Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup

This slow cooker leek and potato soup recipe couldn’t be easier! Made with leeks, Yukon gold potatoes and heavy cream. Simply toss your ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning, and when you’re home, puree them for a delicious and creamy soup.

Leek and potato soup is my all-time favorite soup so it’s one that I make pretty regularly. Recently, I’ve been on the hunt for more slow cooker recipes that don’t require any hands-on cooking time, and I thought this soup was the perfect dish to re-invent for the slow cooker.

Why this recipe works

Simply toss all of the ingredients (except the cream) into the slow cooker and let it cook on low for eight hours. Because this is a pureed soup, you don’t need to worry about the texture of the vegetables as long as the potatoes and leeks are tender.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Leeks are one of the key ingredients in this recipe, you’ll use the white and light green parts only. Be sure to clean the leeks well (see my tip below) as there can often be some dirt caught between the layers.
• Potatoes I like to use Yukon gold (a great all-purpose potato) or white potatoes. These are less starchy than russet, so you’ll end up with a better soup texture.
• For flavour I like to add dried thyme, garlic and a dried bay leaf.
• Chili flakes are optional, but I find adding a little bit of heat to soup (I do this in my asparagus soup) helps to brighten up the flavor.
• Butter adds richness to the soup, you could also use olive oil for this.
• For the liquid I like to use chicken broth or vegetable broth. You could also use water, but you’ll want to adjust the amount of salt.
• Cream is used to finish the soup and it helps to create a smooth and velvety texture. I like to use 35% cream but you could also use a lighter half and half (10% cream), or leave it out all-together.

Step by step instructions

This soup could not be easier!

1. In a slow cooker combine leeks, potatoes, garlic, butter, salt, dried thyme, chili flakes and the bay leaf. Cover with broth–either vegetable or chicken would work here. Cook on low for eight hours.
2. After eight hours, your soup will be more muted in colour, remove the bay leaf and discard. In two batches, puree the soup in a blender and return it to the crockpot (or puree in the crockpot with an immersion blender). Stir in cream, if using, or a little bit of extra water.

Expert tips

1. I find that the best way to clean the leeks is to slice them half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise, toss them into a colander, rinse, and drain them a few times. You’ll want to swish and stir them around to make sure you loosen all of the dirt.
2. I don’t peel the potatoes in this recipe, it saves time! If you want a lighter coloured soup, you could peel them, but I don’t find it necessary.
3. This soup will continue to thicken as it cools, if you want a runnier soup you can always stir in some more water, milk or cream to adjust to your preferences.
4. If you’re in a time crunch, you can also cook this recipe in your crockpot on high for four hours.

Looking for more soup recipes?

• Mediterranean lentil soup
• Slow cooker navy bean soup
• Slow cooker lentil ham soup

This recipe was originally published on November 6, 2014 and updated on December 1, 2022 with a new crockpot version.

Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup

Author: Louisa Clements

5 from 3 votes

This slow cooker leek and potato soup recipe couldn’t be easier! Made with leeks, Yukon gold potatoes and heavy cream. Simply toss your ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning, and when you’re home, puree them for a delicious and creamy soup.

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Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 8 hours

Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 Leeks, thinly sliced
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup cream

Instructions

• In a slow cooker combine leeks, potatoes, garlic, butter, salt, dried thyme, chili flakes and the bay leaf. Cover with broth–either vegetable or chicken would work here. Cook on low for eight hours.
• After eight hours, your soup will be more muted in colour, remove the bay leaf and discard. In two batches, puree the soup and return it to the crockpot. Stir in cream, if using, or a little bit of extra water.

Notes

1. I don’t peel the potatoes in this recipe, it saves time! If you want a lighter-coloured soup, you could peel them, but I don’t find it necessary.
2. This soup will continue to thicken as it cools, if you want a runnier soup you can always stir in some more water, milk or cream to adjust to your preferences.
3. If you’re in a time crunch, you can also cook this recipe in your crockpot on high for four hours. 

Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!