I have one word to preface today's post:
SNOW
Yes. There has been snow on the ground for the last three days. It's October 12th and I am so not okay with winter invading my favourite and most fleeting season. Fall, please come back.
The only appropriate way to cope with a blanket of snow that shows up 8 weeks before it's welcome is to make soup. Preferably a soup that is as delicious as it is simple, and twice as comforting.
We did the math and decided on this creamy vegan leek and potato soup. I love chunky soups so this one is loaded with tender potato chunks and finely sliced leeks, but you can also purée it if you prefer silky smooth soups.
Making a vegan version of this classic soup was a breeze. A combination of coconut cream and white miso mimic the salty creaminess of the butter and cream used in "traditional" potato and leek soups. The coconut cream won't actually make this soup taste like coconut - I promise. Use only the concentrated cream portion from a chilled can of coconut cream (not milk) to reduce the coconut flavour while retaining creaminess. You can use up the remaining coconut water in other recipes, smoothies, or oatmeal.
We topped our bowls with Daiya cheddar style shreds for a cheesy twist. This soup is best served with crusty french bread slathered with Earth Balance. Second best option? Plain ol' saltines! We're sticking with classic comforting combos for these chilly winterfall days. Enjoy!
Keep warm with more of our favourite vegan soup recipes:
- Creamy Broccoli Soup
- Chickpea & Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup
- Tofu Noodle Soup
- Easy Chickpea Curry Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Vegan Potato & Leek Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 7 cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
A creamy vegan potato and leek soup with chunky bits of potatoes and leeks.
Ingredients
- 1 - 1.5 lb bag of Creamer potatoes (or 1.5 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered)
- 2 tbsp olive oil or Earth Balance (vegan "butter")
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups thin-sliced leeks (approx 2 leeks - cleaned with dark green leaves removed)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp white miso (mixed with 2 tbsp hot water to make a paste)
- ⅓ cup + 2 teaspoon coconut cream (the concentrated white cream from a chilled can of coconut cream - Thai Kitchen is my preferred brand)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cover potatoes with water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the largest potato feels tender in the center (when poked with a fork).
- Drain potatoes and chop approximately ¼ of them into bite-sized pieces. Leave the remaining potatoes whole.
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and minced garlic, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook until leeks are tender. Reserve approximately ⅓-½ of the leeks.
- Add the whole potatoes and vegetable broth to the remaining leeks/garlic in the sauce pan. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup. Add the chopped bite-sized potatoes and reserved leeks and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Once the soup is simmering, add the miso paste and the coconut cream. Stir well. Adjust the consistency with vegetable broth if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve topped with vegan cheddar shreds (totally optional - we used Daiya) alongside some crackers or crusty French bread spread with Earth Balance.
Notes
For pictures we topped our soup with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, Daiya cheddar style shreds and a sprig of thyme.
Rachel
Stumbled across this recipe in search of something to fit what was left in the fridge before our next grocery run and this was perfect! Added in some tofu to the mix - sauteed with the leeks, potatoes, etc. and it was a hit! Perfect for a snowy quarantine day. I might add in some extra greens like spinach or kale next time to build in some stealth nutrition.
★★★★
Brittany
I'm glad you we're able to use this recipe to work with what you had on hand, that's so important right now. Your additions sounds great!
Kelly Green
I arrived at my friends house a few days ago and the smell of this soup was wafting out the door as I walked in so I just had to try it at home. It is amazing! Anything with miso in is usually a hit for me but so unusual to find it in such a traditional dish like this. Adds a bit of a modern fusion twist. Well done very creative. I’m going to start adding it to all sorts and see what happens. I’m also going to sign up for more of your recipes. I’m inspired thank you 😊
★★★★★
Brittany
Glad you enjoyed the soup Kelly! Miso is a great addition to vegan dishes to add a little depth 🙂
Sandi
Has anyone tried to make this in the Instant Pot??
Tabicat
This recipe is bullet proof! I messed up a few details, e.g., forgot to chill the cream, etc., but it still turned into one of the best soups I've ever made. I'd make it again but I'm eager to try your other potato soups. It's been very easy to find the Little Potato Co. bags in Arkansas.
★★★★★
Brittany
That's so great to hear! Thank you so much for commenting, I really appreciate it. We've got many more potato soups on the blog, I sure hope you try some of the others too 🙂
Shannon
Oh my goodness, I just made this and it is so delicious! It is so creamy and tasty, and it actually tastes like there is butter in there. One question, it says to mix the miso witb hot water to make a paste, but my miso is already in paste form...so should I skip that step and just add it in as is? That's what I did and it seemed to work fine
★★★★★
Brittany
As long as the miso disperses into the soup without any chunks, you're good to go! Some miso pastes are really thick and hard to mix in so adding hot water helps with that.
Shannon
Can't wait to make this! Can you tell us what brand of miso you like best?
★★★★★
Kerri H.
Just made this for lunch on a cool January day......best potato leek soup I've ever had! The white miso and coconut cream made what is usually sort of a boring soup into a savory, delicious one.. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★
Bobbi
I had made some boring potato leek soup, wanted to find something to jazz it up. The miso and coconut cream took the soup to new heights.
I love this soup !!
Brittany
Aw, I'm glad this potato and leek soup was to your taste! Thank you so much for commenting! 😀
Katie
Fairly new to the vegan world, trying my best to stay away from meat. This is my favorite rtpe of soup so I'll be trying it rather soon.. question, what is the purpoae if the miso and what alternative can I use if I can?
★★★★
Brittany
Hi Katie! Congrats on getting into veganism! The miso adds umami to build up the flavour profile to mimic dairy in this recipe. You can't definitely skip it if you don't have any, just taste and adjust the seasoning (you might need more salt.) Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Debbie
Delisioso!!! The BEST vegan cream soup to date. I went vegan approximately 3-4years ago and have struggled to find a substitute for cow's milk/cream in soups. Plant based milks just didn't taste creamy, plus the flavor was just wrong.
THANK YOU so much for this wonderful soup. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Brittany
Yay yay yay! I'm so happy to hear that Debbie!! If you like this one I think you'd really like our Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe too, it's a reader favourite (and way up there on my personal list of favourites!) Thank you SO much for commenting!
Lisa
What do you suggest be done with the remaining coconut cream? How long can it be stored?
★★★★★
Brittany
Hi Lisa! We've got lots of recipes where you can use up extra coconut cream! Here's a few:
1. Vegan Coconut Penne Primavera
2. Chickpea & Lentil Coconut Curry
3. Creamy Red Coconut Curry Soup
4. Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
5. Spicy Tofu & Potato Curry Stew
6. Chickpea & Vegetable Coconut Curry Soup
7. Vegetable Pot Pie with Vegan Biscuits
8. Easy Chickpea Curry Soup
9. Loaded Baked Potato Soup
You can also use it up in smoothies or in coconut whipped cream (great with berries and granola or for topping desserts!) Coconut cream should be good in the fridge for about 5 days. Thanks for commenting!
Linda ayad
Nice and creamy! I added a couple of bay leaves in lieu of the miso paste and it was scrumptious. Thanks!
Brittany
Oh! Great substitute, I'll have to try that! Thanks for commenting Linda!
Christine
I made this with yukon gold potatoes instead of russet. So good! I will say although I did taste the miso when I first sampled the soup (which tasted kind of odd), I didn't notice it after the soup had been sitting for awhile. So anyone who tries this, let it simmer!
★★★★
Brittany
Thanks Christine! I think it can also depends on the brand of miso you use. Some are a little more mellow and blend in better.
Carol
Just made this today (sans miso....too spendy) and it is amazing!!! Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Brittany
That's great Carol! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Cheryl
Yes, a hearty and flavourful soup for these "winterfall" days---I love it!
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks Cheryl!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs
I had a 'Facebook memory' today from a couple of years ago showing over a foot of snow from a blizzard! We're just having non-stop rain right now and I miss the snow. Potato soup is the perfect comfort food for chilly weather, though, and this looks delicious.
Brittany
Aw yuck! A blizzard in October? I'm not sure which is worse, snow or rain. I like them both a whole lot more when I don't have to leave the house!
Sean@Diversivore
I'm going to gloat a little here, but hey - I did my time in the world of snow. I enjoy fall, but ever since I moved to the West Coast I find that I'm not nearly so upset about the arrival of winter. Probably because it doesn't really come with snow. Heh.
Anyway, weather-bragging aside, this sounds SO SO SO good. I mean, it's so hearty and delicious, and I'm admittedly pretty impressed with what you've done while avoiding dairy. I tend to think of dishes like this and assume that I'm going to need butter/cream/cheese to build up that silky and rich texture. But miso and coconut milk are both such brilliant and inspired components to bring into a soup like this, and I bet the end result is absolutely spectacular. Great job!
Brittany
I'm originally from BC, so these cold and dry Alberta winters feel AWFUL! I'm jealous of your west coast "winters", I really am.
As for your comments on this soup, thank you! Coconut cream and miso are a total power couple when it comes to creamy vegan recipes. I also want to thank you for leaving such thoughtful comments, other bloggers should take note (myself included.) Thank you!
Leslie-Anne
Love the addition of coconut cream, its so rich and delicious in soups. Snow sounds pretty dreadful in October!
Brittany
Thanks Leslie! I can't get enough of coconut cream in soups, so good!
Sara Hohn
Sorry to hear about the snow, but this soup looks super cozy and delicious!
Brittany
Thanks Sara!