Crock Pot Leek and Potato Soup (+Video)
This creamy Crock Pot Leek and Potato Soup is full of flavor and packed full of potatoes, leeks, celery, carrots, bacon, in a creamy broth.
A CREAMY SLOW COOKER SOUP
I’ll admit I’m not a fan of cold weather. However, one upside to the cooler temperatures is it makes for a great time to eat and make soup. Something about the cooler weather just makes me crave good ole comfort food like soup like this Crock Pot Leek and Potato Soup.
WHAT ARE LEEKS?
Have you ever seen a leek? Have you cooked with a leek? Do you know what one is? They look like an overgrown green onion and that’s because they are related. If you like green onions, then chances are you going to enjoy the leek. It has a mild onion flavor. I actually find that most people who don’t like onions usually end up really liking leeks so it might be a good substitute for the onion haters. The only thing you have to remember when using leeks is you have to clean them well and cook them up before adding them to any dish. If you can’t find leeks where you live, then please feel free to substitute an onion in this recipe.
TIPS FOR MAKING LEEK AND POTATO SOUP:
- If you can’t find leeks, you can substitute for one medium onion.
- I serve this soup it with some warm, crusty bread. This way you can just dip it in the soup and it softens the bread a little and is scrumptious. Or, you could also serve with a salad.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon pieces.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- bacon
- leeks
- chicken broth or stock
- water
- russet potatoes
- carrots
- celery
- dried dill weed
- garlic powder
- half & half
- all-purpose flour
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT LEEK AND POTATO SOUP:
If you’ve never worked with leeks before, let me walk you through the steps. First you need to cut off the dark green parts and discard. You don’t use them at all. Put them in a compost bin or some people use them for stocks.
Cut off the root end, then cut the leek vertically down the middle.
Leeks are dirty little veggies. They grow in sandy soil so they trap that soil in their layers. After we cut up the leeks, we’ll rinse them really well.
Cut into about 1-inch slices.
I just love that onion-y smell as I’m dicing them up.
Now put the diced leeks into a bowl of water to rinse. Or put them in a colander like I do and squirt them gently with water. This will help get all the dirt out that might be trapped in the layers of the leeks. Dry them gently on some paper towels.
Now it’s time to cook them. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add chopped bacon. Allow some of the fat to render from the bacon and let it brown slightly. Then add in chopped leeks. Cook until leeks are soft and bacon is crisp. Drain any excess grease. Transfer bacon and leeks to your slow cooker (it needs to be at least a 6-quart slow cooker.) Add in potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Stir in chicken broth.
And water.
And don’t forget the seasonings (dill weed, garlic powder and salt & pepper).
Give it all a good stir, then cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together half & half with flour.
Add this mixture to the slow cooker and stir well.
Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Now, at this point, give it a taste. I always find I need to add a bit more salt, but I’ll leave that up to your taste buds.
Serve and top with shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: December 2012
Updated & republished: September 2020
Crock Pot Leek and Potato Soup (+Video)
Ingredients
- 6 slices uncooked bacon chopped
- 2 leeks chopped (just use the light green & white parts)
- 32 ounce container chicken broth or stock
- 2 cups water
- 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups half & half
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add chopped bacon. Allow some of the fat to render from the bacon and let it brown slightly.
- Stir in chopped leeks. Cook until leeks are soft and bacon is crisp. Drain any excess grease.
- Transfer bacon and leeks to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken broth, water, potatoes, carrots, celery and seasonings.
- Give it all a good stir, then cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together half & half with flour.
- Cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and bacon pieces.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Very yummy! I skipped the dill but it tasted great and we found that while we liked topping it with cheddar, we didn’t NEED it. It was good right out of the pot!
Oh that is so wonderful to hear Melanie!! Thanks so much!
I have this ready to go into the crockpot in the morning! I came home from our CSA with leeks this morning and you came to the rescue! Can’t wait to try this with biscuits tomorrow night for dinner. I am adding Northern beans to it, and leaving out the bacon as we’re a vegetarian household.
Please, let’s have a lot of one casserole recipes.. they are delicious.
My family LOVES this dish! I actually leave the cream/half n half out so I am able to home can the bulk of the crock pot amount, transfer enough to a smaller pot on the stove for our meal and add the cream then. This lets me grab a jar for a quick meal at a later date.
I have this in the crock pot now! Any way I can turn up the heat for an earlier dinner time? 🙂
If I don’t have half and half, can I use heavy cream instead?
You sure can! 🙂
In my slow cooker now waiting to enjoy for after work. The smell is already so vibrant and delicious throughout the house! Looking forward to it ;D
You deserve a nice comforting bowl of soup after a long day at work!
I have this in the slow cooker now…will let you know how it turns out…I’m looking forward to it mmmm
Was fabulous…enjoyed it 🙂
I used this recipe for the base for a seafood chowder. I added a pound of chowder (any white) fish with the first group of ingredients. When adding the half and half, I included 2 small cans of clam pieces and about a half pound of defrosted cooked shrimp. It was delicious!
Why do you cook the leeks first? Is there a special reason you don’t just put them in with the rest of the veggies?
You don’t have to. I just like the flavor that the bacon gives the leeks. 🙂
I love this soup, and so does the rest of my family! It's my picky eater's favorite. Thank you for sharing it!
This potato soup is so yummy! Trader Joe's had frozen leeks cut up so no prep for them-adds so much flavor to this soup! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How much soup does this recipe yield?
Lindsay, this should serve about 6-8. 🙂
I made this soup yesterday on our first chilly day in NC. It was my first time using leeks and the soup turned out delicious! My husband and sons really liked the chunky potatoes and of course the bacon! Thank you.
Yay! That's great Elizabeth! Thank you for coming back to let me know how it turned out!
I made this for a ladies group and it was delicious! What a lovely soup! THANK YOU!
Hello!
This looks amazing!!!! I can't wait to try it! I do have a question though….. do you think that I could freeze this ahead of making it so its one of those freezer meals? Everything but the half and half part. What do you think?
Jill
Jill, you could definitely freeze this. Just make sure to pack in a good freezer tight bag or container. 🙂
Great! I'll try with the cornstarch first. If it doesn't have the effect I want, I'll try the potato buds, as they are OK for a gluten free diet. Thanks for responding so quickly!
You can also Potatoe buds or any instant potatoe flakes to thicken Potatoe Soup. I've been using this trick for years. Debra
I made this soup. It takes too long making it in a slow cooker. Can it be made in a
regular stock pot? Over all it looked good and tasted VERY good. Thanks for the recipe country cook.
Hi Eurl! It sure can! 🙂
Hello! This recipe looks delicious. I wanted to make this for me and my mom when she comes over for lunch. The only thing is, she has changed her diet to wheat and gluten free. So, the flour in milk would be a no-no. Can I use a gluten free frlou and still have the same effect? Or should I use cornstarch?
Can I just throw the leeks in at the beginning?
They are thrown in at the beginning
Rockergirl – that is a good question. I have never cooked with Gluten Free Flour so I'm not sure how it would affect this soup. I would say – go with the cornstarch. Add it in, then see how much it thickens. If you want it thicker, make another slurry of the cornstarch and a bit of milk. Add to pot, bring it up to a boil & it should thicken up more for ya. I hope that helps and I hope you both like it! 🙂 ~Brandie
This soup looks delish, and I love that you added dill!
Hi! I think this looks great! I am including it in a slow cooker recipe collection here http://mommyssweetconfessions.blogspot.com/2012/12/34-slow-cooker-soups-stews-and-chilis.html
Thank you Monica! I'm so happy you like the step by step photos! Makes my day to hear that. I really hope y'all love this one!
This looks so yummy! I will definitely put it on my to-do list.
I just love how you take the time to show step by step tutorials. Im not much of a cooker or a baker, but let me tell you. I have found joy in doing both and with my girls too. Thanks Soooo Much.. This soup looks Wonderful!! Cant wait to try it. Smilez, Monica 🙂