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    Home » Soups and Chowders » Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

    Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

    Published: Oct 25, 2021 · Modified: Jan 30, 2023 by Elaine · This post may contain Amazon affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This blog generates income via ads · 21 Comments

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    If there's one soup you need to make this month, it's this Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon. It's like a fully loaded baked potato in a bowl of soup! This recipe includes instructions for making this creamy leek and potato soup on the stovetop, too.

    Two mugs of potato leek soup garnished with bacon.

    Smooth and creamy, this full-flavoured paleo Potato Leek Soup with Bacon is a family favourite. 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!

    This soup is as hearty as my Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup, but it's flavoured with leeks and bacon. Both make a warm and comforting meal! What could be better than a bowl of creamy hot soup in cold weather?

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 🥄 Instructions
    • 🥄 Stove top instructions
    • 👍🏼 Helpful tips
    • ❓Readers' questions
    • 🥶 Can I freeze this Potato Leek Soup?
    • 🍽 Serving suggestions
    • 🗒 More comforting soup recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

    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 loaded 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!

    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 spinach salad or some baking powder biscuits and clean up the kitchen.

    Then all this Instant Pot soup needs is a quick whir in the blender before it's ready to serve, piping hot.

    Potato Soup garnished with bacon and chives and a swirl of sour cream.

    🛒 Ingredients

    Ready to make a pot of creamy potato soup? Here's what you'll need:

    • bacon:  nitrate-free, hormone-free bacon is readily available in supermarkets now.
    • leeks: 2 large ones
    • garlic: fresh is always best. You'll need 1 clove (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder if you don't have fresh.)
    • chicken broth: you'll need 4 cups, either homemade or store-bought. You can use vegetable broth if you'd like.
    • potatoes:  Yukon gold or other creamy potato variety works well in this soup recipe.
    • flour:  for thickening the soup. Gluten-free flour works well, too.
    • milk:  heavy cream, half and half or any plant-based milk. I use almond milk or cashew milk.
    • salt and pepper: to taste
    • for garnish:  bacon bits, snipped chives, and/or a swirl of cream, yogurt or sour cream.
    Ingredients for Potato Leek Soup with bacon.

    🥄 Instructions

    1. Begin by using the sauté function on your Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker to fry the bacon pieces. Once crisp, remove a few pieces to save to garnish the soup.
    2. Next, add the leeks and sauté until tender but not browned.
    3. Add the garlic, followed by the flour. Stir until the leeks and bacon are coated with flour before adding the broth, potatoes, paprika, salt and pepper.
    4. Now it's time to pressure cook! Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the steam release valve to Seal. Press cancel, then Manual and adjust the time to 7 minutes to cook on high pressure.
    5. Once the time is up, let the steam naturally release for 15 minutes, then manually release the remaining steam before opening the lid.
    6. Stir in the milk or cream, then purée the soup with an immersion blender or stick blender or by transferring to a blender or food processor.
    7. Divide into bowls, garnish with crisp bacon and parsley and serve!
    Overhead view of a mug of potato leek soup garnished with bacon bits and parsley.

    🥄 Stove top instructions

    No Instant Pot? No worries!

    You can easily make this Potato Leek Soup on the stovetop 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 for the whole family!

    👍🏼 Helpful tips

    • Taste and season! If it needs more salt and pepper, add as much as you need.
    • Use sharp cheddar cheese for a deeper flavor. 
    • If the soup is too thin, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. 
    • If you think it's too thick, you can thin it out with a little more broth or milk.
    • Add more garnishes! Try a swirl of sour cream or a tablespoon or two of grated sharp cheddar cheese.

    ❓Readers' questions

    Can I use Russet potatoes in this potato soup recipe?

    Yes, you can use Russet potatoes. They're very starchy, so they break down nicely to make a thick and creamy potato soup.

    🥶 Can I freeze this Potato Leek Soup?

    Absolutely! This soup freezes well. Pour leftover soup into freezer containers, label and freeze, and you'll have lunch for another day. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, then gently reheat on the stovetop or in a microwave.

    Two mugs of Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup on a board.

    🍽 Serving suggestions

    Try any of the following to round out your meal.

    • Super Seedy Snack Crackers--crunchy crackers, packed full of healthy seeds.
    • Herbed Gluten-Free Baking Powder Biscuits--simple to make with a handful of ingredients and a gluten-free flour mix.
    • Low-Carb Keto Mini Buns--These buns are quick and easy. Made with almond flour, they’re nutrient dense and filling but have a traditional bread-like texture.
    • Gluten-Free Cheesy Herb Cornbread--an easy recipe for gluten-free cornbread, baked in a skillet.

    When you make this recipe for leek and potato soup, please leave a comment and a rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.

    🗒 More comforting soup recipes

    • Overhead view of Chicken Pho with red chopsticks
      Instant Pot Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
    • Overhead view of Instant Pot Minestrone soup
      Easy Instant Pot Minestrone Soup - Gluten-Free
    • Close up view of two blue soup mugs with Moroccan Harissa Cauliflower Soup.
      Slow Cooker Moroccan Harissa Cauliflower Soup
    • 8 Comforting Homemade Dairy-Free Soup Recipes. All are gluten-free, too!
      8 Comforting Homemade Dairy-Free Soup Recipes

    📖 Recipe

    a blue soup mug with instant pot potato leek soup with bacon garnish

    Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

    Smooth and creamy, this full-flavoured Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon is one to make this month! Made with creamy yellow potatoes, leeks and bacon, it cooks quickly in an Instant Pot or on the stove top.
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soups and Chowders
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 8 minutes
    Cook Time: 22 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 186kcal
    Author: Elaine
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    Instant Pot
    Immersion blender
    soup mugs

    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 or yellow potatoes, diced
    • 2 tablespoon gluten-free flour
    • 1 teaspoon paprika or ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, optional, but delicious!
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • ½ cup unsweetened plant-based 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. Once the bacon is crispy, remove a few pieces, drain on paper towel, and set aside for a garnish.
    • 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, paprika 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 plant-based 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

    Once the bacon is crispy, remove a few pieces, drain on paper towel, and set aside for a garnish.
    Nutrition facts were calculated using unsweetened almond milk.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 1057mg | Potassium: 699mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin C: 29.6mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 4.4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @enessman or tag #flavourandsavour!

    This post was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with new information and photos.

    I adapted this recipe slightly from The Simple Happy Foodie. See her original recipe here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Leah

      October 22, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      5 stars
      Delicously creamy! This soup was velvety smooth, even when using plant-based milk. Yum!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        October 22, 2022 at 7:40 pm

        Happy to hear that, Leah! Thanks so much for sharing your adaptations!

        Reply
    2. Bec

      May 13, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      Why on earth would you add flour to thicken a potato based soup? Don’t use creamy potatoes, for a start. Use what they literally call ‘floury’ potatoes, any large whiter flesh kind that tends to crumble when boiled.
      If your soup is too runny after that, your ingredient list just needed more potatoes in the first place!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        May 13, 2022 at 8:00 pm

        Thanks for sharing your suggestion!

        Reply
    3. Darcy

      August 07, 2021 at 2:06 pm

      5 stars
      So much flavor! A family fave.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        August 09, 2021 at 7:25 am

        Always a favourite in our house, too!

        Reply
    4. Angela Rochester

      October 09, 2020 at 10:26 am

      If you double the recipe is it same cooking time?

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        October 09, 2020 at 3:59 pm

        Hi Angela,
        Yes, it should cook in the same amount of time. Just don't fill your pot past the Maximum line. Enjoy!

        Reply
    5. Kara

      February 06, 2018 at 7:55 am

      5 stars
      Delicious - thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        February 06, 2018 at 8:04 am

        You're welcome! Happy that you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Theresa Springer

      February 04, 2018 at 11:14 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        February 04, 2018 at 11:16 am

        This makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing your ideas with my other readers, too! So glad you liked this recipe.

        Reply
    7. Alison

      January 12, 2018 at 4:41 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight, it was amazing!

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        January 12, 2018 at 5:32 pm

        So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    8. Karen Lee

      December 26, 2017 at 3:25 pm

      5 stars
      The first thing I cooked in my brand new Instant Pot. It was awesome!

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        December 26, 2017 at 3:52 pm

        Thanks for letting me know! Here’s to lots more successful meals with your Instant Pot!

        Reply
    9. Dee

      December 22, 2017 at 6:57 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    10. Lorraine

      December 17, 2017 at 6:31 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        December 17, 2017 at 9:14 pm

        That sounds so good! Thanks for sharing your ideas. Love the idea of cheddar on top!

        Reply
    11. Lorraine Mazza

      December 17, 2017 at 8:33 am

      When do I add the 1/2 cup of milk/cream?

      Reply
      • Flavour & Savour

        December 17, 2017 at 8:41 am

        Hi Lorraine,
        Add it after cooking, just before you blend the soup. Enjoy!

        Reply

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