Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup with Thyme

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This flavorful Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and is the perfect spring soup recipe.

Two bowls of asparagus leek soup. One is topped with cream, cheese croutons and two small sprigs of asparagus. A spoon sits nearby with soup on it. There are some uncooked asparagus on the table.

Are you a soup person? I am most definitely a “soup is a meal” person so I am always looking for a great soup recipe. I also happen to be a “spring = asparagus” person, so as soon as the weather starts to warm up even slightly, I start craving asparagus.

Usually I’ll just roast it as a side dish, but it’s also fun to get creative and think of new ways to eat this beloved spring vegetable. And that is how this delicious Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup was born – combining my love for soups with my deep affection for fresh spring asparagus.

Why This Is THE BEST Spring Soup Recipe

To make this soup extra “spring-y,” I also included leeks in the base because they, like asparagus, are traditionally a spring vegetable. The leeks add a delicious, onion-y flavor without overpowering the asparagus.

Oftentimes I find that recipes for asparagus will use lemon as a flavor complement – which is delicious – but I wanted to try something a little different this go around. Instead of lemon, I used thyme as a seasoning, which has a slightly citrusy taste without the acidity of lemon.

Finally, just a touch of heavy cream helps to blend it all together into a velvety-without-feeling-too-rich soup – ideal for sopping up with some crusty bread.

And it all comes together in under 30 minutes! So quick and easy and full of delectable asparagus and leek flavor, this soup is perfect for those spring days where it’s warmer but still very much soup weather.

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The ingredients for asparagus leek soup sitting on a table. Seen are asparagus, leeks, heavy cream, chicken broth, thyme and ground black pepper. An empty bowl sits nearby.

Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup Ingredients

Asparagus: The star of the show! My preference is to use thicker asparagus spears over the thinner variety because they tend to be more tender and blend more easily in the soup.

Leeks: The supporting role of the soup! If you’ve never had a leek, they are a member of the allium family like onions, but they are much less pungent than onions. I’d describe them as having a delicate onion-like flavor and they get even more mild and sweet when cooked.

Thyme: Dried thyme adds an herbaceous and slightly citrusy counterpoint to the vegetables in the soup. I like to use dried thyme simply because it’s easy to keep on hand in my pantry.

Butter and All Purpose Flour: Butter and flour when combined help to thicken the soup and make it creamy.

Chicken Stock: I like to use a high quality chicken stock over water or chicken broth as the base of the soup because it adds additional flavor.

Heavy Cream: Just a little bit of heavy cream to balance out the asparagus and leeks, makes the soup creamy without feeling too heavy.

A wood cutting board with a cut leek and knife sitting on top of it.

How To Prepare Leeks for Soup

If you have never cooked with leeks before there is an important tip I want to share on how to prepare them for this soup.

First, you’ll want to remove the stringy roots and the darkest parts of the leek first. Then cut the remaining middle part of the leek in half lengthwise and then slice into half moons. The inner parts of the leek can hold quite a bit of dirt so be sure to run your cut leeks under water to thoroughly clean them!

Check out this short video to see me preparing leeks for this soup!

How To Make Creamy Asparagus Leek Soup

One of the reasons I love this soup is it has just a few ingredients AND it comes together so fast – just under 30 minutes! Here’s the quick overview of how to prepare it.

Cook leeks.
In a large pot, cook leeks with some butter and thyme until they soften.
Add flour and chicken stock.
Add some flour and chicken stock to the pot. This will help thicken the soup later on and make it creamy.
Add asparagus.
Add all the asparagus to the pot, cover and simmer until it’s bright green and tender.
Blend!
Add the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
Finish and Serve!
Add some cream and ground black pepper, give it a taste for salt and serve.

Four images showing the process of making asparagus leek soup including cooking the leeks, adding the broth, adding the asparagus.

Recipe FAQs

When you say “remove the tough ends of the asparagus” what does that mean?

The part of the asparagus that we eat is what grows out of the ground, so the cut end tends to be tougher and more fibrous as it’s closer to the vegetable’s roots. “Remove the tough ends” means to trim off the bottom 2 inches or so of the asparagus spears.

Can I use fresh thyme instead of dried?

If you want to use fresh herbs instead of dried in this recipe, you can replace the dried thyme with 1 teaspoon of fresh.

Can I use regular milk instead of heavy cream?

You can, though keep in mind it might not be as creamy if you use a lower fat milk.

Can I make this soup vegetarian?

Yes! Just substitute the chicken stock with a high quality vegetable stock.

A close up of a large blue pot containing the finished asparagus leek soup. A small white dish with a wooden spoon resting on it sits nearby.

A close up of a blue pot of asparagus leek soup with cream being stirred in. A large wooden spoon sits in the pot and a gray cloth sits next to it.

A close up picture of a bowl of asparagus leek soup being held by two hands. There is creamy swirled on top and dried thyme and ground black pepper sprinkled on top.

A close up of a bowl of asparagus leek soup topped with cheese croutons.

What To Serve With Asparagus Leek Soup

My Cheese Croutons would be a fantastic addition to this soup! In fact I developed that recipe alongside this one.