, leeks do not have a bulb; they look like large, thick green onions. They’re also milder in flavor than most onions hence why you can use a pound of leeks in this recipe and not have it overpower the soup. Prepping leeks is easy. The white stalk and the very light green leaves next to the stalk are the parts that you can cook with.  Start by cleaning the leeks. Be sure to rinse your leeks very well. I have found dirt in places that I didn’t see initially. Once your leeks are clean, cut off the roots at one end and then the dark green top at the other end. Slice or chop the remaining white part into into even pieces.

Blend Until Smooth

When the potato leek soup is done cooking in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, the final step is to blend all the food down until you have a nice & smooth soup. You can blend the food using your preferred method. I like to use my immersion blender because I use it directly in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. You can also pour the soup into a food processor or regular blender.

Storing & Freezing Potato Leek Soup

If you have leftover slow cooker potato leek soup, you can store or freeze it for later use. Store leftover soup an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze leftover potato soup, let the soup cool completely. Once cooled, add the soup to an air tight container or freezer-friendly plastic bag. Store the soup in your freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat frozen potato leek soup you have two options. You can either thaw the soup overnight  in the refrigerator OR add the soup directly to the slow cooker or Instant Pot & thaw on the warm setting!

FAQs & Tips

  • This potato leek soup recipe uses Idaho aka russet potatoes that are peeled and chopped. To make this soup paleo friendly, I suggest using sweet potatoes.
  • Written as-is, this recipe isn’t vegan because it contains ghee (or butter) which has dairy. You can easily make this vegan though. To do so, simply substitute oil like extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil for the ghee.  You can also use a vegan butter. You will also need to be sure to use vegetable stock or broth.
  • I used a small 3.5-quart slow cooker but you can double this recipe and use a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot to feed a larger crowd.

Soup Recipes 

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Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Slow cooker potato leek soup is a comforting soup that is perfect for fall & winter. This paleo and Whole30 compatible soup is flavorful yet very simple to make. A true set-it-and-forget-it recipe, sit back and let your crockpot do the work. The end result is a creamy soup that can be served as a started or main course. Instructions to make this easy potato and leek soup in the Instant Pot are also included.

  • Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled & chopped
  • 4 leeks, sliced (approximately 1 pound)
  • 5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or more)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee or butter

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
  2. Cook HIGH 2-3, LOW 4-6.
  3. See final step below.

Instant Pot

  1. Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot add the butter and melt. One melted, add the leeks and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
  2. Pour in the broth and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well.
  3. Close lid and seal valve. Set high pressure for 10 minutes. When done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes then quick release the pressure.
  4. See final step below.

Final Step

  1. Let the soup cool slightly. When cooled, blend down to smooth using your preferred method.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 3 hours

Nutrition

  • Calories: 350

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive money if you make a purchase using one of the links. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/

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Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Ivy Deane

Saturday 6th of June 2020

This soup was amazing and so easy! Perfect fridge forage meal for quarantine and took minimal effort to prep. Makes a good amount of leftovers to eat throughout the week too!

Catherine

Thursday 29th of March 2018

This was really good! I used orange sweet potatoes but otherwise didn’t change a thing. Great recipe.

Lorenzo

Wednesday 21st of March 2018

Its pouring rain and cold in LA today as I read this delish post- Leek & Potato Soup is happening TONIGHT! Thanks FSCQ!