Vegan Potato Leek Soup | Creamy Easy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my leek and potato soup taste bitter? ›

Potato leek soup can taste bitter if you burn the leeks when first reducing them down in your pot. To avoid burning your leeks, stir the leeks often and reduce with butter or oil to help avoiding burning the leeks.

Most likely, your potato leek soup tastes bland because you haven't added enough salt throughout the cooking process. Potatoes LOVE salt at every opportunity. Season them before roasting to really bring out their flavor. If you season only at the end, your soup will just taste salty — not flavorful.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Why is my potato leek soup gummy? Potatoes should be diced in similar size so they cook evenly, but don't drive yourself crazy getting them teeny-tiny. If they're too small, you risk the potatoes releasing too much starch, which can make the soup gummy when pureed.

Onions, artichokes, garlic and leeks all contain fructans – carbs that can cause gas and bloating.

Not Adding Acid. If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Although leeks are known for its powerful taste, your potato and leek soup can occasionally come out bland. The reasons are usually two: you didn't season your soup at all, worrying it might be too salty because of the leeks; or you added to much water for the stock.

It looks as though some of your potatoes might have got a bit scorched. Did you fry them off before adding the liquid? The colour from the browned potatoes could be what is turning it brown.

Soup Thickening Method: Cornstarch Slurry

Cornstarch is flavorless, easy to mix up, and versatile, which makes it a go-to pantry ingredient. I made a classic slurry by whisking cornstarch and hot broth until smooth in a small bowl.

You can keep this soup for 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge. If you don't think you'll eat it in those 3 days, you can freeze it for a couple of months. When you defrost it you might find the potatoes have changed texture and some of the fat has separated from the other liquid.

How to stop leek and potato soup from going gloopy? ›

Sear or roast your potatoes to prevent gummy soup

Searing or roasting your potatoes does more than just add extra flavor to your soup. It can actually prevent your broth from becoming gluey.

Potato and Leek Soup: Simplicity at Its Best

You can garnish it with your favourite toppings like crispy bacon bits or have it with cheese and garlic bread – the list is endless. For the full dinner experience, it goes beautifully with sweet and earthy roast Dutch carrots, savoury grilled chicken and toasted bread.

High-intensity mashing methods like using blenders, hand mixers, or food processors overwork the potatoes, which breaks down their cells. For the best, balanced texture, use a potato masher to gently mash some of the boiled potatoes directly in the soup pot.

Tips to Remove a Bitter Taste

Mix in a little bit of sugar to hide the bitterness. Add a pinch of salt to a bitter dish. Sprinkle in a pinch of baking soda. Add acidic flavors to the dish, like lemon juice or vinegar.

Onion skins, herb stems, peppercorns, brassicas, bitter greens, and tough celery greens are some of the suspected causes of bitter broth.

Pour in hot boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the hot salty water and transfer them into cold water. This process blanches the leaves and removes the bitterness. Most people use this method when they want the leaves to be stringy after washing.

This is a case of solanine in potatoes. Often a newer potato off harvest . The green eyes of the potato can harbour this chemical and when boiling it spreads in solanine flavour or the metallic taste. Cut off the green eyes on the potatoes and reduce the metallic flavour spread .