Easy Gazpacho Recipe

Here is a simply perfect, Easy Gazpacho Recipe. A chilled soup that celebrates summer produce like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers and comes together really fast in a blender. Beautiful and utterly delicious, this is a no-cook soup that will provide a refreshing escape from the summer heat.

Sweltering summer days making it hard to cook or stay hydrated? Make gazpacho!

This beautiful cold soup is a celebration of peak summer tomatoes that are pureed along with cucumber, green pepper, onion, bread, and garlic. A touch of sherry vinegar brightens the flavors while a generous pour of good olive oil adds rich flavor and creaminess.

Chilling the soup for a few hours is essential to allow the flavors to marry. The result is a complex, refreshing soup bursting with tangy flavors that taste like summer.

You can serve it as an appetizer, as a light lunch or part of dinner. Best of all, it lasts for days in the fridge so you can cool off whenever the temps are really caliente—buen provecho!

What Is Gazpacho?

Originating in Andalusia, Spain’s southernmost region, gazpacho is a much-loved cold soup made with simple, raw ingredients. Dating back to ancient times, gazpacho used to be made with only bread, water, vinegar and oil to keep the laborers that worked in the fields hydrated.

Eventually, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables were added but what has never changed is that the soup should always be served cold.

Today, there as many variations of gazpacho in Spain, as there are families. Each of course, swears theirs is the best.

The recipe I share here stays pretty true to an Andalusian classic gazpacho. But whether to add bread or not, use a green or red pepper, or add onion or not, continues to be debated depending on which cook you talk to or which cookbook you read.

Regardless, gazpacho is a soup you need to experience at least once. I have no doubt once you try its alluring flavours, you will fall in love with it like the rest of us.

Ingredient Notes

The beauty of gazpacho lies in its simplicity and ease of preparation. For best results, make this classic cold Spanish soup using only fresh ingredients that are in season.

When you use peak summer produce, each spoonful will feel fresh, bright and new. Likewise, it’s important to use high-quality olive oil and sherry vinegar, to keep the flavor smooth and not harsh.

• Tomatoes – Starting with ripe, juicy summer tomatoes is key to making a great gazpacho. Roma tomatoes are my favorite to use but have not yet appeared at my market. You could also use heirloom tomatoes, heritage, or vine tomatoes. I wouldn’t use the really large beefsteak which are not as flavourful.
• Cucumber – You will need one (8-inch) cucumber to make the gazpacho. I like to use the medium-sized field cucumbers from the market, as long as they don’t have a lot of seeds. I would avoid the large field cucumbers which will have very large seeds. If your cucumber has large seeds, make sure to scoop them out. English cucumbers are great, as are Persian cucumbers.
• Green Pepper – In Spain, the green pepper used to make gazpacho is milder than the green bell peppers more commonly available in North America. Cubanelle peppers are a great option or some other light green pepper such as an Italian frying pepper. If all you can find is a green bell pepper, go ahead and use just half. Red peppers are not “authentic” in a Spanish gazpacho but if you love the sweetness and red color they lend to this soup, go ahead and add half.
• Garlic – Just one garlic clove is added for a bit of bite.
• Spanish or red onion – Some traditional recipes do not include any onion at all. I really enjoy the extra aromatic flavor it lends the soup so I always add it. You will need half of a medium-sized Spanish or red onion. I like to soak it in cold water for 10 minutes to tame its sharp flavor, but this is optional.
• Bread – You will need a few slices of white bread (preferably stale) from a french or rustic country loaf. In Spain, this is somewhat of a controversial ingredient, some add it some don’t. But I love the heft and velvety texture it gives the soup. If avoiding bread, you can simply omit it.
• Sherry vinegar – A traditional Spanish gazpacho will always include vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar). It adds tang and a lovely complex flavor that I find pretty essential in this recipe. Try not to omit it, or replace it with another vinegar. In a pinch, you can use white or red wine vinegar.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – Most gazpacho recipes will call for 1/2 cup of good olive oil (preferably Spanish). Though this generous pour does add a lot of dimension to the flavor and texture of the soup, I find you can easily reduce it to 1/3 cup. Particularly if you will be serving the soup with more drizzles of olive oil, which I highly recommend.
• Cumin – In the south of Spain, a pinch of ground cumin is often added to gazpacho. I really enjoy the flavor but you can omit it if you wish.
• And salt and pepper – Tomatoes love salt. Salt in phases until it tastes perfect to you. Just a pinch of pepper for a flavor and bite.

Optional Toppings

For some interest and texture, it is nice to serve gazpacho with toppings. Below is a list of some traditional, and some not so traditional, you can add.

• Cherry tomatoes
• Diced cucumbers
• Diced red, or white onion
• Croutons
• Diced avocado
• Chopped basil
• Pistachios or almonds
• Chopped chives or green onions

How To Make Easy Gazpacho

I highly recommend using a high speed blender to make this gazpacho. I like to add a few ice cubes so the heat from the blender doesn’t heat the soup. If you don’t have a blender, you can use a food processor but the soup will be a lot chunkier. Here are the step-by-step instructions: 

Place bread in a medium bowl and add 1/2 cup of water. Quickly massage the bread to crumble it, then let it soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Roughly chop the veggies. If your blender isn’t very powerful, chop them up a little smaller.

Next, place all the tomatoes in the blender first. (The more liquidy vegetable should always be at the bottom of the blender.) Add the soaked bread (no need to squeeze out the water), the rest of the veggies, seasonings, vinegar and ice cubes (if using). Blend until smooth.

With blender running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar, if necessary. If the texture is too thick for your liking, add 1/2 cup of cold water.

Transfer to a big glass pitcher or glass container and chill for at least two hours. Serve the gazpacho in bowls with drizzles of olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and toppings of your choice.

Find the exact measurments in the recipe card below. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving And Pairing Suggestions

Here are some suggestions on how to serve this easy gazpacho:

1. Chilled: First and foremost, gazpacho should always be served cold. In fact, on really hot days I like to add an ice cube to the served soup.
2. In a bowl or small glasses: Gazpacho can be served in a bowl, just like any other soup. Another way to serve gazpacho is in glasses which is especially fun if serving it as an appetizer.
3. Garnishes: In Spain, gazpacho isn’t always served with toppings. But I really enjoy it the most when topped with a few garnishes so it’s not so one-dimensional. Aside from a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil,I like to top it with it diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, diced onion and drizzles of olive oil. We also love it topped with croutons if we aren’t serving the gazpacho with crusty bread on the side.

Here are some suggestions on what to pair with this easy gazpacho:

1. Crusty bread: For a light, delicious meal, pair the gazpacho with some warm crusty bread. Yes there is already bread in the soup, but not that much to really count—IMHO :))
2. Sandwiches: Like any soup, this gazpacho can be enjoyed with a sandwich on the side. Try it with an egg salad sandwich, a tuna sandwich, avocado toasts, or even a grilled cheese sandwich – yum!
3. As a tapas or part of a tapas spread: In Spain, gazpacho is often served as a tapas, or as part of a tapas spread. But if you do this, please invite me over 😉
4. Grilled vegetables: Serve the gazpacho with a large platter of grilled veggies, or with corn on the cob. Very filling and so good!
5. Fish or chicken: The gazpacho is great alongside a light protein like grilled white fish or chicken.

Storage Suggestions

The ungarnished gazpacho will keep well stored in airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. It may separate a bit as it sits so give it a good stir before serving.

More Favorite Tomato Recipes To Try