Name: Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Bacon
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 30 min
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 tbsp gluten-free flour; salt and pepper to taste; 1/2 cup unsweetened plant-based milk, (or heavy cream or half and half); garnish options: crisp bacon bits, snipped chives, yogurt or sour cream drizzle

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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 soup on the stovetop, too.

A white bowl full of potato leek soup with bacon and chives

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!

❤️ 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

🛒 Ingredients

Ready to make a pot of homemade 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.
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

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

Potato Leek Soup in a white bowl with crackers beside

🥄 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 in your home, too!

🥶 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 stove top or in a microwave.

🍽 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.

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.

If you haven't jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon, now might be the time! This is the one that I own. (affiliate link)

🗒 More healthy Instant Pot recipes

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