Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup

Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup is a creamy, smooth soup made with tangy leeks and tender potatoes. It’s an easy family favorite!

As much as I love my Instant Pot for everything from Mashed Potatoes to Sloppy Joes, the IP really shines when it comes to soup. And around our house, Potato Leek soup is currently king. The subtly tart flavor of leeks sautéed in butter is the perfect pair to creamy Russet potatoes. Blend it all until smooth and top the bowls with sour cream and / or bacon (!) and serve it with crusty bread on the side. 

Here’s how to do it!

Potato Leek Soup Ingredients

• Butter – Saute the leeks in butter to really help them tenderize and mellow. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but just keep in mind that you may want to add more or less salt to the soup, depending on which type you use.
• Leeks – Leeks are big leafy vegetables that are part of the same family as onions and scallions but have a very mild flavor once cooked. You’ll need 2 leeks for this recipe which will seem like a lot, but will cook way down. See below for more details about preparing leeks for cooking. 
• Russet Potatoes – Russet potatoes are best for this soup. They have the right amount of starch to make the soup creamy and thick.
• Stock – If you want a vegetarian version, make it with vegetable stock. Chicken stock works well if you’re not vegetarian. In a pinch, you can use water which will add slightly less flavor to the soup over using stock. 
• Heavy Cream – While you can definitely skip the heavy cream, it really adds a creamy texture and flavor element that goes well with this classic French-style soup. For a lighter option, you could also use half and half for a similar result.
• Bay Leaves, Salt, Black Pepper – Pantry staples. Be sure to taste the soup at the end and add salt and pepper as needed. These will bring out the flavors of the finished soup.

How to Prepare Leeks

1. Trim off (and discard) the roots and dark green leaves. 
2. Slice lengthwise through the center of the leeks.
3. Chop the leeks into bite-sized pieces. 
4. Transfer chopped leeks to a mixing bowl or salad spinner. 
5. Fill the bowl with water and use your hands to rub the leeks gently to release dirt or soil trapped between the layers. (Note: if using a salad spinner, you can drain and spin the leeks like you would clean lettuce.) Repeat as needed until the leeks are clean.

More Instant Pot Soups and Stews

• Instant Pot Baked Potato Soup – Load this creamy baked potato soup up with all the toppings! This rich and creamy potato soup recipe is the perfect quick and easy dinner for a cold winter night.
• Instant Pot All American Chili – This “All American” Chili is a classic version with meat and beans but gets that simmered-all-day flavor in just 15 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot!

Favorite Tools

• 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo – This is the Instant Pot / pressure cooker I use to test all meals on this site. It easily makes enough to serve the 5 members of our family (usually without leftovers). Though this recipe was not tested in the larger 8-Quart Instant Pot, it should work in that version.
• Immersion Blender – I love this little tool for making pureed soups and sauces. It’s so much easier to clean than using my standard blender.

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Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup

Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup is a creamy, cozy, pureed soup made with tangy leeks and tender potatoes. It’s an easy family favorite!

Want to adjust the servings in this recipe to make more or less? Just click on the number next to “servings” and you can easily scale the recipe.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Total Time28 mins

Course: Main Dish

Keyword: easy, weeknight-friendly, instant pot, instant pot soup, soup

Servings: 4

Calories: 397kcal

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef

Cost: $7.00

Equipment

• 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Leeks, chopped (use white and light green parts only)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 4 cups Stock (use vegetable or chicken stock)
• 2 lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream, for serving

Instructions

• Turn on the Instant Pot’s saute function to Normal / Medium.
• Add butter and leeks. Saute until leeks are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add salt, black pepper, and bay leaves and saute for 2 minutes more.
• Turn off the saute function.
• To the bowl of the Instant Pot, add stock and potatoes. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan (this is important because browned bits on the bottom of the pan may cause the burn error).
• Close and lock the lid.
• Set the pressure valve to Sealing.
• Cook on manual / high pressure for 8 minutes.
• Manually release any remaining pressure.
• Remove and discard bay leaves.
• Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a standing blender) to blend soup until smooth. (Note: Depending on the natural starches in the potatoes, the thickness of the soup may vary slightly. Add some water a bit at a time, if needed, if the soup is too thick.)
• Stir heavy cream into soup. Taste and add more salt and black pepper, if needed.
• Serve with some yogurt or sour cream on top.

Notes

Leeks - Just use the white parts of the leeks. (Slice off and discard the roots and the dark green leafy parts from the top before using.) Be sure to rinse the leeks very well because dirt usually gets trapped down between the leaves. I like to use a salad spinner to get the chopped leeks very clean. 2 leeks will seem like a lot when you first start to chop them, but they will cook way down in the soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1628mg | Potassium: 1048mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1942IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg

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