If there’s one soup you need to make this month, it’s this Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon.
Smooth and creamy, this full-flavoured paleo Potato Leek Soup with Bacon is one of my new favourites. All made in one pot, it’s easy to prepare: minimal chopping, it’s quick to cook and there’s only one pot to clean. A win-win.
It’s like a fully-loaded baked potato in a bowl of soup.
I had to laugh while we had this for lunch recently. I suddenly realized that it was similar to a baked potato with “all the fixin’s.” If you’re anywhere near my age, you might remember how loaded baked potatoes were popular in restaurants. The server would come to your table with an assortment of toppings, usually sour cream, bacon bits, chives, and grated cheese for you to load up, or overload, your potato. That was on top of the melted butter that was already oozing its way into the oversized spud.
While those baked potatoes are no longer trendy in restaurants, we still love those flavours.
Besides the flavour, there’s a lot to love about this Potato Leek Soup!
In particular, I love how easy it is to make! One pot, a quick sauté, then 22 minutes of cooking and steam release time while you make a salad and clean up the kitchen. Then all it needs is a quick whir in the blender before it’s ready to serve, piping hot.
Pour leftover soup into freezer containers, label and freeze, and you’ll have lunch for another day. Gently reheat on the stove top or in a microwave. I served it with Super Seedy Snack Crackers.
No Instant Pot? No worries.
You can easily make this Potato Leek Soup on the stove top in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Just follow the instructions below, but lengthen the cooking time, cooking until the potatoes are very tender before puréeing the soup.
However you decide to cook it, this soup is bound to become a favourite in your home, too!
Find more Instant Pot Soup recipe ideas here: 5 Clean-Eating Instant Pot Soup Recipes to keep you healthy.
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon nitrate-free, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 lb (2 large) potatoes Yukon Gold, diced
- 2 tbsp gluten-free flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or heavy cream or half and half
- garnish options: crisp bacon bits, snipped chives, yogurt or sour cream drizzle
Instructions
- Press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot. When it is hot, add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally until crisp.
- Meanwhile, wash and slice the leeks into thin rounds. Add to the pot once the bacon is crisp. Cook until soft.
- Add garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add the flour and stir until it is well mixed with the leeks and bacon.
- Stir in the chicken broth, salt, pepper and potatoes.
- Put the lid on. Set the steam release button to Seal. Press the Manual button and reduce (or increase) the time to 7 minutes by pressing the - or + key.
- Once the cooking cycle has finished, let the steam naturally release for 15 minutes. Manually release the remaining steam.
- Open the lid. Stir in the cream, milk or almond milk. Either use an immersion blender to blend the soup, or transfer it to a blender. I like it left with a few small chunks instead of completely puréeing it.
- Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of sour cream or yogurt, fresh chives or green onions, and bacon bits.
Notes
Nutrition
If you haven’t jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon, now might be the time! This is the one that I own. (affiliate link)
Love your Instant Pot? You might like this Sweet Potato Turmeric Soup.
I adapted this recipe slightly from The Simple Happy Foodie. See her original recipe here.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on any of the affiliate links and make a purchase within a certain time frame, I’ll receive a small commission. The commission is paid by the third party, not by you. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Lorraine Mazza says
When do I add the 1/2 cup of milk/cream?
Flavour & Savour says
Hi Lorraine,
Add it after cooking, just before you blend the soup. Thanks for pointing that out! I’ve corrected the recipe. Enjoy!
Lorraine says
Yes I added the milk before I blended it and it tasted great. Also added 1/4 tsp thyme and served the soup with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
Flavour & Savour says
That sounds so good! Thanks for sharing your ideas. Love the idea of cheddar on top!
Dee says
My family really liked this soup. I made it in my new Instant pot and it was super easy. I didn’t have any cream so I just used milk but it was still thick and creamy.
Karen Lee says
The first thing I cooked in my brand new Instant Pot. It was awesome!
Flavour & Savour says
Thanks for letting me know! Here’s to lots more successful meals with your Instant Pot!
Alison says
Made this tonight, it was amazing!
Flavour & Savour says
So glad you liked it!
Theresa Springer says
This is amazing. I did leave out the cream (or alternative) entirely and did use my immersion blender leaving some chunks and it is terrific. Using the immersion blender did create the creaminess. We are dairy sensitive in our fam so this recipe is one that can leave it out and still be great. Super easy in my IP and I shared with my daughter so she can try it.
Flavour & Savour says
This makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing your ideas with my other readers, too! So glad you liked this recipe.
Kara says
Delicious – thanks for sharing!
Flavour & Savour says
You’re welcome! Happy that you liked it!