Irish Potato Leek Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

This Irish potato leek soup recipe is a delicious way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It reminds me of a loaded baked potato…in the form of soup!

I could not let St. Patrick’s Day pass by without paying homage to my Irish roots. So I am breathing new life back into this old recipe. In the form of updated photos and newly-added Instant Pot instructions.

This is such a comforting soup, full of flavor. It is one of our favorites! You may also like classic potato soup.

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. See my full affiliate disclosure policy here.

Yes, you can make this potato leek soup on the stove top OR in your Instant Pot.

Yes, this soup had potatoes in it. I used the cauliflower to add some creaminess, plus extra nutrition. You won’t miss the heavy cream – promise!

Honestly I cannot even detect any cauliflower taste in the finished dish! And my kids don’t like cauliflower, and they ate the soup happily.

How to make Irish potato look soup

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to. To make this potato leek soup recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• butter
• onion (I used yellow)
• leeks
• celery
• Yukon gold potatoes (Russet potatoes also work)
• cauliflower florets
• cooking liquid of choice: chicken broth, chicken stock, vegetable broth or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• bay leaf
• fresh thyme, or other fresh herbs of choice

Prep and clean leeks

So let’s talk about leeks for a second. They have a mild onion-y like flavor, and I think I need to find more ways to use them because they are so good!

If you have never cooked with leeks before, this link may be helpful: how to wash and prep leeks. Mine were gritty, so a good washing in some cold water should not be skipped!

Cooking potato leek soup

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat; stir in onion, celery and leek, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 20 minutes.

Stir in potato, bay leaves and thyme; cover and cook 15 minutes.

Stir in stock/ broth, cauliflower florets, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat. Carefully remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.

Alternatively, you could transfer the mixture to a standard blender. Just be sure and be cautious with the hot liquid!

Serve with desired toppings. Recommended: bacon, shredded cheese and green onions

Toppings

And as I often do with soup, I love to go a little crazy on ALL the toppings (<-Bacon! And cheeeeese!).

The toppings are, of course, 100% up to you, but may I suggest some REAL bacon. We used the Trader Joe’s pre-cooked bacon because we like to be lazy with our bacon. Another great option is air fryer bacon.

Sour cream would also be yummy on this!

Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Recipe tips

For the potatoes, I recommend yukon golds (<- Thank you Costco for the ginormous bag!) But russets would work okay too.

Also, if you have not sprung for an immersion blender (affiliate) yet, you totally should! I don’t know why I waited so long to buy one! They are really inexpensive, and when you are pureeing soups like this one, it makes things so, so, so much easier!

If you only have a regular blender handy, you can modify this recipe by letting the soup cool, then transferring to the blender in batches to puree. And THEN transferring back to the pot to re-heat. More complicated, and a few more dishes to wash…but it works.

I bet you’ll be cruising Amazon afterward to check out that immersion blender, though. 🙂

I hope you enjoy this recipe. And Happy (early) St. Patrick’s Day!!🍀

Tools Used to Make Irish Potato Leek Soup

This post may contain affiliate links, which pay a referral fee to me at no additional cost to you. My full affiliate disclosure can be seen here.

• Instant Pot, large pot or Dutch oven
• Measuring spoons
• Dry ingredient measuring cups
• Measuring cup for liquids
• Knife and cutting board
• Ladle for serving

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4.8 from 5 votes

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Irish Potato Leek Soup

This Irish potato leek soup is a delicious way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It reminds me of a loaded baked potato…in the form of soup!

Course Soup

Cuisine Irish

Keyword potato leek soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 271 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 medium onion roughly chopped
• 3 leeks chopped
• 1 rib celery roughly chopped
• 2 pounds medium Yukon gold potatoes Diced into 1 inch chunks
• 2 cups cauliflower florets (7 ounces on food scale)
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste, since this will vary greatly based on saltiness of broth, butter, etc.)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

Stovetop Instaructions

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat; stir in onion, celery and leek.

2. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes.

3. Stir in potato, bay leaves and thyme; cover and cook 15 minutes.
4. Stir in broth, cauliflower florets, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Carefully remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
7. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.

8. Serve with desired toppings. Recommended: real pork bacon, shredded cheese and green onions

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Melt butter in the inner pot on sauté mode; stir in onion, celery and leek.
2. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. It will cook down in volume, FYI.
3. Add in chicken stock, potato, cauliflower florets, salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme.

4. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, and quick release the pressure (QR) when the cook time is complete. (Hint: I place a dish towel over the lever before releasing pressure to avoid starchy liquid from spraying everywhere.)

5. After the pressure is fully release, remove the lid, and carefully remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Tongs are helpful for this.

6. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.

7. Serve with desired toppings. Recommended: real pork bacon, shredded cheese and green onions

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a nutrition label generator.

Nutrition Facts

Irish Potato Leek Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Trans Fat 0.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Cholesterol 35mg12%

Sodium 400mg17%

Potassium 776mg22%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 936IU19%

Vitamin C 39mg47%

Calcium 49mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.