This recipe for Traditional Scottish Potato and Leek Soup with optional Toasted Oats is super quick and easy to prepare yet packed with wholesome nutrition and deliciousness. This Scottish soup is based on the home-made potato and leek soup we used to enjoy growing up in Glasgow during the 80s and 90s. A bowl of this veggie packed soup is guaranteed to warm the family up on chilly days and fill hungry tummies! All whilst being amazingly budget-friendly.
Scottish Potato and Leek Soup is an everyday staple soup and is so versatile, it is perfect for any diet including vegans, vegetarians, plant-based diets, flexitarians, anyone and everyone! It can also be easily prepared as gluten-free.
History Of Scottish potato and leek soup
Since leeks appeared on the British Isles sometime before the Medieval Times, they have become a very important food crop. Wales even has the leek as part of their National emblem and their traditional soup Welsh Cawl Soup is packed with leeks. In Ireland leeks are a prominent ingredient within many of their traditional recipes including Irish Leek and Oatmeal Broth.
Although leeks go even further back as recipes containing leeks were discovered in the Ancient Roman cook book Apicius, and there is evidence that leeks may have originated in Ancient Egypt, and were so highly regarded they were used as a form of currency!
In Scotland, leeks are a hardy crop and ideal for coping with the Scottish changeable climate and poorer soils. As such leeks feature in many traditional Scottish soups including Scotland's national soup Cock-a-Leekie, which is a chicken broth with leeks, and Orcadian Oatmeal Broth [carrots,swede & leeks].
Oats and barley which feature in many Scottish leek and potato soup recipes, are also Scottish staple crops, dating back to medieval times, and they also feature in the traditional Scottish soup - Scotch Broth, although leeks are not traditionally added to this broth there is no reason why they couldn't be!
Potatoes and Scotland
For centuries potatoes have been a staple part of the Scottish diet and for poorer Scots, especially those living in the Highlands & Islands, during the 1700s-1800s potatoes may have been the only food available for breakfast, dinner, and tea!
Potatoes were not introduced to Britain until the 16th century and at first were thought of as animal feed, so potato and leek soup evolved sometime after! Another budget-friendly but delicious Scottish soup is this Old-Fashioned Scottish Potato Soup.
American potato and leek soup
The US also have a traditional leek and potato soup - Vichyssoise - and this soup is usually blended and served chilled. It is popularly claimed that Vichyssoise soup was developed by a French chef working in the New York Ritz restaurant in the 1950s, who created the soup as a refreshing meal to cool his customers during the hotter months.
How to prepare Scottish potato and leek soup
Preparing this Scottish potato and leek soup is really easy. We like to saute the vegetables with either olive oil or vegan butter, but if your on a no-oil diet then use a half cup [120 millilitres] of vegetable broth, adding more as required.
First sauté the leeks, onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots for 15 minutes using either a tablespoon of olive oil, butter, or half a cup of veggie stock.
Next, add the pearl barley, give it all a good stir.
Next, pour in the vegetable stock and gently boil for 35 minutes.
Tip the rolled oats into the soup and cooked for a further 5 minutes.
Pour in the milk, mix well, and cook for a few minutes just to heat the soup through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Optional garnish: Toasted Oats
Whilst the soup is cooking, preferably before the oats and milk are added near the end of cooking, the rolled oats for the toasted oats can be added to a small non-stick pan, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Shake and stir the pan as the oats heat and once they start to brown, remove the pan from the heat, and keep stirring as they will continue to brown within the residual heat.
The toasted oats don't need to be served hot and can just sit in the pan or a little dish until the soup is ready.
Recipe notes and FAQS
Storing
Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days, within a covered container, in the refrigerator. Or frozen for up 2-3 months.
Reheating
Place the leftover soup in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reheat for 2-3 minutes being careful not to fast boil as that could cause the milk to split. Although if the milk does split just give the soup a good stir and it will come back together well.
Yes, you can prepare a very tasty gluten-free potato and leek soup by replacing the barley with rice, using a gluten-free vegetable stock, and using gluten-free certified rolled or porridge oats. Or simply omit the oats.
Yes, preparing soup in advance is a always a great idea as then the flavours get a chance to settle and develop into an even more tastier bowl of soup.
This soup is a filling, satisfying, hearty soup and is perfect for a main meal. However, soup always tastes nicer with a wedge of home-made bread or even a tasty sandwich or toastie. A few suggestions:
* 3 Ingredient Dinner Rolls [no-yeast bread]
* Irish Traditional Wholemeal Soda Bread [no yeast bread]
* Australian Damper Bread [no-yeast bread]
* Traditional Scottish Oatcakes and a wee wedge of vegan cheese is a delicious accompaniment ( no oil oatcake recipe also available)
* Bread sticks
* Rice cakes/ corn cakes/ rye cakes
* Saltine crackers
* American biscuits
* Plain British scones
* Vegan Cheese Scones
* Cornbread Muffins
* Boston Brown Bread [easy slow cooker recipe]
The best oats for toasting are flaked oats and these have various names depending on the size of the flakes - such as rolled oats, porridge oats, old-fashioned oats, Scottish oats, and jumbo oats.
Instant oats, or the more powdery kind, which can be prepared by simply mixing with boiling water are not the best for toasting as they won't provide much texture.
Steel-cut oats or medium oatmeal is more bitty in texture but it can still be toasted, and we use this type of oatmeal for our Vegan Traditional Skirlie recipe. A few tablespoons of Skirlie is extra tasty sprinkled over potato and leek soup.
No of course not. If you dislike oats then by all means omit them, although the oats do add extra nutrition, texture, and nice flavours so if possible try the soup with the oats first as it may surprise you!
Yes, the oats could be replaced with any flaked grain such as barley flakes, rye flakes, wheat flakes, or even millet flakes. Our local health food shop [wholefood store] usually has these types of grain flakes available and they are usually not too expensive. A replacement can be stirred through the soup as well as used for toasting for the soup garnish.
Fresh herbs are always a tasty soup garnish and for our soup recipe chives, parsley or a few thyme leaves would be nice.
Crunchy croutons would also be nice and we have an easy crouton recipe over on our Old-Fashioned Cream of Swede Soup recipe.
Another idea is to sprinkle over a few roasted chickpeas, and you can find an easy recipe for roasted chickpeas over on our Curried Cauliflower Soup recipe.
Toasted seeds or toasted nuts are always a tasty addition to soups and these can be prepared using the same method for toasting the oats.
Also, a swirl of vegan cream or sour cream is a nice addition to soups especially potato and leek which is a nice creamy soup. And a sprinkle of grated vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes compliments the soups flavours very well.
Finally, for extra warmth or a spicy kick try a sprinkling of paprika or cayenne pepper.
The best replacement for barley is rice which has also been used for Scottish soups for centuries. Other ideas include millet, orzo, quinoa, Farro, Bulgar wheat, brown or green whole lentils, cooked chickpeas, haricot beans [navy beans] or even sweetcorn. Just keep in mind that a different grain or pulse will have different cooking times.
Any type of potato that holds its shape well can be used for our soup recipe although saying that we have used softer textured potatoes for this recipe and they also work fine. Softer potatoes can also help thicken up the soup and provide more creaminess. For firmer potatoes that cope well with cooking we like to use salad, new, or baby potatoes.
Yes, although not traditional, sweet potatoes can replace the potatoes for our soup recipe.
Yes, we often prepare this soup as oil-free. Simply use about half a cup [120ml] of vegetable broth to initially sweat or saute the vegetables at the beginning of cooking. Add a few extra tablespoons of stock whenever required to prevent the vegetables sticking to the pot.
Scottish potato and leek soup is creamy, sweet, and savoury, with delicious aromas and textures. The toasted oats add oaty crispness and nuttiness. It is a much loved Scottish family favourite.
More easy traditional Scottish soup recipes
As we are a plant-based and vegan diet family blog all our recipes are prepared with 100% plant-based ingredients but they are intended to be enjoyed by everyone even non-vegans! Of course if you are not vegan you can use your usual butter, milk, etc for any of our recipes, as our recipes are versatile and can be tailored to your individual needs and preferences.
As meat was not readily available for pooper Scots many old-fashioned soups that date back centuries were often prepared with no-meat and mainly plant ingredients, so historically, plant-based diets have always been a thing of necessity.
***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***
Recipe
Traditional Scottish Potato & Leek Soup [With Toasted Oats]
Equipment
- Non-stick soup pot
- Small, non-stick skillet or fry pan optional, for toasting oats
Ingredients
To sauté veggies:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil [or use ½ cup of vegetable stock, use more stock if necessary, also use a few tablespoons of stock along with the olive oil if the pot becomes too much during sautéing]
Soup:
- 400 grams leeks [2 medium, weight is after trimmed, each leek chopped in two lengthwise and then thin sliced]
- 500 grams potatoes [about 2 medium-large, diced, skins left on if unblemished]
- 140 grams onion [1 medium, rough chopped]
- 130 grams carrot 1[ large, rough diced]
- 60 grams pearl barley [rinsed and drained if necessary]
- 4 cloves garlic [or 2 teaspoons of dried garlic]
- 1.5 litres hot vegetable stock [we used OXO meat free chicken flavour stock cubes]
Near end of cooking:
- 60 grams rolled oats [or old-fashioned porridge oats]
- 140 millilitres milk [we use an oat milk suitable for heating such as a Barista variety or Alpro oat milk]
Optional, toasted oat garnish:
- 4 tablespoons rolled oats [plus a pinch of salt and pepper]
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil or ½ cup of stock in the soup pot over a medium heat.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the leeks, onion, garlic, carrot and potatoes and sauté for 15 minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently.400 grams leeks, 140 grams onion, 130 grams carrot, 4 cloves garlic, 500 grams potatoes
- Add a few tablespoons of stock if the vegetables become too dry, do this even if you started off with oil as extra oil will result in the soup becoming too oily at the end.
- Stir through the pearl barley and pour in the hot vegetable stock. Using hot stock reduces the amount of time it takes the soup to come to the boil, but if preferred you can start off with cold stock.Season with salt and pepper.60 grams pearl barley, 1.5 litres hot vegetable stock
- Bring to a simmer or gentle boil and cook for 35 minutes.
- Next, add the rolled oats and mix well, and Ssmmer for a further 5 minutes.60 grams rolled oats
- Pour in the milk and heat through for 1-2 minutes but be careful the soup does not fast boil as the milk may split if too high a heat is reached.140 millilitres milk
- Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle toasted oats over each serving if liked. See below for how to toast the oats.
Toasting rolled oats:
- Heat a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat until its very hot. Add the rolled oats along with a little salt and pepper, and shake and stir the mix until the oats take on golden hues. Once the pan is very hot and you may hear the sound of the oats trying to sort off pop or crackle, remove the pan from the heat and continue to shake and stir until nicely coloured.4 tablespoons rolled oats
- Tip the toastie oats onto a plate and set aside until the soup is ready. Once completely cool the toasted oats can be stored within an airtight container for a few weeks.
Notes
- Nutritional data is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days, within a covered container in the fridge.
- Or frozen for 2-3months.
- To reheat place the soup into a pot and gently bring to a simmer. Reheat for a few minutes being careful not to fast boil as then the milk may split. Although if it does just mix well.
- For gluten-free soup use a gluten-free stock, replace the barley with rice, and use a gluten-free certified porridge or rolled oats, or omit the oats.
Nutrition
Prepared our tasty Traditional Scottish Potato and Leek Soup? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so do pop back and leave us a comment and click the star ratings. Its very much appreciated, thanks so much! Love Jacq x
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