Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
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Potato leek soup with bacon has a creamy potato and leek base with chopped bacon. The potatoes, leeks and bacon cook in chicken stock before most of the mixture’s blended, then milk and light cream go in. I like to save some bacon and leek pieces to sprinkle on top, so it looks pretty and has various textures. I usually serve the croutons on the side to keep them crisp.
This soup makes a great lunch and I love it paired with a couple of slices of buttered rustic bread, but it would also work as a fall or winter appetizer in smaller portions.
Potato Leek Soup with Bacon at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 6
- Course: Soup
- Main ingredients: Potatoes, leeks, bacon, chicken stock, milk and cream
- Best cooking method: Stovetop followed by blending
- Storage: Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days and keep the croutons separate
Why You’ll Love Potato Leek and Bacon Soup
- Not completely puréed: I like to blend most of the soup, then add the rest of the bacon and leek pieces on top with the croutons, for a more interesting texture.
- Works as an appetizer or lunch: You can serve smaller bowls before a main course or use a full serving for a more filling lunch or dinner.
- Homemade croutons are so good: Regular slices of bread are easy to toast and cube. I often make croutons if I find I have stale or past-its-best bread to use up.
Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon Ingredients
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or another yellow potato is good in this soup. I often use Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, since they soften well for blending and still give the soup enough body. I peel and slice them before cooking so they get tender enough to blend.
- Leeks: Slice the leeks and wash them thoroughly before cooking. Soil can collect between the layers. I discard the tough dark green tops.
- Bacon: Chop the bacon before cooking it with the leeks and potatoes. Don’t forget to keep some of those crispy bacon bits to garnish the finished soup!
- Chicken stock: I used chicken stock, but you can use veggie stock if you want.
- Milk: I used 2% (semi-skimmed) but any kind of milk should work in here.
- Light cream: Known as single cream in the UK, this gives the soup a creamy finish.
- Bread: The bread’s toasted and cut into croutons. Use any kind of bread you prefer.
- Black pepper: Add just a little to taste.
Potato Leek Soup Bacon Recipe Tips
- Avoid browning: Cook the bacon, leeks and potatoes until tender without letting them brown.
- Cook the potatoes to tender: Check they’re tender before blending, so they blend smoother in the soup.
- Don’t forget the garnish: Don’t forget to keep some crispy bacon bits and leek pieces to garnish your finished soup.
- Blend in batches: Work in batches if you’re using a countertop blender.
- Keep the croutons crisp: Serve them on the side and add them just before eating.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetable stock: Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock if you prefer.
- Less cream: Leave out the cream for a lighter-flavored soup and just use the milk.
- Completely smooth soup: Blend all the bacon and leeks instead of keeping some back for garnish.
- Oven-baked croutons: Toss the bread cubes with a little olive oil and dried herbs, then bake them instead of toasting the bread.
- Vegetarian version: Use vegetable stock and skip the bacon or replace it with another vegetable of choice.
- Gluten-free soup: Check your chicken stock is gluten-free and use gluten-free bread to make the croutons.
- Dairy-free option: Use dairy-free milk and cream. I haven’t tried this version myself but let me know if you do. Since some dairy-free milks are water-based and quite thin, you might find you need less, so don’t add it all to begin with. You can always add more if needed.
Handy Equipment
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven: For cooking the bacon, leeks, potatoes and stock.
- Blender: You’ll probably need to blend the soup in batches.
- Chef’s knife: For slicing the potatoes and leeks and chopping the bacon.
- Toaster: To toast the bread before you slice it into croutons.
- Soup ladle: To serve your leek and potato soup with bacon.
Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon Serving Ideas
If serving the soup before a main course, I tend to keep the portions fairly small because the potatoes, bacon and croutons make it quite filling.
For lunch, it’s good paired with bread, or you could enjoy some freekeh salad or shrimp and apple salad for something cool and contrasting.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Cool the soup promptly, transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheating: Warm up leftovers on the stove or in the microwave until they reach 165°F (74°C).
- Freezing: I’ve frozen the soup before. The potatoes thawed out a bit softer and the dairy separated a bit, so I can’t say the texture was as good as when it was freshly made.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the soup ahead and refrigerate it. Store the croutons separately and add them when serving. I keep my leftover croutons in a plastic container at room temperature. If you have croutons left but no soup, add them to your next salad or vegetable side dish or crush them if you’re making something with breadcrumbs.
Potato Leek Soup with Bacon FAQs
I trim off the roots and tough dark green tops, then slice the leeks lengthwise or sometimes into rounds. It’s best to separate the layers and rinse them thoroughly under cold water because grit often hides between them.
Yes. An immersion blender lets you blend your soup directly in the pan. I used mine last time because the countertop blender was in the dishwasher and it worked just as well. Remember to keep some bacon and leek pieces out for the garnish first, then blend the rest until it reaches the consistency you like.
Yes. Blend all the bacon and leeks with the soup instead of keeping some back for garnish. Stop blending once the soup reaches the texture you want.
For this recipe, I recommend that you do. Peeling the potatoes gives the finished soup a smoother texture and keeps bits of skin out of the soup. If you don’t mind a less smooth texture or those skin bits, just scrub the potatoes instead of peeling them.
Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
Ingredients
- 10 ½ ounces (300g) peeled, sliced potatoes
- 10 ½ ounces (300g) sliced leeks
- 1 ¼ cups (290 ml) milk
- ⅕ cup (50 ml) light cream (single cream)
- 5 ⅓ ounces (150g) chopped bacon
- 3 cups (700 ml) chicken stock
- 4 slices bread
- Black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Peeler
- Countertop blender or immersion blender
- Toaster
- Soup ladle
Method
- Sauté the bacon, leeks and potato slices in a large pan until everything is tender but not browned.
- Stir in the chicken stock and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove some of the crispy bacon and leek pieces and set them aside for serving.
- Blend the remaining soup in batches in the blender or use an immersion blender.
- Return the soup to the pan and stir in the milk and light cream. Sesaon to taste with black pepper.
- Toast the bread and cut it into cubes to make the croutons.
- Divide the soup between 6 serving bowls. Add the reserved bacon and leek pieces and serve the croutons on the side or add them just before serving.
Notes
- Swap the chicken stock for veggie broth if preferred.
- Leave out the light cream if you want a less creamy soup.
- Blend all the bacon and leeks with the soup if you want it completely smooth.
- Refrigerate leftover soup for 3 to 4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).
- You can freeze the soup but bear in mind the potato texture may thaw out softer or a bit mealy and the dairy may separate.
Other Potato Soup Recipes
If you want another potato soup, try my 3 ingredient potato soup, which is much simpler than this one but still really tasty.
My cullen skink is a rich Scottish potato soup recipe with smoked haddock. Or you might like to try this Thai chicken soup if you fancy something completely different.
