Leek and potato is a classic soup, perfect for a warm dinner on a chilly winterās day. It can be a fantastic soup to make in bulk but is it possible to store it in the freezer and how do you successfully store it for the long term?
Can You Freeze Potato and Leek Soup?
Yes, you can freeze potato and leek soup for up to 6 months. Prepare it as you usually would, but don’t add the cream. Once fully cooled, portion it and then transfer to a freezer-safe container that can be sealed tightly to prevent freezer burn. Store at center of freezer. Add the heavy cream in during the reheating process.
Do Does Potato and Leek Soup freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Potato and Leek Soup? No
How to Freeze Potato and Leek Soup
As soup is a liquid, it can be really easy to freeze but using potatoes in a soup can complicate things somewhat.
It is important to only freeze cooked soup, as freezing raw potatoes could cause them to discolour and change texture, which will, in turn, affect your soup.
By following the below steps, you can ensure the perfect frozen potato leek soup every time.
- Make Soup
Follow your favourite potato leek soup recipe, except do NOT add the heavy cream. - Leave to Cool
Allow the soup to cool to at least room temperature. To do this, you may either leave it on the counter for up to 2 hours, or place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. - Portion & Place In an Air tight Container
Portion out the soup into freezer-safe containers. If you freeze it all in one container, it is going to be very difficult to portion out when it comes to thawing. - Freeze
Once fully cooled, label and date your containers, and then store them in the freezer away from the frost zone.
3 Tips for Freezing Potato and Leek Soup
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our Top 3 Tips, which we strongly recommend following to have the best results:
Freeze Quickly
As a guide, you should ensure you put your soup in the fridge or freezer within two hours of preparing it, as this wonāt give bacteria any time to grow.
Use Appropriate Containers
The best freezer containers for soups are glass containers so that the soup doesnāt take on a taste from other items in the freezer. Ziplock bags can also work really well for soup if you are tight on space, just be sure to squeeze most of the air out to prevent the bag from exploding in the freezer.
Add Dairy Later
Unfortunately, cream and milk will split somewhat in the freezer resulting in a grainy or gritty soup. If you’re used to having a silky smooth soup then avoid dairy products and add them in after thawing, instead.
How Long Can You Freeze Potato and Leek Soup?
You can freeze the soup for roughly 6 months. The sooner you can use it the better as potatoes can start to degrade in the freezer and the longer this happens, the higher the likelihood that your soup could turn grainy or mushy when defrosted.
How Do You Defrost Potato and Leek Soup?
The easiest way to defrost and thaw potato leek soup is to remove one container from the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight.
However, if you need the soup defrosting quicker, you can place the container or ziplock bag into a bowl of warm water.
You can even use the microwave – simply place the container into the microwave and cook on full power for 2-3 minutes. Youād only really want to microwave the soup if it is smooth and not chunky, as if it were the latter, the soup would have a tendency to go mushy.
Can You Refreeze Potato and Leek Soup?
You should not refreeze soup that has already been thawed and reheated. Hence, we recommend you portion into individual containers so that you only need to defrost the portions you are going to use at any given time.
Does Potato and Leek Soup Freeze Well?
Potato leek soup does freeze well and is a great meal to keep in the freezer for last-minute meals.
It isnāt necessarily the easiest soup to freeze, this is mostly due to the water content in the vegetables, but if you follow the steps above, youāll be able to freeze soup with a great flavour and great texture.
FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing potato and leek soup or soup in general, then these may help:
Potato and Leek Soup will safely last in the fridge for 4-5 days.
No, you should not freeze leek and potato soup that has cream in it as the cream will split. This will result in a grainy soup. Instead, add cream in after defrosting and reheating.
Yes, you can freeze Slimming World soups including those made with potatoes and leeks.
