Learn how to cut leeks, how to cook them, and freezer storage tips for faster cooking of leek recipes including soups, main dishes, and more.
Leeks are a mild wonderful vegetable, a "distant relative" to onions and garlic. Use these cooking tips and try them in place of regular onions in recipes. They're mild, sweet, and have a delicate flavor. Their vibrant light green color is so pretty in dishes...
Top Tips For Cooking With Leeks
- 2 large leeks or 3 medium yields about 2 cups (179g) sliced.
- Buy several at once, clean, slice, and keep ready in the freezer for quick recipe preparation.
- Leeks freeze well in zip-top bags and freezer containers, just like onions. It makes cooking go so much faster to have onions or leeks ready to cook with.
- Most recipes call for the white and light green parts, the dark green parts can be tougher, but can be used in your chicken stocks and broths.
- Julien Cut: Take 3-4 layers from leek halves, then fold in half lengthwise, and slice into thin long pieces or strips.
- Regular Thin Slices: Take clean leek halves pieces and start at one end and slice into ⅛ inch thick slices. You can then cut those strips into finer dice if desired.
- Fridge Storage: After you buy them, refrigerate them unwashed in open plastic bags for up to 1-2 weeks.
- Freezer Storage: Store clean and pre-sliced, in freezer zip lock bags for 3-4 months.
- Freeze the clean, dark green leek pieces in a ziplock bag, and use them to make homemade stocks or broth.
Why Clean Them?
Grown partly underground, leeks trap sand hidden inside. Soaking them in a bowl of cool water with a splash of vinegar cleans them well.
You will see the sand in the water, and you sure don't want that in your recipe.
These take a little time to clean and prepare but are worth the flavor they bring to dishes and I love having them ready in my freezer-it makes cooking so relaxing.
How To Cut Them
Step 1: On a stable cutting board, trim the root end off and discard.
Next, remove 5 inches of the top green leaves, leaving the lighter green leek leaves (save for stocks!)
STEP 2: From the root end slice up through the leek leaving the top green end connected. This is so you can soak and begin to wash the dirt but not have leaves everywhere. STEP 3: Swish them around in the water and use your hand to remove the dirt. STEP 4: In a large bowl of clean cool water, rinse and change the water several times. STEP 5: Once most of the dirt is removed slice all the way through so you have two halves. Fan the leaves open under water to be sure they are clean. And keep changing the water until clear. Once clean, move to a cutting board. STEP 6: Now slice all the way though the leeks, and slice into thin strips for your recipe.
Leeks are a vegetable that tastes like mild onions. They are an allium, and closely related to garlic, chives, scallions, chive, shallots, and onions.
Leeks have a mild delicate light onion taste. They are classic in recipes like potato leek soup and gratins. They can be used in place of onions in creamy soups, stews, pasta, flatbreads, and so many other dishes.
How To Cook Leeks
- In an extra-large heavy skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter or splash of olive oil, season with sea salt, and cracked pepper.
- Add the sliced leeks, and saute' over medium heat about 5-8 minutes until soft and light brown.
More Leek Recipes
These stuffed chicken breasts can be made ahead, and it makes the best pan sauce. Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken will be a hit at family dinner with everyone, plus it's a low-carb recipe.
Chilled Cucumber Soup (aka White Gazpacho) is a refreshing Summer recipe with yogurt, grapes, green apples, topped with almonds and crab.
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Leek Recipes
Materials
- 2 large leeks
Instructions
Clean and slicing leeks
- On a stable cutting board, trim the root end off and discard. Next, remove 5 inches of the top dark green leaves, leaving the lighter green leek leaves. The dark part is tough but is great in chicken stocks and bone broths, so save it in your freezer.
- Then, from the root end slice up all the way through the leek but leave the top end connected, this is so you can soak and wash the dirt but not have leaves everywhere.
- Once most of the dirt is removed slice all the way through so you have two halves.
- In a large bowl of clean cool water, rinse the leek halves and change the water several times.
- Fan the leaves open under water to be sure they are clean. And keep changing the water until clear.
- Once clean, move to a cutting board. Now slice all the way though the leeks, and slice into thin strips for your recipe.
Storing leeks
- Press a clean towel on leeks to dry.
- Place clean sliced leeks in zip-top bags and store in freezer for 3-4 months.
Great to know you can freeze leeks. I love using them in quiche or egg dishes - such a sweet, yet mild taste, even better when caramelized. Now I won't have any grit!
Love that you broke this down and make it look so easy
I love fresh leeks! Thanks for this great post on how to get them squeaky clean.
Clean is definitely good when it comes to leeks! Someday soon, I will be sharing a recipe for potato leek soup that I learned from my Mom and it is good in the Winter (or can be served cold in the summer-vichyssoise soup) Thanks for stopping by Laura and for your comment.
Thank you for sharing! I don't usually buy leeks because the thought of cleaning them is overwhelming! Next time I'm at the store I'm grabbing some!