9 Cold Soup Recipes for Hot Summer Days

Hot days call for cold soup! Cool off this summer with these refreshing cold soup recipes. They include classic gazpacho, chilled corn soup, and more.

Cold soup is one of my summer obsessions, right up there with salads, cold brew, and everything sweet corn. On a hot summer day, there’s nothing I crave more. Cold soup is hydrating, refreshing, and brimming with peak-season produce. Often, its flavor improves after a day or two in the fridge, so it’s the sort of thing you can make ahead and keep on hand for easy, no-cook summer meals. You’ll find 9 of my go-to cold soup recipes below. They include classics like gazpacho and chilled cucumber soup as well as out-of-the-box ideas like cold carrot coconut soup and…

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Cold Cucumber Soup

This cold cucumber soup recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing, it's a delicious, nourishing starter or side dish.

summer / soups

This cold cucumber soup is everything I want on a hot summer day. To make it, you don’t have to turn on the oven, the stove, or even the grill. Just toss the ingredients into a blender, puree, and chill! After a few hours in the fridge, this cucumber soup will be so creamy, cool, bright, and refreshing that you won’t be able to resist going back for seconds. Cucumber Soup Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this cucumber soup: Cucumbers, of course! I love to use delicate, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers in this recipe. Don’t forget to save…

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Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans & Corn

Chipotle dressing, mango salsa, and pickled onions infuse this dish with bold summer flavor. Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal on its own!

summer / dinner

The first time I made this recipe, I was doing what I love most: cooking with what I have on hand. I had some sweet potatoes on the counter, a little mango salsa in the fridge, and half a jar of pickled onions that needed to be used up. I grilled the sweet potatoes (because who wants to roast or bake them in the summer?), spread them on a platter, and started piling things on top. Smoky Sweet Potatoes Recipe Ingredients It was all improvised, but it ended up tasting so delicious that I’ve made the same dish two times…

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Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Charred on the outside and tender in the middle, grilled sweet potatoes are a delicious summer side dish. Serve them with whatever you're grilling!

cooking basics

This grilled sweet potatoes recipe was a game changer for me. I love sweet potatoes in all forms – baked sweet potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, salads, tacos, etc. But almost every one of my favorite ways to cook them requires cranking the oven and heating up the house. In the fall and winter, that’s a major win. In the summer? Well, not so much. With this grilled sweet potatoes recipe, I’ve finally found a way to get my summer sweet potato fix. They cook up with perfect creamy middles, puffed, charred edges, and an irresistible sweet and…

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Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

This chipotle vinaigrette is smoky, spicy, and a little sweet. Use it as a salad dressing, or drizzle it over burrito bowls, tacos, grilled veggies, and more!

dressings & sauces

This chipotle vinaigrette recipe makes a fairly big batch, but I’m not mad about it. It’s the sort of salad dressing that tastes good on almost anything – roasted veggies, tacos, burritos, and, of course, salad. Keep a jar on hand in the fridge, and you’ll use the whole thing before you know it. Lately, my favorite way to use it has been on grilled veggies. Whether I’ve been cooking zucchini, onions, or portobello mushrooms, this vinaigrette has been the perfect finishing touch. The chipotles deepen the smoky flavor that the veggies gain from the grill, lime juice adds a…

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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Learn how to make cold brew coffee at home! This recipe is energizing, delicious, and SO easy to make - a perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer day.

beverage

Have I ever mentioned that I love cold brew coffee? Like, I really love cold brew coffee. Sure, Jack and I own a regular coffee maker, but we use it so rarely that you can find it tucked away in a cupboard underneath the kitchen counter. I love cold brew’s richer, smoother, and less acidic flavor. Plus, on a hot summer day, drinking a steaming cup of coffee is simply out of the question. For years, I bought cold brew concentrate at the store…until I learned that it’s super easy to make at home! You don’t need any special ingredients –…

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Pesto Pasta Salad

Tossed with a vibrant basil pesto and filled with veggies, this pesto pasta salad is fresh and delicious. Serve it for dinner, or pack it up for a picnic!

summer / salads

This pesto pasta salad recipe is super summery and fresh! Vibrant basil pesto (preferably homemade) coats curly noodles, shaved zucchini, and crunchy pine nuts. Lemon juice peps it up, and whole basil leaves intensify the herbaceous flavor. Like most pasta salads, this pesto pasta salad is a great dish to make ahead for potlucks and picnics. But we enjoy it so much that I also like to serve it as a weeknight dinner! On a hot summer night, it’s a refreshing alternative to traditional pesto pasta. Plus, made with pesto AND basil leaves, it helps me take advantage of the…

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Watermelon Juice

This easy watermelon juice recipe is perfect for hot summer days. Made with just 3 ingredients (and no added sugar!), it's cool, delicious, and refreshing.

summer / beverage

A cold glass of this watermelon juice is everything I want on a warm summer day. When it’s blistering hot outside (or super humid, like it has been here), this hydrating juice is the best way to cool off. And, like, how gorgeous is that color?! Topped off with a sprig of fresh mint, this watermelon juice is just plain fun. How to Make Watermelon Juice I’m not a fan of overly sweet fruit juices, so I don’t use any added sugar in this recipe. Instead, I make it with 3 basic ingredients: watermelon, lime juice, and ginger juice. Here’s…

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How to Cut a Watermelon

Learn how to cut a watermelon into cubes, balls, or wedges! Crisp, cool, and refreshing, this summer fruit is perfect for salads, snacking, and more.

It seems like everywhere is having a heat wave this week, so I thought I’d share a simple guide to how to cut a watermelon…aka summer’s most refreshing fruit. Pre-cut watermelon is readily available in many grocery stores these days, but whenever you can, buy one whole, and chop it up yourself. For starters, it’ll be fresher, and it’ll have a better texture, as watermelon starts to soften and release juice once it’s chopped. Plus, you can cut it to whatever size and shape you like. Wedges? Cubes? Balls? You got it. You’ll find my method for how to cut…

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Vegan Potato Salad

This vegan potato salad is fresh and summery, with a bright lemon dressing and lots of crunchy veggies. A perfect side dish for a picnic or cookout!

vegan / salads

I served this vegan potato salad at our Father’s Day cookout a few weeks ago, and it was a huge hit. My family loved it, even though it’s not at all like the classic potato salad they’re used to. Instead of having an ultra-creamy dressing, it’s tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette. In addition to potatoes, it’s filled with herbs and lots of crunchy veggies. A drizzle of rich, tangy vegan sour cream takes the whole thing over the top. All together, this vegan potato salad is fresh, flavorful, and summery. It’s one of my favorite salads I’ve made this…

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Vegan Sour Cream

Creamy, tangy, and rich, this vegan sour cream is delicious on baked potatoes, nachos, chili, and more. You won't miss the real thing one bit!

vegan / cooking basics

This vegan sour cream recipe is a staple in my kitchen. Just like the real thing, it’s creamy, tangy, and rich, a perfect topping for baked potatoes, nachos, chili, enchiladas…I could go on and on. It’s super easy to whizz together, and it’s made with simple, plant-based ingredients. If you’re dairy-free or vegan (or even if you’re not!), you’ll make this recipe time and time again. Vegan Sour Cream Recipe Ingredients Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan sour cream recipe: Raw cashews – They make this vegan sour cream thick and creamy. Tip: make sure your cashews are…

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Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.