A chilled cucumber gazpacho recipe is so refreshing in the summer months with yogurt, grapes, and green apples, topped with almonds and lump crab meat. This cold cucumber soup recipe includes lots of other garnish topping ideas for you too.
Its beautiful color comes from fresh herbs and is a perfect light lunch or a side dish at an alfresco dinner party. White gazpacho is a great way to use summer cucumbers from your garden!
Delicious cold soups are so refreshing when something light, cool, and nourishing sounds good in the heat of summer. Creamy cucumber gazpacho is one I look forward to making when the temperatures rise...
Serve your soup outside on the patio in pre-chilled bowls and place them in the freezer a couple of hours in advance. Or use glass iced bowls with soup in one bowl and crushed ice below ...these look so pretty at a party!
Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe
Traveling often inspires new recipes, I consider those the best souvenirs! One warm balmy summer evening I dined outdoors on a lovely restaurant patio in Austin Texas.
I ordered a small bowl of a refreshing simplified version of Spanish gazpacho. This cold white gazpacho paired so nicely with a chilled glass of chardonnay. At that moment, I decided to create my own original best gazpacho recipe to enjoy at home!
And receive a free guide on How To Build A Charcuterie Board as our thank you!
- 6 slices of white bread crusts removed, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divide: 1 tablespoon for leeks, 1 tablespoon for the soup
- 1 cup leeks (white and light-green parts thinly sliced)
- 2 whole English cucumbers (peeled, quartered, and chopped)
- 8 green grapes
- 1 small green apple (cored and cut into chunks)
- ¼ cup sliced blanched almonds
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (or sub creme fraiche)
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ cups cold water (or more as needed)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
Cucumber Gazpacho Soup Garnishes
- ½ cup lump crab meat
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup thinly sliced grapes
- 1 tablespoon drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (try lemon olive oil!)
- Place your small serving bowls or small glasses to chill in the freezer, or prepare crushed ice to have ready before serving to add to your iced bowls.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir leeks until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool.
- In a high-powered blender, food processor or immersion blender, place cooled leeks, cucumbers, grapes, green apples, almonds, Greek yogurt (or creme fraiche), white wine vinegar, water, salt, cayenne, minced garlic, and bread pieces, in the bowl and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
- Serve garnished with smaller pieces of lump crab meat, sliced almonds, thinly sliced grapes, and a drizzle of lemon olive oil.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat in 4 days.
Type of cucumbers: Persian cucumbers, regular cucumbers, or seedless cucumbers all work great.
Kinds of vinegar: try red wine vinegar or tablespoon sherry vinegar.
Leeks: you can swap in green onions. If you choose leeks, here is a handy guide on how to clean, cut, and use leeks in your cooking...
More Gazpacho Soup Garnish and Toppings
- Avocado Slices
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Cucumbers
- Cooked Lobster Chunks
- Buttery Parmesan Croutons
- Lobster Chunks
- Yogurt Drizzle
- Crispy Bacon Pieces
- Chopped Cooked Shrimp
Cold soup is made in cultures all around the world and has been made since ancient times. Originally a savory chilled soup from Spain, traditional gazpacho recipes are vegetable-based and served cold. There are many theories as to the origin of gazpacho, including one that says it is a soup of bread, olive oil, water, vinegar, and garlic that arrived in Spain with the Romans.
Vichyssoise is a cold purée of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Often served as an appetizer, it is a thick soup and is traditionally served cold but it can be eaten hot.
These soups tend to be lighter than hot winter soups and typically contain less fat and meat per serving. Some are purely vegetable-based with ingredients like ripe tomatoes and red bell peppers, but many use light meat, chicken, or fish stocks.
How To Serve Cold Soup?
- Make sure it is good and cold. Chill gazpacho in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Serve in individual iced bowls or chilled soup bowls.
PRO TIP: Be sure to cover and chill your Cucumber Soup for 1 to 2 hours, it even tastes better the next day.
These family heirloom iced glass servers are from my parents. I can remember these on our Christmas table filled with shrimp cocktail for many years, they are great for cold salads too...
More Cool Summer Recipes
Dig your fork into this icy cold Wedge Salad with a Pistachio-Avocado Dressing. The mild flavor compliments sizzling grilled steaks, chicken, or shish kabobs at cookouts or dinner parties.
A Watermelon Salad recipe with a light citrus dressing, fresh mint, and topped with crumbled feta cheese. Serve this side dish for picnics, potlucks, and BBQ cookouts in a carved-out watermelon for the salad bowl!
Mango Slaw has green crunchy cabbage, crisp jicama, and a sweet tangy lime vinaigrette made with juicy sweet mangos. A perfect cool summer salad.
A Broccoli Salad with vibrant colors of crisp green apples, crunchy broccoli, and sweet grapes. Topped with a creamy orange tangy dressing and salty pistachios mixed into this summer salad.
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Cucumber Gazpacho Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- 6 slices white bread crusts removed/cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divide: 1 tablespoon for leeks, 1 tablespoon for the soup
- 1 cup leeks white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced
- 2 whole English cucumbers peeled quartered and chopped
- 8 green grapes
- 1 small green apple cored and cut into chunks
- ¼ cup sliced blanched almonds
- 1 cup Greek yogurt or sub creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ cups cold water or more as needed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper just a tiny pinch!
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
Garnishes For Cucumber Soup
- ½ cup lump crab meat
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup thinly sliced grapes
- 1 tablespoon drizzle of olive oil try lemon olive oil!
Instructions
- Place your small serving bowls or small glasses to chill in the freezer, or prepare crushed ice to have ready before serving to add to your iced bowls.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir leeks until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool.
- In a high-powered blender, food processor or immersion blender, place cooled leeks, cucumbers, grapes, green apples, almonds, Greek yogurt (or creme fraiche), white wine vinegar, water, salt, cayenne, minced garlic, and bread pieces, in the bowl and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
- Serve garnished with smaller pieces of lump crab meat, sliced almonds, thinly sliced grapes, and a drizzle of lemon olive oil.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat in 4 days.
Notes
Serving Tips
You can serve your soup in pre-chilled bowls you place in the fridge for a few hours, or use glass ice bowls that hold the soup in one bowl, with crushed ice in a bowl below. If you have them, use an icing bowl to serve your chilled soup! It really looks beautiful and keeps the soup nice and cool on a hot day. Be sure to cover and chill your Cucumber Soup for 1 to 2 hours, and it tastes even better the next day.Optional Garnish Topping Ideas
- Avocado Slices
- Diced Tomato
- Cooked Lobster Chunks
- Diced Cucumbers
- Buttery Parmesan Croutons
- Lobster Chunks
- Yogurt Drizzle
- Crispy Bacon Pieces
- Chopped Cooked Shrimp
Now I can't wait for the cucumbers in my garden to go crazy! This is such a fun way to eat veggies!
I think so too! On a hot day, this is so refreshing and easy to put together. I just love to serve it on the patio in the Summer with friends. Have a great Summer Amy, and thanks for your comment!
This cold cucumber soup is perfect for a hot summer day! Such amazing flavors and very simple to create!