This Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup is rich, creamy, and so delicious. Made without heavy cream or butter, it is dairy-free and filled with healthy veggies and creamy potatoes. Sprinkled with bacon bits and a drizzle of olive oil, enjoy a bowl of this comforting soup for lunch, dinner, or as an easy holiday side dish.
Leek and Potato Soup
Even if you love super creamy soups made with heavy cream and loads of cheese, I’m pretty confident you’re going to love this dairy-free version just as much. It’s creamy, it’s comforting, and it’s super easy to prepare.
Unlike traditional potato leek soup, this version is completely dairy-free. No butter, no cheese, no cream. Filled with all kinds of healthy veggies like cauliflower, leeks, and potatoes, the cream is being swapped for your favorite plant-based milk alternative. In this case, I used Walnutmilk, but any non-dairy milk will work.
The result is a healthy and delicious meal that will leave your body feeling warm, nourished, and satisfied.
How to Clean Leeks
- Chop off the end of each leek, followed by the tough, dark green tops. You only want to eat the white and light green parts.
- Chop the white and light green parts into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
- Transfer the rounds to a bowl filled with cold water. Use your hands to separate the leeks, thus removing any dirt that may be stuck between the layers.
- Agitate the water, rinsing with fresh, clean water once or twice if the leeks are especially dirty.
- Once clean, remove the leeks with a slotted spoon and use a salad spinner to dry thoroughly.
You may also enjoy: Creamy Potato Soup Recipe
How to Make Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup
1. Clean the leeks.
Start by cleaning the leeks (see above). Cleaning leeks require more time and patience than simply running them underwater, as dirt and soil tend to hide within their layers.
2. Prepare the bacon.
Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover with a lid. Cook low and slow – this helps prevent the bacon from getting burnt to a crisp. Once the bacon pieces are golden and release their grease, remove the lid and allow them to cook until the desired doneness is reached.
Remove the bacon bits to a plate lined with paper towels and reserve the bacon grease. Set aside.
3. Cook the vegetables.
Add two tablespoons of bacon grease to a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Cook the onions first for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until starting to soften and turn translucent.
Then add the leeks, carrots, and celery. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, and add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Add the potatoes, cauliflower florets, and vegetable broth to the pot and stir to combine.
Simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and fully cooked.
4. Blend the soup.
Use an immersion (hand) blender, standing blender, or food processor to blend the soup. For a smooth soup, you may blend the whole thing, or, for a chunky soup, simply blend half of the pot.
Once the soup is pureed, return it to the pot and set it over low heat. Stir in the dairy-free milk, adding more or less depending on how thick you prefer your soup.
5. Season and serve.
Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh chives, chopped bacon bits, and a drizzle of (good) olive oil, if desired. Enjoy!
Storage and Reheating
Leftovers: Keep leftovers stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. The soup will thicken as it cools. Add a little water, as needed, to thin the soup.
Freezing: Allow the soup to cool for approximately one hour before transferring it to the refrigerator. Once the soup has cooled to room temperature or cooler (you can always freeze it the next day), portion the soup into freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers. Remove as much air as possible before transferring it to the freezer. Thaw before reheating.
Have you tried making this Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes. I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup (Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
- 4 large leeks
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 carrots - chopped
- 4 stalks celery - chopped
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1.5 pounds red potatoes - scrubbed clean and halved
- 3 cups cauliflower - chopped into small florets
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth - plus more as needed
- salt + pepper - to taste
- 1.5 cups Mariani Original Walnutmilk - or dairy-free milk of choice
- Chives - to garnish
Instructions
- Clean and cut the leeks- First, chop off the end of each leek and the tough, dark green tops. Chop the white and light green parts into 1/2-inch thick rounds and transfer to a bowl filled with cold water. Use your hands to separate the leeks, thus removing any dirt that may be stuck between the layers. Once clean, remove the leeks with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Prepare the bacon- Arrange bacon in a large skillet, working in batches if necessary. Turn heat to medium and cook the bacon until the edges start to curl (approximately 3-4 minutes). Flip the bacon and cook the other side until fully cooked and crispy. Remove the bacon to a clean plate lined with paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat.
- Add two tablespoons bacon grease to a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pot. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes or until just started to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the leeks, carrots and celery to the pot and mix well to combine. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for an additional minute.
- Add the potatoes, cauliflower, and vegetable broth to the pot and stir to combine. Bring soup to a low boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and fully cooked.
- Use an immersion (hand) blender, standing blender, or food processor to blend the soup. For a smooth soup, you may blend the whole thing, or, for a chunky soup, simply blend half the pot.
- Return soup to the pot over low heat and stir in the Mariani Walnutmilk, adding more or less depending on how thick you prefer your soup. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with fresh chives, chopped bacon bits, and a drizzle of (good) olive oil, if desired. Enjoy!
Jessica’s Notes
- To make this recipe vegetarian and vegan – Omit the bacon and bacon grease. Substitute the bacon fat with olive oil.
- I used red potatoes to make this soup, but feel free to use your favorite type of potato or a combination of waxy potatoes (like red potatoes) and starchy potatoes (Yukon gold potatoes and russet potatoes).
- Peeling the potatoes is optional; however, russet potatoes tend to have thicker skins, so in order to achieve an extra creamy soup, I recommend at least peeling that variety.
- The cauliflower is optional. If you prefer a more potato-y soup, omit the cauliflower and add additional potatoes.
- If you can’t find Walnutmilk, try using any other plain dairy milk alternative such as soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, etc.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Outstanding! I love this version of my favorite leek and potato soup. I leave out the “milk” and leave the soup chunky but that’s just me. So good!
Thank you for the outstanding feedback and rating, Jealith 🙂
This is a great soup. I had cut the recipe in half because I only had two leeks on hand, but I was reasonably careful with the amounts of everything else. I used coconut milk and it was fine. I did add a pinch of red pepper – that’s the only change. The bacon is a nice touch. We do not have any chives or green onions for garnish, so I can’t speak to that. Thanks! Will definitely make this again.
Thanks for the delicious feedback and rating Susan 🙂
Would it still work if I used dairy instead of the walnut milk?
Hi Melanie, great question!
Yes. This soup tastes fantastic with dairy milk or walnut milk 🙂
I really love the soup. Prep time was more like an hour, not 15 minutes. Between all the cutting up of potatoes and cauliflower and cleaning and cutting of the leeks .. those took a really long time.
I always find this to be the case when I’m chopping up vegetables for soup or stir fry (takes an hour or more)!
This recipe looks amazing. I enjoy dairy free options because my tummy is sensitive to milk and creams, that being said I also take a thyroid medication that gives me an allergic reaction to walnuts… any suggestions on an alternative for the walnut milk to keep the creamy texture in this soup?
Hi Jennifer,
I have not tried it with any other dairy-free alternative milk, so I cannot make any recommendations. If you do try, please make sure to use a plain variety – i.e. not vanilla.
Any other vegan or nut milk should work – almond, coconut (very creamy), soy, cashew, rice, etc. I am going to make this tomorrow with coconut or maybe a mix of coconut and almond. Good luck!
How would you go about making this in a crockpot?
Hi Connie,
I have never tried cooking this recipe in a crockpot before. But with that said, if I were to try I would cook all the ingredients for between 6 – 8 hours until everything is soft, and then blend it with an immersion blender.
Good luck!
I couldn’t find walnut milk so used almond milk. Tasted fine.