Creamy Vegan Leek and Potato Soup | Zero-waste recipe

This vegan leek and potato soup is super easy to make. It is comforting, healthy and delicious and it’s perfect for a cosy lunch or dinner or as a starter. There is nothing I want more on a cold day in autumn or winter. The soup is topped with cashew cream, and crispy homemade croutons and potato skins.

This is also a zero-waste recipe as none of the ingredients is wasted!

This one-pot leek and potato soup is a classic autumn recipe that is easy to make and so comforting. This recipe is just like the traditional recipe, but every single ingredient is used and nothing goes to waste. The soup is topped with cashew cream, and crispy homemade croutons and potato skins.

This vegan leek and potato soup is made from staple ingredients that are cheap and easy to find. It is basically made of vegetables: potatoes, onion, garlic, leeks and a cashew cream that is totally optional. I love using potatoes in soups because it creates such a creamy soup!

This potato and leek soup is:

• Creamy
• Comforting
• Easy one pot
• Inexpensive
• Healthy

Vegan potato and leek soup – Ingredients

• Potatoes, preferably Yukon gold potatoes as they will make the soup extra creamy
• Leeks, the whole leeks
• Onion and garlic, this is where every tasty recipe starts from
• Olive oil
• Vegetable stock
• Salt, pepper, herbs
• Cashew cream, I make my own by blending cashews with water, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.

How is this recipe is zero waste

A lot of the time, in the kitchen, we throw away things that are perfectly edible. I’m passionate about reducing my waste wherever I can and this recipe is perfect to use all the ingredients that we have.

• Leeks: Many people will throw away the top part of the leeks but they are edible. They are tougher and will be more bitter but you can eat them just like the rest of this delicious vegetable. Simply clean them well, as you would the rest of the leek, and slice them more finely. Even though they are more bitter, they are perfect in a recipe like this one, as everything is blended. If you’re wandering what to do with the bottom part of the leeks with the roots, simply put in a glass with some water, change it daily and it will grow!

• Potatoes: Potato are usually peeled for soups and the skins are throw away. Although you don’t need to throw them away! They make the most delicious crunchy potato chips. In this case I used the crispy skins as garnish for the soup, together with the croutons, and they worked perfectly! When you peel the potatoes, keep the skin, wash it well and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Then put them on a baking tray, season them well and bake until crispy!

How to make Vegan Leek and Potato Soup

• First, Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks, keep the skin, rinse them well and pat the dry with a kitchen towel. Chop the leeks, all of it, you can eat the tops and they’re perfect in a soup because everyone is blended. 
• Sauté onion in some olive oil and water, then add leeks and garlic and cook for 5/10 minutes.

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Add chopped potatoes and vegetable stock until everything is covered. Cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

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• In the meantime preheat the oven to 200c. On a baking tray with a baking sheet, add bread, potato skins and season with olive oil, salt and rosemary. Bake until crispy, about 5 minutes.

4. Once the potatoes are soft, season everything with salt pepper and mixed herbs then blend it with a hand blender or transfer into a blender. To make the cashew cream, blend cashews (previously soaked in hot water for 5 minutes if your blender is not very strong) with water, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Add half of the cashew cream to the soup and mix to combine.

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Use the rest of the cashew cream to garnish the soup. Serve with croutons and crispy potato skins and season to taste. Enjoy!

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Substitutes for this cosy soup

To make an oil-free leek and potato soup, simply swap the olive oil for vegetable stock in the pan and omit it when baking the croutons and potato skins.

This recipe is gluten-free if you don’t go for the homemade croutons as a side and serve with gluten-free bread.

If you don’t have potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes.

How to store vegan leek and potato soup

This soup will last in the fridge for about 5 days in a sealed container. To reheat it, put it back on the stove or in the microwave. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months and to eat again either defrost it or cook it again on the stove

Is potato and leek soup originally vegan?

Traditionally, potato and leek soup is not vegan. This is because it could contain butter, chicken stock and heavy cream. Sometimes it is also topped with bacon or cheese. Nevertheless, the base of the traditional recipe is indeed vegan because the main ingredients are potatoes and leeks and the non-vegan ingredients can be easily substituted. Vegan butter or olive oil for butter, vegetable stock for chicken stock, cashew or coconut cream for heavy cream.

If you’re in the mood for more cosy recipes:

• Pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot soup

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below, give it a rating or share your recreation on Instagram and tag me at  @recipesandplaces or use the hashtag #recipesandplaces

I love to see recreations and share them!