3 Ways to Cut Leeks for Soup (2024)

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Co-authored bywikiHow Staff

Last Updated: October 10, 2022Tested

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   Choose leeks that are about 1in (2.5cm) thick for soup. Whole leeks that you plan to use for soup should have a long white to pale green shaft. The pale parts are the most useable, so the more, the better. Thicker leeks are better for cooking whole, while thinner leeks are more flavorful for using in soups.^[1]

   • Select leeks that are similar in size to use in your soup.
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   Rinse the leeks thoroughly with clean water. The first thing you need to do before you cut your leeks is to rinse them really well with clean water. Run a faucet over the leeks and use your fingers to brush off and dig out any dirt.^[2]

   • Whole leeks are often dirty because they are grown with soil piled up around them and the folds of the leek collect dirt and grit.

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   Pat the leeks dry with a paper towel. To keep the leeks from sliding around when you cut them into smaller pieces, it helps to have them dry on the cutting board. After you rinse them well, take a paper towel or cloth and pat them down to sop up any excess water.^[3]

   See Also

   Creamy Leek Soup RecipeVegan | Allergen-Friendly - Vegetable Leek Soup RecipeFresh From the Farm Vegetable Soup with Leeks and KaleEasy healthy vegetable soup

   • You don’t need to wait for them to dry completely, just remove the water that could cause them to slide around while you cut.
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   Trim off the roots of the leeks. The roots of the leeks don’t have any flavor and are often full of dirt. Take a sharp knife and cut about ¹⁄₄in (0.64cm) above where the roots start. Try to keep as much of the white part of the leek intact as possible.^[4]

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   Cut off the dark green leaf ends. For making a soup with leeks, you want to have thin rings or strips that can be chewed and eaten. The green leaf ends of leeks can be really tough to chew and aren’t ideal for eating. Use a sharp knife to cut where the dark green of the leek turns to light green and remove the leafy green ends.^[5]

   Tip: You can collect all of the leafy green ends to use to make a stock for your soup! Put them all into a pot of simmering water for 30 minutes to extract their flavor, then strain the stock for use in your soup.

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   Start at one end and slice the leeks into thin rings. Place the leek on a cutting board and start cutting at one end, slicing thin ¹⁄₄in (0.64cm) or fewer rings. Cut the whole length of the leek into rings. When you are finished with one leek, move on to the next.^[6]

   • Hone a sharp kitchen knife before you cut for an even edge of the knife.

   Warning: Do not try to cut multiple leeks at once or they could slip and you could cut yourself.

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   Place the rings into a bowl of cold water. As you slice your leeks into thin rings, keep a large bowl of cold water nearby, and submerge the rings into the bowl. The cold water will help to remove any tiny particles of dirt or grit that may still be on the leeks, and it will keep them crisp and crunchy, which adds a nice accent to your soup.^[7]

   • You can put ice in the bowl of water to keep it cold.
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   Stir the cold water to remove dirt and grit and let it sit for 5 minutes. After you’ve finished cutting your leeks into rings and placed them into a bowl of cold water, give the bowl a good stir to agitate the dirt and grit particles attached to the leeks and shake them free. Let the rings sit in the water for about 5 minutes and stir them periodically to remove as much grit as possible.^[8]

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   Scoop the leeks into a colander with a slotted spoon. Because the cold water the leeks have been cleaned in contains the dirt that was cleaned off of the leeks, you don’t want to dump the bowl over a colander and recontaminate the leeks. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the leeks out and place them in a colander.

   • Rinse the leeks one last time in the colander.

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   See Also

   All About: Leeks (How to Cut and Clean)

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   Cut the leeks in half from top to bottom. Place the leeks flat on a cutting board and place the edge of the blade centered at the top of the leek, away from you. Bring the blade towards you as you slice the leek in half longways. Keep pressure on the blade as you pull it towards you.^[9]

   • Take a sharp kitchen knife and hone it before you slice the leeks.
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   Place the leeks cut side down and slice the halves into long, thin strips. After you’ve cut your leeks in half, place them on the cutting board with the cut side down so they don’t roll or slide around when you cut them. Start at the top of the leek and bring the blade towards you to cut strips about ¹⁄₂in (1.3cm) wide. Cut the whole leek into thin strips.^[10]

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   Submerge the strips in a bowl of cold water. As you cut your leeks into strips, keep a large bowl of cold water nearby to drop the strips into as you cut them. The cold water will keep the leeks fresh and crisp, and will help to wash off any remaining dirt particles that may still be on them.^[11]

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   Agitate the bowl of leeks and let them sit for 5 minutes. Once you’ve cut all of your leeks into thin strips and they’re submerged in the bowl of cold water, stir or shake the bowl to agitate the water and knock off any stubborn dirt particles that may still be clinging to the leeks.^[12]

   Tip: Adding ice cubes to the bowl of water can help agitate by knocking against the leeks when you stir or shake the water.

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   Scoop out the leeks and place them in a colander. Use a slotted spoon or your hands to remove the strips and place them in a colander. The bowl of cold water contains all of the dirt and grit that you shook off of the leeks by agitating the water, so you don’t want to dump the bowl out into a colander and get the dirt back on the strips.^[13]

   • Rinse the strips once they’re in the colander.

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