Use the Instant Pot to make classic potato leek soup! I love making this creamy French soup full of buttery potatoes and mild, onion-y leeks for cozy, comforting dinners, and now with the pressure cooker it is even simpler to put on the table.
Hello, all!
How’s winter treating you? Looking for some comfort food and cozy soups? Then you are in luck!
I’ve been having fun here putting my Instant Pot through its paces whipping up all sorts of comfort food dinners. Back in December I posted a couple of great recipes: Shrimp Risotto and Wine Braised Short Ribs, and since then I’ve been doing lots of tasty recipe testing. Soon I’ll be posting a recipe for Italian Pot Roast, but today I have soup!
Way back at the beginning of my food blogging journey, I shared an awesome (and awesomely popular) recipe for Cheesy Slow Cooker Potato Leek Soup. A wonderful recipe which I love on days when I want to come home to dinner all ready. But other times I’m already home (okay, most times…food blogger here š ), and I want to have dinner NOW.
This recipe is related the original soup, though I went classic here and made a simpler no cheese version. So, no matter what version sounds like dinner to you and what cooking method you want to use, I have you covered.
What do you need?
- Yellow Potatoes – 1 1/2 pounds cut into a medium dice.
- Leeks – The white and light green parts!
- Stock – Either vegetable (for a vegetarian recipe) or chicken.
- Cream – I go with half and half, but you can switch to heavy cream for more indulgence.
- Spices/Seasoning – Thyme, bay, garlic.
How to make this
To make potato leek soup in the pressure cooker, start by sauteing the leeks in butter until soft and tender. Then add the the potatoes, along with stock and herbs and cook under pressure until the potatoes are tender. To finish, puree in the pot and swirl in some cream.
- Clean and slice the leeks then cook slowly in butter.
- Add potatoes, stock, and herbs.
- Close the pressure cooker and set for 7 minutes.
- Let the cooker natural release for 15 minutes, then press quick release.
- Remove the bay leaf and any sprigs of fresh herbs then puree in the pot using a stick blender.
- Add cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the toppings of your choice.
This recipe is a classic and it’s French, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult! At its base, it’s two ingredients plus stock (or water) and some cream. Add in the Instant Pot, and you can just walk away while it cooks,. Which means it’s even easier.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you wash the leeks well. They tend to hold onto dirt in between their layers, so they do take a little extra washing. I find it helpful to trim and wash the leek before I start slicing, and then wash the slices once I’m done.
- You can switch to russets if needed. I prefer the flavor of the yellow potatoes, but either will break down to make a smooth soup.
- Don’t forget there is pressurizing time! I find it takes between 10 and 15 minutes to ramp up. Active cooking time may only be 7 minutes, but add in the pressuring and natural release times and the point here is the convenience of not having to fuss instead of a quicker cooking time.
- To keep the dinner easy and reduce clean-up (something I’m sure we all love!), use a stick blender to puree in the pot.
- If your soup cooled down too much after adding the cream, put the cooker on saute (I like medium) for a few minutes until it starts bubbling again.
Great Potato Soups
Here are a few more recipes you might like! (And, if you can’t get enough of potatoes and leeks together, I also have a Potato Leek Gratin.)
If you try my recipe for Pressure Cooker Classic Potato Leek Soup, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy cooking, Annemarie
Classic Potato Leek Soup in the Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 leeks, white and light green, sliced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme, or two-three sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 lb yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
- 5 cups vegetable stock, or chicken stock, low sodium
- 1 cup half and half
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- toppings: croutons, chives, cream, bacon
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to low saute (or use a skillet on low). Once it's hot, melt the butter then add the leeks. Saute the leeks on low for 7-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic. Saute 1 minute.
- Add the thyme, bay leaf, potatoes, and stock. Cover the cooker and set it for high pressure, 7 minutes.
- When the time is up, let the cooker natural release for 15 minutes, then press the quick release and finish venting the pressure.
- Open the lid and remove the bay leaf. Then use a stick blender to blend the soup until it is smooth. (Or transfer the soup to a blender in two batches.)
- Stir in the half and half. Then taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve soup with toppings such as croutons, minced chives, crumbled bacon, or a swirl of cream.
Notes
- Pureeing: If you are using a blender, make sure you use the cover and a kitchen towel over it in case it splatters. Also, only fill the blender about half way.
- Stick Blender: I love my KitchenAid Stick Blender and I used it here to puree.
- Leeks: Leeks tend to trap silt and dirt in their leaves. Rinse the leeks well after slicing them and before adding them to the pot.
- Reheating: If the soup cooled down too much after adding the cream, switch the pressure cooker to the saute function (I like medium) and let it warm up, stirring occasionally.
Kat says
This soup is great!! I used nut milk instead of “half and half” because I’m Australian and we don’t have “half and half”! It was probably thinner as a result, but very delicious all the same. I served the soup in bowls poured over a slice of buttered crusty homemade bread rubbed with garlic. Delicious! Will make again.
Trish Bozeman says
Oh man potato leek soup is a favorite in our house! We’ve been using our Instant Pot more and more and this is a must make! The leeks, the cream, the creamy potato, the herbs… just the best.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Thanks! I’ve been enjoying figuring out how to use my Instant Pot.