Cold Cucumber Soup
Easy and healthy recipe
When it’s too hot to cook in the kitchen, Gazpacho is my go-to meal of choice. It’s a cold soup from Spain and you can make it with pretty much any ingredients you have on hand.
You can’t beat cucumber soup for a refreshing snack and here in Spain, it’s called ‘gazpacho de pepino’ or ‘cucumber gazpacho’. This recipe takes around 5 minutes to prepare and once chilled in the fridge for an hour, it is ready!
This cold cucumber soup recipe fits the bill perfectly and requires no cooking at all to make a delicious and silky smooth cold soup that’s ideal for cooling off any time of day (or night!). Best of all, it’s super easy to make and has just 9 easy-to-find ingredients.
Easy Recipe | Cold Soup Recipe | Mediterranean Recipe | Mediterranean | No-Cook Recipe | Easy Tapas Recipe | Healthy Recipe | Dairy-Free Option | Gluten-free Option | Vegan-Friendly Option
Serving:
4 bowls
Ready in:
1 hour, 5 minutes.
Skill level:
Very easy
Serve with:
Good on its own!
What you’ll need to make cold cucumber soup
(Serves 4)
- 2 small cucumbers
- 1 Onion
- 1 garlic clove (peeled and minced)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 10-15 large fresh basil leaves
- 250g (9oz.) of natural yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
Equipment needed
- 1 blender or food processor
- Fine sieve
- Bowl
- Fridge
About this Recipe
Here in Spain over the past few weeks, the mercury has been consistently hovering in the mid to high 30s (95-105°F for our American friends). With these sweltering conditions, the less time cooking in front of a stovetop the better! And this is where I’d like to introduce my favorite summer soup, cold cucumber soup.
Here at the Spanish Radish HQ, we pretty much start making cold soups early to mid-May and continue right through summer. It’s early June and we’ve already experimented with making the classic Gazpacho Andaluz, spicy roasted tomato and pepper gazpacho, watermelon gazpacho, and now (drum roll please)… cucumber gazpacho!
Easy Gazpacho recipe
Cucumber gazpacho, much like its tomato-based cousin, is a Spanish cold soup that’s quick and easy to make, and perfect for cooling down on a hot summer’s day. Out in the US, it’s more commonly known as ‘cold cumber soup’ but no matter what you call it, it’s a great cold soup for the summer.
Back in the Valencia region of Spain, out of all the gazpacho recipes we’ve made so far this summer, this cucumber gazpacho recipe is by far the quickest and easiest to make!
Is cucumber soup vegan?
We’ve used natural yogurt to make this soup, but this recipe can easily be made vegan too, simply substitute the natural yogurt for your favorite plant-based yogurt. All the other ingredients listed are totally vegan-friendly.
Cold soups for the summer
There are literally over 34 million search results on Google for ‘cold soups for the summer’ and with that many results, it’s gonna take a while to find the best ones. One result that’s always going to be up there in the rankings is any type of Gazpacho recipe.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho most commonly refers to the Spanish Gazpacho Andaluz recipe, which uses raw vegetables to make a refreshing cold soup. You can read more about this recipe in our complete Gazpacho Andaluz recipe guide.
The traditional gazpacho recipes from Spain are tomato-based and have a strong flavor that combines onion and garlic along with the sweetness of fresh tomato pulp. They also include ground almonds, breadcrumbs, and other spices to give the soup a distinctive flavor.
But these days, gazpacho can be defined as any cold soup recipe that uses raw (or partially cooked ingredients) to make a refreshing cold soup. So when considering a vegetable that is refreshing for summer, cucumber is a natural choice.
Cold Cucumber soup
Come summer, Pinterest is abuzz with millions of cold cucumber soup recipes. They’ve got everything covered from adding tahini, watermelon, and even chili-infused oils, and when it comes time to garnish your cucumber soup, a liberal sprinkling of black cracked pepper or ground almonds seems to be a popular choice for the cucumber soup brigade.
Sure, we could have added a bunch of fancy and exotic ingredients too, but hey, this recipe is best when it’s paired down to just a few very simple ingredients that allow each flavor to really shine.
For this reason, our cucumber soup recipe uses just 9 ingredients;
- Cucumbers
- Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Fresh basil leaves
- Natural yogurt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
What’s the best cucumber to use for cold cucumber soup?
For this recipe, we used small Spanish cucumbers as they’re the most readily available during summer. We grab them from our local farmers’ market and they’re great in salads or for making soups. They are more fibrous and have very few seeds compared to other varieties of cucumber.
We’ve also experimented with this same recipe using English cucumbers and it turned out just fine. Maybe a little more watery, but otherwise the taste was pretty identical to using the Spanish cucumbers. We recommend using whatever cucumber variety is freshest in your local area when making this cucumber soup recipe.
Healthy cold soup recipe
Aside from being refreshing and perfect for summer, there are also a host of health benefits when using raw ingredients. Cucumber is high in nutrients, is great for hydration, and provides antioxidants.
Studies have also shown that cucumbers can help reduce blood sugar levels and can aid weight loss, allowing you to trim up that summer body before hitting the beach!
This cucumber soup recipe can also be made vegan-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free simply by using a plant-based yogurt substitute. Another very healthy chilled soup is vegan salmorejo, which is just like the classic salmorejo recipe except without egg and ham on top.
How to make cold cucumber soup
One of the best things about this recipe is it takes literally 5 minutes to prepare.
Here’s how;
- Cut cucumber and onion into small chunks.
- Add all ingredients to the blender and buzz for a few minutes.
- Add a little water as you’re blending the ingredients to get a smooth texture.
- Run the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any heavy pulp and add to a bowl.
- Refrigerate until chilled before serving.
How long for chilling cucumber soup?
We definitely recommend chilling your cucumber soup for at least an hour before serving. The soup is fine straight from the blender, but it really tastes far more refreshing when served extra chilled.
For a quick and easy snack, we usually make a big batch and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Serving and garnish tips
If you’re looking to jazz up your cucumber soup, garnish with a few thin slices of cucumber and some almond slivers. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil also works a treat. A little cracked black pepper on top also adds a nice subtle kick to the soup.
Cold Cucumber Soup - Cucumber Gazpacho (5-minute recipe)
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
- 1 Fine sieve
- 1 medium-size bowl
- 1 Fridge
Ingredients
- 2 small cucumbers
- onion
- 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 10-15 large fresh basil leaves
- 250 g 9oz. of natural yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cut cucumber and onion into small chunks.2 small cucumbers, onion
- Add all ingredients to the blender and buzz for a few minutes.(Note: Add a little water as you’re blending the ingredients to get a smooth texture.)1 garlic clove, Juice from 1 lemon, 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, 250 g 9oz. of natural yogurt, 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon of salt, Pinch of cracked black pepper
- Run the mixture through a thin sieve to remove any heavy pulp and add to a bowl.
- Refrigerate until chilled (minimum 1 hour) before serving.
Video
Notes
Storage
Your cucumber soup will be fine in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days after making it.Cucumber Soup – Tips and FAQs
Should I peel my cucumber before blending?
Nope, a lot of the nutrients from the cucumber hide just under (or inside of) the skin so if you’re looking to retain the health benefits of eating cucumber, we recommend not peeling the cucumber.
Is cucumber healthy?
Cucumber is very healthy and is best when consumed raw. One 11oz. (300-gram) unpeeled, raw cucumber contains the following:
- Calories: 45
- 0 grams of Fat
- 11 grams of Carbs
- 2 grams of Protein
- 2 grams of Fiber
- Vitamin K: 62% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)
Can you freeze cucumber soup?
Cucumber soup is fine to be frozen although the consistency will change slightly if you use natural yogurt. Simply thaw in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
How long can you keep cold cucumber soup?
When refrigerated in an airtight container, cucumber soup should last 2-3 days.
Why is Gazpacho served cold?
Gazpacho originates from the hot southern region of Spain (Andalusia) and is made to cool you down. Cold soups in summer are simply far more refreshing than a warm meal during the warmer summer months.
Is gazpacho good for constipation?
Gazpacho has a satiating effect and studies have shown that consuming cold soups such as gazpacho can help prevent constipation.