How to Cut Leeks

Why Leeks are Tricky To Cut

A fresh leek is part of the family of vegetables similar to onions.

Though in mimics a green onion in color, only the tender part of the white bulb is eaten. The darker green leafy part is discarded.

Leeks grow in sandy conditions and the course grit can be found all throughout the many layers of each fresh leek.

For this reason, I always chop the leek before washing it, just rinsing the outside doesn't do much good.

When a recipe calls for a fresh leek, be prepared to fully wash your knife and cutting board after chopping the leek.

Alternatively, you could chop or prep all the other ingredients first and cut the leek last.

Helpful Tools You'll Need

1. Sharp Chef Knife: Leeks have thick stalks, a sharp knife is always a kitchen essential.
2. Cutting Board
3. Salad Spinner: The best way to wash a fresh leek and remove every bit of the gritty sand is to use a small salad spinner. If you do not have one, you could use a colander and large mixing bowl. Be sure to read my notes below.

Trim the Root and Tips

First, trim the root end of the leek and discard the tip.

Then, cut the dark leafy green top off the other end of the leek.

See where the leek goes from white to pale green? That entire part of the leek is much more tender.

For my Irish potato soup recipe, I wanted to use a bit of that green color, so I kept just a bit of that dark green base, but the leaves there are definitely much thicker.

Since I planned to puree the soup, it wasn't a problem. If your leeks will remain in whole chunks, you'll want to cut it closer to that pale green part.

Once you've cut and discarded the ends, cut the leek in half lengthwise like this:

See all those layers??

Turn each half cut side down onto the cutting board.

Then use your knife to slice each half into thinner strips lengthwise like this:

Finally, chop the leek into smaller pieces by cutting it cross wise.

Keep your finger tips tucked under as you go and away from the knife.

Rinse the Sand

By now you'll definitely be seeing sand and grit all over your cutting board, knife, and the leeks themselves.

Scrape the chopped leeks into the basket of a salad spinner or a colander.

Start by giving them a thorough rinsing as best as you can.

How to Use a Salad Spinner

As anyone who has ever been to the beach knows, removing every bit of sand can be a little tricky.

The good news is that sand sinks in water.

To ensure you have completely sand-free leeks for your recipe, follow these easy steps:

1. Fill the Salad Spinner with Water: With the leeks inside the basket of the spinner, fill the entire salad spinner with water and let it sit.
2. Gently Swish the Leeks: All those thin layers tend to stick together. Use your fingers to gently swish the leeks that are floating in the water all around and separate the layers so the water can rinse the sand.
3. Pull the Basket Up: Gently pull the spinner basket up out of the water, straining the leeks as you go. Dump the water from the bowl out.
4. Spin the Leeks: Place the basket back in the spinner and spin the leeks dry with a couple of pumps on the handle.
5. Repeat: Repeat steps 1 - 4 until absolutely no more sand appears in the bottom of the salad spinner. It usually takes me about 3 tries before the leeks are completely clean.

How to Use a Colander

If you don't have a salad spinner, you can use a colander and large bowl of water in a similar way.

You just won't be able to spin the leeks dry.

1. Fill the Bowl with Water: With the leeks inside the colander, fill the large bowl with water and set the colander of leeks inside.
2. Gently Swish the Leeks: All those thin layers tend to stick together. Use your fingers to gently swish the leeks that are floating in the water all around and separate the layers so the water can rinse the sand.
3. Pull the Colander Up: Gently pull the colander up out of the water, straining the leeks as you go. Dump the water from the bowl out.
4. Repeat: Repeat steps 1 - 3 until absolutely no more sand appears in the bottom of the water bowl. It usually takes me about 3 tries before the leeks are completely clean.

Easy Leek Recipes

You can use a fresh leek in almost any recipe that calls for onion but some of my favorites include this simple Irish potato soup and chicken pot pie soup.

Leeks also add a mild onion flavor to a delicate easy quiche or a hearty German sauerbraten.