Whatever may be the case, I never need much of an excuse to make a good ‘ol hearty soup. And this Thai-spiced potato leek soup . . . it’s the mother lode.
I know, it’s not the first time you’ve seen a Thai-flavored soup here. But geez, that combination of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and Thai chili works so well with a potato soup, too. One sip of this soup, and I was brought back to my childhood, to the jook (or congee) that Mama Lin spent hours making.
Of course, on a weeknight, I don’t want to spend hours cooking a soup! Good thing for us, this creamy beauty takes about 30 minutes and 8 ingredients to make. Guys, this soup is calling for you.
MASTER MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES
- Use Low Heat to Cook Leeks: I didn’t use as much oil to cook the leeks, so I used low heat to cook the leeks to prevent burning.
- Blending the Soup: I blended this soup with my immersion blender and my Vitamix, and I thought that it was much easier using the immersion blender. The process of transferring piping hot potatoes and broth into the blender and then having to clean it out was a bit much. The soup won’t be quite as smooth when you use the immersion blender, but that’s exactly what I wanted.
- Pressed for Time? If you don’t want to go through the effort of prepping the different herbs, try using the lightly dried herbs or stir-in pastes from Gourmet Garden. I’ve been using them a lot over the past few weeks, and they’re such a time savor in the kitchen! (P.S. I’m not getting paid to say this. I just like their products a lot!) Do note, however, that their stir-in pastes are not vegan.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes by leaving a comment, rating it, or sending me a message! Or take a photo of the food and tag me on Instagram so that I can give you a fist bump. I love seeing your creations!
Thai-Spiced Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) leeks (white and light green parts only)
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 TBS freshly grated lemongrass or lemongrass paste
- 1 Thai chili, thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 lbs (900g) russet or yukon potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 1/2 cups (950ml) vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- salt and pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings
- chopped cilantro
- chopped pistachios
- microgreens
Instructions
- Chop off the ends of the leeks. Slice leeks in half lengthwise, and fan them out a little. Run leeks under water and clean out any dirt. Slice leeks into 1/4-inch thick half moons.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Add leeks and cook until their softened, about 8 minutes. Stir often to keep leeks from burning. Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and Thai chili and mix well. Add potato chunks, broth, and water.
- Bring up heat to medium-high and bring broth to boil. Reduce heat and let soup simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Turn off heat and season soup with salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender or a high-speed blender, blitz soup until smooth.
- Serve hot with cilantro, pistachios, and microgreens, if you like.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
This is perfect for these cold winter nights. I love potato soup and am intrigued to try your spin on it!
Lisa says
Thanks, Kristen!!
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
We are definitely in the thick of winter around here! There is still at least 2 feet of snow on the ground, lol! This is the perfect thing to warm up with. You can’t go wrong with Thai flavors, and I love that this hearkens back to your childhood. And I adore that first photo – so cozy! xoxo
Lisa says
Faith! I hope that thinks have warmed up since the storm! My friends who live in DC posted photos of the snow storm, and I couldn’t believe it! I never got that kind of action when I was living there!
Amanda Paa says
can’t believe you went for a run in a tank top?! says the MN girl who can’t go outside without hat and mittens every.day.
which is just the reason to make this warming thai soup. and thanks for the tip on cooking the leeks at low heat!
Lisa says
Amanada, the weather is going crazy out here! It was in the high 40s a few days ago, and it’s going to hit 70 this weekend!
amber says
Yum! This looks and sounds so delicious. I love Thai food … I’ve never cooked with leeks before, so this will be a first for me! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Gorgeous photography. Love the bright white lighting 🙂
Lisa says
Amber, thank you so much for you kind words!
Gena says
Absolutely love this, Lisa! I made potato leek soup last week and left mine a bit chunkier, but now I’d like to try a smoother version. Thanks for sharing this hearty, warming wintertime food.
Lisa says
Thanks, Gena! That’s so funny, I’ve never tried a chunkier version before, and I’d like to try that!
[email protected] says
It really is strangely warm here too in Holland Lisa. Kind of a bummer because its nice to have real seasons. Its also not warm enough to just go out in a t-shirt either. I could use a bowl of this soup. It looks so good. And I love Thai anything! 🙂
Your pictures just get better and better. <3
Lisa says
Thank you so much, Rakhee!! We got a bit of a chill the last few days, but we’re warming up again over the weekend! This weather is a little crazy for me…
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Well, no tank tops here. Definitely soup weather for me! Love the flavors here and that garnish is da bomb!
Lisa says
Thanks, Liz! After freezing here for the last few days, it looks like it’s more tank top weather for me this weekend!
Elizabeth says
I have always loved potato and leek soup, but so many of my friends have never tried it before. I’m totally going to make this the next time I have a winter dinner party. I love the idea of adding a Thai twist to a classic favorite. This could easily become addictive.
Lisa says
Thanks, Elizabeth! Let me know if you try it!!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
What’s that? A run in your tank? It’s sooo cold here… I’ll bundle up in my fleece for a walk today! Love your spin on this classic, Lisa. Totally warming and so delicious! No doubt week night meals need to be quick and easy… and cozy, especially during Winter! I know this tastes divine!
Lisa says
Traci, I don’t even know what’s going on with the weather anymore! I was freezing the last two days, and now we’re heading back to tank top wearing weather!
Brittany says
I love Thai flavors and this soup sounds wonderful! Perfect for a chilly winter night.
Lisa says
Thanks, Brittany!
Erin says
Mmmmm oh my goodness this sounds terrific! Im loving the flavor and spice combination 🙂
Lisa says
Thanks, Erin!
Christine says
This looks seriously amazing. I am dying for cozy soup right now. Love!
Lisa says
Thanks, Christine!
Sharon @ Savormania says
Such a great twist to traditional potato leek soup! Love the addition of chopped pistachios and lemongrass — two of my favorite ingredients!
[email protected] says
Oh my gosh! I saw this on Pinterest!!! YUM, this is totally my type of soup. Keep up the Thai flavoured soups, seriously, can’t get enough of them!!! I love that I could literally make this right now, I have everything!!!
Lisa says
Thank you, Nagi!! Don’t worry, I’ve totally been Thai-spicing everything lately!
Sofia | From the Land we Live on says
Hi Lisa! So glad to discover your blog 🙂 This is such an interesting soup…love potato soup aaaand anything with Thai spices and flavours. We finally got some snow and this soup looks like it’ll hit the spot this week.
Lisa says
Thank you, Sofia!!
deliciouslynell says
Hi! I made a batch of this soup last night, and it worked really, really well. I’ve never made leek and potato soup before, but it seemed really straight forward and flavoursome based on your recipe! I made it using a gluten-free vegetable stock, Massels. And as I wasn’t sure from the ingredients whether you meant lemongrass paste or not, I used the paste. Fresh lemongrass doesn’t pop up where I live unfortunately. It was really good! I had to boil the potatoes for an extra ten minutes to get them soft, but then I used a combination of the immersion blender and a potato masher to get it all nice and smooth. I ate some last night, then ate some this morning as well for breakfast. The flavour was definitely nicer the day after, but we also added some things like bacon and Worcestershire sauce (sacrilege, I know, but my family seems to add it to everything) and that really rounded it out. All in all I think this is a fantastic recipe, and the fact that it can be customised to suit individual tastes gets it two thumbs up. Thanks for posting it, and your photography is amazing!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you SO MUCH for trying out the recipe and for leaving a note about it! I bet it tastes very good with some bacon in there! I’ll edit the recipe a little to clarify the lemongrass. Thanks again!
Samantha says
I had never combined these flavors! I did made a short cut recipe for a “it’s 9 pm and I need to eat something” :
Imagine brand potato leek soup
Thai kitchen green curry paste
Canned chicken
And it was great! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Lisa Lin says
Sounds great! I’m glad this dish inspired you!
Kate Wilson says
What a lovely recipe. I used the last of my home grown leeks and potatoes and it was delicious. Will definitely make this again x
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for making the recipe, Kate! Glad you enjoyed it!
Bridget Holloway says
Loved this recipe!! I’ve been looking for some more soups to add to the rotation and this was delicious!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Bridget!