This Instant Pot potato leek soup is lightened up with the addition of cauliflower, and comes together super quickly in a pressure cooker. It’s also paleo and Whole30 compliant!
It’s Day 1 of my January/February Whole30! Usually I start a Whole30 right at the beginning of January, but this year I had plans to help out with a styled wedding shoot and travel to Florida. I wanted to make sure I could eat some faux wedding cake and all the Cuban food, so I pushed my start date to today.
I went to a great yoga class last night and made some mini frittatas (similar to these) to reheat for quick breakfasts, so things are going swimmingly so far. Tonight my Whole30 partner in crime Lindsey and I are making my shepherd’s pie with rutabaga, which is one of my favorite cold-weather meals of all time.
This instant pot potato leek soup is a great addition to my winter Whole30 repertoire. The base of the soup is half potato and half cauliflower, so you get the great flavor and creaminess of potatoes without the huge carb spike.
Anyone suspicious of cauliflower will not be able to taste it! The leeks add wonderful savory flavor to the soup, which is further complemented by the grassy, oniony freshness of the chives sprinkled on top.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, I highly recommend getting one. Between using my Instant Pot and roasting things like I always do in the winter, I hardly ever have to stand at the stove anymore. The IP cooks much more quickly than stovetop or oven methods, so it will save you lots of time.
There’s only half an hour standing between you and this creamy bowl of Instant Pot potato leek soup. Take that, Monday! And if you’re looking to make this into more of a full meal, try putting some cooked, crumbled sausage, a poached egg, or a few boiled shrimp on top.
Here are a few more delicious Instant Pot recipes to try: five-ingredient carnitas, fesenjan (Persian pomegranate chicken), and ropa vieja.
Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup with Cauliflower
This instant pot potato leek soup is lightened up with the addition of cauliflower, and comes together super quickly in a pressure cooker. It's also paleo and Whole30 compliant!
Ingredients
- 4 leeks, white and light green parts only
- 2 tablespoons ghee or duck fat
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- Florets from 1 small head of cauliflower (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup cashew cream, heavy cream, or coconut milk, plus more for serving
- Chopped fresh chives, for serving
Instructions
- Slice the leeks in half lengthwise, thinly slice them crosswise, and wash thoroughly in several changes of cold water to remove any sand hiding between the layers.
- Put the ghee in the Instant Pot and push “Sauté”. When the pot says “Hot”, add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned in spots, about five minutes. Push “Keep Warm/Cancel” and add the potatoes, cauliflower, salt, thyme, bay leaves, a few grinds of black pepper, and the chicken stock.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to “Sealing”. Push “Manual” and reduce the time to 6 minutes. The Instant Pot will begin cooking automatically. Once it reaches high pressure, it will begin counting down from 6 minutes. When the time is up, push “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then carefully move the valve to “Venting” to release the pressure manually.
- Remove the bay leaves. Add the cashew cream and process with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Top with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of chives and serve hot.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 358Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 703mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 10g
The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.
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I’ve made this a few times now, SO GOOD! Even my family has requested I bring it again for Thanksgiving. I did 1/2 the heavy cream & still super creamy thanks to the type of potatoes used, I believe. I also used a regular blender as I didn’t have a stick blender then. I also made a veggie version using veg broth (& no bacon crumbles this time) for an Indian friend to try & she loved it too. I also swapped out the chives for green onions as I like the stronger flavor, they’re easier to find & are dirt cheap. Thanks for a great recipe & Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad you like it! Thank you so much for sharing your modifications. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! Im confused by the step “put the duck fat in..” I dont see that on the ingredient list?
You can use ghee, duck fat, or whatever oil you prefer.
Delicious! I added cashew cream and it was fabulous!!
Great! I’m so glad you liked it!
I made this last night and it turned out great! I don’t have an immersion blender so I poured it into my Vitamin (blended about half at a time). I thought about using coconut milk but then didn’t. Hubby and I thought it was perfect without any milk/cream added. Thank you!
Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe! I wanted to find a comforting, veggie-filled meal for my husband and I and this fit the bill perfectly! I had to use red potatoes because it was what I had on hand, but it came out wonderfully. I made a half batch of the soup with some bacon lardons to sprinkle on top with the chives and it made a great dinner for us both. 🙂
Turned out great! Will say it took me WAY more than 10 min to prep, that seems to happen to me with a lot of recipes. I only used 1/2 the heavy cream & think you could cut even more to lower sat fats. With half still very creamy, velvety even! More filling than it looks. I added a few bacon crumbles on top cuz, well bacon… Amount was perfect for 7 as a first course for xmas dinner. Made 1/2 batch tonight with veg stock for a vegan friend & still solid. Used green onion instead of chives & think I like better because stronger flavor than chives. Cheaper & on hand nice too. Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing your modifications!
Are there nutrition facts for this recipe?
I need this stat for my Instant Pot(belly)!
what is Instant Pot?
It’s an electric pressure cooker. Here’s an (affiliate) link to the product page on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2xuieyB
As I mention in the post, the IP can save you a lot of time as compared to stovetop cooking. Hope you check it out!
Any reason not to do half and half v. heavy cream?
Half and half will work, although the soup won’t be quite as creamy. I avoid half and half because there’s more lactose in milk than cream and I don’t do well with it, but if you’re not worried about that, go for it!
This soup is perfect with my favorite Fried chicken, will try to make this one this weekend. Thank you for sharing, Becky!
Great! Hope you enjoy it!!
We get cauliflower in our CSA box every week this time of year. Definitely making this soon!
Great, hope you enjoy it! Looking forward to my CSA starting back up in a couple months–how lucky you are to have one that goes through the winter!
Oh my! This looks so warm, smooth, and incredible.
Thank you so much, Carrie!
Wow! This is going in my instant pot and then my belly!
Sounds like a good plan!!
SO great to have a partner in crime for your whole 30! And I love my IP, thanks for the recipe!
It really is the best–so much easier than going it alone!!
I just got an instant! I can’t wait to make this now.
And I mean Instant Pot (darn autocorrect)
Haha, autocorrect is the worst. So excited you have an IP–you’re going to love it!
I LOVE the Instant Pot! This soup sounds so good and lovely with the added cauliflower!
Thanks so much, Emily!
This soup looks so creamy and amazing! The perfect comfort food for this cold weather.
Thank you, Jessica!
I’ve been making soup a lot lately probably because the weather is cold and I need to find more way to incorporate more veggies in to my diet. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. It’s exactly what I need !
Thanks, ChihYu! Soup IS a wonderful way to sneak in more veggies!
How funny, my neighbor mentioned she made a potato leek soup last night and I though “oooh, I want to make that”. And here I see this recipe! It’s a sign. Excited to try it!
Yes! Now you have to try it! 🙂
That soup looks sooooo creamy, I want to bathe in it. Is that weird? haha
Hahaha, only a little! 😉
Can I make this wo an IP? If yes, what should i use? Stovetop or crockpot?
You can make it on the stovetop! Just simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
Aaaagh kudos to you for jumping into a Whole30. I keep telling myself I need to do a clean-eating stint but the burritos have just been calling my name so hard lately. 😉 LOVE this soup! I’m obsessed with leeks, and love the idea of a creamy potato-leek-cauli soup. Definitely an awesome addition to my repetoire 😉
Thank you so much, Julia! It is hard to resist the siren song of the burrito (although I’m much more susceptible to that of basically any dessert). Hopefully I’ll stay strong!
This soup is gorgeous – I love the chives on top!
Thank you so much, Alyssa!
Too easy! And the perfect lunch! I think my toddler and I will make some soup tomorrow! Thank you!
Sounds like a great plan! Thank you, Renee!