This Leek and Potato Soup is sponsored by Mariani™ Family Orchards, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
Leek and Potato Soup, made with healthy vegetables and creamy potatoes, is rich and comforting without the need for heavy creams or butter. Perfect for lunch, dinner, or served as an easy holiday starter, you’ll love this healthy, dairy-free cauliflower leek and potato soup recipe.
Dairy-Free Leek and Potato Soup
I am so excited to share this leek and potato soup with you guys today! 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 has been swapped for plant-based Walnutmilk.
The end result is a healthy and delicious meal that will leave your body feeling warm, nourished, and satisfied.
Truth be told, when I originally tested this recipe I was skeptical – a dairy-free soup? Ok, maybe. But one made with Walnutmilk? I wasn’t sure.
Once it was all said and done I couldn’t believe how good this soup actually tasted. I mean, I love all sorts of plant-based alternatives, but my taste buds have been trained to expect rich and creamy soups, like this one, to be filled with heavy cream, cheese, and butter.
I like this version better.
How to Make Leek and Potato Soup with Cauliflower
1. Clean the leeks.
To make this soup, you first start by cleaning the leeks. Cleaning leeks require more time and patience than simply running them underwater. As the dirt and soil tend to hide within their layers, you will need to trim, chop, and soak the leeks in water.
- 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 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 leeks are especially dirty.
- Once clean, remove the leeks with a slotted spoon and use a salad spinner to dry thoroughly.
2. Prepare the bacon.
If you have a favorite way of cooking bacon, feel free to use that method. This is how I cook bacon when being made into bacon bits for soups and salads.
Add the chopped bacon to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the bacon is hot and sizzling, reduce 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 using a slotted spoon and reserve 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.
Bring soup to a boil. Immediately cover, and reduce heat to low. 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 the pot.
Return the soup to the pot and set over low heat. Stir in the Walnutmilk, 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!
Can you freeze this Cauliflower Leek and Potato Soup?
Yes. This is a great soup to freeze. Especially if you want to make a big batch and save half for later.
To do this, simply allow the soup to cool for approximately one hour before transferring to the refrigerator. You don’t want to leave the soup out for too long at room temperature however, you never want to place a hot pot of soup directly in the refrigerator, either.
Once the soup has cooled to room temperature or cooler (you can always freeze the next day), portion the soup into freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers. Remove as much air as possible before transferring to the freezer.
Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving.
Why I Love Walnutmilk
Some of you may be thinking, why Walnutmilk? Why not just use soy milk or almond milk?
Here’s why-
Walnutmilk is pretty amazing when combined with warm liquid. This isn’t always the case with dairy-free milk alternatives. So, soup (like this leek and potato soup) or sauces, like this Saffron Tomato Sauce that I made to go with these Middle Eastern Meatballs were so perfectly creamy, without any weird separation and definitely without the cream hangover.
Here are some other reasons to love Walnutmilk:
- It’s a rich source of calcium
- Significantly less sugar than dairy milk or other plant-based milk
- Only 45 calories per eight-ounce serving
- Walnuts are a significant source of ALA, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that has been found to benefit heart health
- Mariani Walnutmilk is gluten, dairy, lactose, and soy-free it’s also non-GMO
- No artificial colors, flavors, or carrageenan
Learn more about Mariani Walnutmilk here.
More soup recipes,
Miso Coconut Butternut Squash Soup
Easy Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
Turmeric Broth Soup with Wild Rice and Vegetables
Butternut Squash Soup Recipe (Stovetop and Slow Cooker)
If you try making this Leek and Potato Soup, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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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
- 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 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.)
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.