This Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup is quick and easy to make and turns out creamy and flavorful – a great way to utilize the winter bounty of leeks and potatoes.
Why You’ll Love It
- I love making soup in the Instant Pot because the pressure enables the rapid transformation and melding of flavors that you usually can only achieve with hours of simmering on the stovetop.
- While Potato Leek Soup doesn’t need a ton of time for the flavors to develop, you’re going to get a really flavorful and delicious soup in just 10 minutes with the Instant Pot, and it would take at least 40 minutes for the potatoes to cook on the stovetop.
- We love how creamy and velvety this soup is. The high-pressure of the Instant Pot allows the ingredients to meld together beautifully, resulting in a luscious soup without the need for excessive cream or butter.
Emily says: 
I love potato leek soup and it turned out delicious in the instant pot… adding to my recipe rotation! Yum!
» The Instant Pot makes wonderful Soups & Stews.
Ingredients You Need
- Butter – you can use ghee, unsalted, or salted butter, as you wish
- Leeks – Remove the tough greens at the top and chop only the light colored, more tender stem
- Potatoes – I use russet potatoes and I peel them before cubing. Peeling does remove some of the nutrients from the potato, but this soup is really best without peels.
- Seasonings: salt, ground black pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaf
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Cream or half and half – This is optional. The soup is really creamy on its own, without the cream.
- For garnish: bacon, green onion, and paprika
Equipment Needed
- Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus to make all of my recipes, but you can use any size or brand of electric pressure cooker. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more water to build steam.
- Immersion blender – This is a very handy kitchen tool to have around. If you don’t have one you can always use a blender. Just be careful, hot liquid can explode in the blender.
Helpful Tips
- It’s possible to make this soup vegetarian or vegan, by substituting the butter for olive oil, using vegetable broth, and omitting the cream.
- If you use a low-sodium broth, you may need to add additional salt to taste.
- The soup is really creamy on its own and doesn’t necessarily need the added cream. If you want to save the calories, you can choose not to add the cream at all. If you love a creamy soup, add up to 1/2 cup to suit your taste.
- The immersion blender is the easiest way to blend this soup. Blending for 3-5 minutes will yield a super silky soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in a blender (leaving the vent whole open at the top because the soup is hot!)
How to Make Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
This soup takes just 15 minutes to make, but there will also be some time needed to bring the Instant Pot up to temperature. You can cut down on that time by adding hot chicken stock, rather than cold. This will allow the Instant Pot to pressurize faster.
Step 1: Cut up the Vegetables
Start by washing the leeks thoroughly, as they can often harbor dirt and sand between their layers. Cut off the dark green tops and the root end, leaving the tender white and light green parts. Slice the leeks into rounds.
For the potatoes, peel and dice them into uniform pieces to ensure they all cook evenly.
Step 2: Sauté the Leeks
Turn on Sauté mode on the Instant Pot. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the leeks. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, just to soften the leeks, not brown them. Turn off sauté mode after 5 minutes (any longer and it might get too hot). Add the salt, pepper and garlic.
Step 3: Pressure Cook
Add the potatoes, broth, thyme and bay leaf. Secure the lid and set to cook for 6 minutes on high pressure. Do a quick pressure release.
Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaf.
Step 4: Puree the Soup
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to a smooth texture. Turn on sauté mode and add the cream. Heat through before serving.
Can You Freeze Potato Leek Soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup, but you want to freeze it before you add the cream, if you’re planning to. The cream can congeal when frozen and it won’t reincorporate into the soup when it’s defrosted. So omit the cream and you can add it in after you’ve reheated the soup, if you want to.
The soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. If frozen, it will keep for a month or longer in the freezer.
How to Reheat
Reheating leftover potato leek soup is a breeze, and you have a few options to choose from depending on your time and preference.
Stovetop – Gently warm the soup in a pot over low to medium heat. Stirring occasionally, allow it to come up to temperature.
Instant Pot – Simply place your soup in the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and select the “High Pressure” setting for 5 minutes. After a quick release of pressure, your soup will be piping hot and ready to serve.
Microwave – Place it in a microwave-safe container, cover it, and heat on medium-high power for 3-5 minutes. Be sure to pause and stir the soup at intervals to ensure even heating.
Questions About the Recipe
Why does my potato and leek soup taste bitter?
You may have burned the leeks, It’s important to watch them carefully and only sauté them for 3-5 minutes, just to soften the leeks, not brown them.
How long does it take to cook potato and leek soup in an Instant Pot?
The total cooking time is only 11 minutes. That doesn’t take into account the time it will take for the Instant Pot to pressurize. The total time to prep and cook this recipe is 31 minutes.
How do I make my Instant Pot potato and leek soup smooth and creamy?
To make your Instant Pot potato and leek soup smooth and creamy, you can use an immersion blender or transfer the soup to a blender in batches and puree until smooth. You can also add a splash of heavy cream or sour cream to the soup to enhance the creaminess and richness of the flavor.
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Instant Pot Potato & Leek Soup
Note: Made in a 6-qt Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
- 2 leeks tough greens removed, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 pound (454 g) potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) cream or half and half optional
- Crumbled bacon green onion, and paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Washing the leeks thoroughly, as they can often harbor dirt and sand between their layers. Cut off the dark green tops and the root end. Slice the leeks into rounds.
- For the potatoes, peel and dice them into uniform pieces to ensure they all cook evenly.
- Turn on Saute mode on the Instant Pot. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the leeks. Saute for 3-5 minutes, just to soften the leeks, not brown them. Turn off saute mode after 5 minutes (any longer and it will get too hot). Add the salt, pepper and garlic.
- Add the potatoes, broth, thyme and bay leaf. Secure the lid and set to cook for 6 minutes on high pressure. Do a quick pressure release.
- Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaf.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to a smooth texture. Return to a low heat and add the cream. Heat through before serving.
- Serve as is or topped with crumbled bacon, green onion, and a sprinkle of paprika.
Notes
- If you use a low-sodium broth, you may need to add additional salt to taste.
- It’s possible to make this soup vegetarian or vegan, by substituting the butter for olive oil, using vegetable broth, and omitting the cream.
- The soup is really creamy on its own and doesn’t necessarily need the added cream. If you want to save the calories, you can choose not to add the cream at all. If you love a creamy soup, add up to 1/2 cup to suit your taste.
- The immersion blender is the easiest way to blend this soup. Blending for 3-5 minutes will yield a super silky soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup in a blender (leaving the vent whole open at the top because the soup is hot!)
Nutrition
Laura is a passionate home cook and the owner of A Pressure Cooker Kitchen. She is dedicated to helping people create delicious Instant Pot meals with ease. Laura is an expert at developing recipes that can be prepared quickly and easily using a pressure cooker.
I love how fast and easy this soup is! And , of course, it’s delicious too!
I love potato leek soup and it turned out delicious in the instant pot… adding to my recipe rotation! Yum!
This is my favourite soup. I am definitely going to have to try making it in the instant pot.
What a great flavor combination and I’ve never considered that the Instant Pot enhances the flavors like it would if you were to simmer it for hours on the stove. I might just start making all my soups in the Instant Pot now!
It definitely enhances the flavor, and it’s so quick!
This soup looks awesome! What a great use of leeks!
This is one of my favourite soups on earth. So good!
Probably my most favourite soup ever! So tasty and fulfilling -definitely giving this recipe a go!
I love creamy leek soup! It’s so flavorful and comforting, yet also has delicious fresh flavors of spring!
One of my favorite ways to enjoy leeks is in a creamy soup like this, so good!
This looks so delicious and very tasty! My family and I are going to enjoy this soup! So excited to try this!
This turned out so good! The Instant Pot made it so quick, and I love how creamy it was.
I love making soup in my instant pot! This was delicious
Such a delicious soup – so warm and comforting.
The leek adds such great flavor to this soup!
Perfect for a working couple, quick and simple after work.
Can you freeze this soup?
Hi Carol, you absolutely can freeze this soup. We suggest freezing it before you add the cream. You can freeze it after you add cream but the texture upon reheating might not be as creamy.
Try adding a chopped onion and a handful of Brussels sprouts. Then use your immersion blender while still in the pot. Wonderful!