Easy Gazpacho

Beat the heat with this easy gazpacho recipe! Made with summer veggies, vinegar, and olive oil, this cool soup is rich, tangy, and refreshing.

best gazpacho recipe

It’s no secret that I love gazpacho. Over the years, I’ve shared a gazpacho recipe with watermelon, one with corn, another with carrots, and still another with tangy tomatillos. What can I say? On a hot summer day, there’s no better way to cool off than with cold soup.

If you’re not familiar with gazpacho, it’s a chilled soup that originated in Andalucía, Spain. Traditional recipes call for tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and bread, which thickens the soup.

This recipe isn’t entirely authentic, but it has a lot in common with Spanish gazpacho. Tomatoes, cucumber, and olive oil make up its vibrant red base, garlic adds bite, and red wine vinegar gives it a delicious tang. Even Jack, who normally passes on gazpacho, devoured a bowl for lunch last week. Complex, refreshing, and bursting with summer produce, it’s the perfect thing to make right now, when the days are hot and fresh tomatoes are at their peak.

Gazpacho recipe ingredients

Gazpacho Ingredients

As I mentioned above, bread is often used as a thickener in Andalusian gazpacho. I like the lightly creamy texture of the soup without it, so I make my gazpacho with these simple ingredients:

  • Tomatoes – Any variety of tomatoes will work well here. Choose the best ones you can find at your farmers market or grocery store!
  • Cucumber – Dice some cucumber and reserve it for garnish. Then, peel the rest and blend it into the soup!
  • Fresno chiles – Traditional gazpacho is made with bell peppers. But earlier this summer, I was making gazpacho at home, and fresno chiles were the only peppers I had in the fridge. I tossed them in, and I fell in love with the heat they added to the soup. I highly recommend using them, but you could swap in half a red bell pepper if you prefer.
  • Garlic – For bite!
  • Red onion – Rinse it under cold water before you add it to the blender to tame its sharp flavor.
  • Red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar – It adds delicious tang.
  • Cilantro – It’s not traditional, but I love the herby fresh flavor.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – 1/2 cup might seem like a lot, but trust me, you’re going to want every drop in this cool summer soup. It’s essential for creating a rich, creamy, and balanced gazpacho.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, peppers, and cilantro in a blender

Best Gazpacho Recipe Tips

  • Good tomatoes are gold. This gazpacho recipe calls for a whole lotta tomatoes: 2 1/2 pounds! Fresh tomato juice makes up the body of the soup, so the quality of your tomatoes will really affect the final dish. If you can, look for local tomatoes at your farmers market. But no matter what, make this recipe in summer, when any tomato is sweeter and juicier than it would be at other times of year.
  • Work in batches if necessary. This recipe makes a lot of soup, so you might need to work in batches depending on the size of your blender or food processor. Of course, you could also halve the recipe, but I like having leftovers in the fridge. The soup becomes more complex and flavorful the longer it chills, so it tastes even better on days 2 and 3!
  • Chill the soup for at least 2 hours before you eat. It might be tempting to cut the chilling time short, but trust me, the wait is worth it! After the flavors meld and develop in the fridge, the soup becomes more balanced, complex, and refreshing.

gazpacho in a blender

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this gazpacho recipe two ways: in a glass or in a bowl. Drink it for a light lunch or appetizer, or load up your bowl with toppings to make it a meal on its own! I like to garnish my bowl with diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil. Roasted chickpeas, croutons, chopped hard boiled eggs, and avocado would be delicious toppings too.

Round out the meal with good crusty bread or socca. For a heartier meal, serve this easy gazpacho with grilled vegetables and romesco sauce, your favorite protein, or a veggie frittata. Enjoy!

gazpacho

More Favorite Tomato Recipes

If you love this gazpacho recipe, try one of these summer tomato recipes next:

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Gazpacho

rate this recipe:
4.97 from 155 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This gazpacho recipe is super easy to make - just blend and chill! Cold, complex, and refreshing, it's perfect for a hot summer day.

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber
  • pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 fresno chiles, or ½ red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
  • ¼ small red onion, rinsed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • teaspoons sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cherry tomatoes, for garnish
  • Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions

  • Finely chop ¼ of the cucumber and reserve for garnish.
  • Peel the remaining cucumber, cut into chunks, and transfer to a blender. Add the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Season to taste and chill for at least 2 hours.
  • Serve the soup garnished with the reserved diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, drizzles of olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper.

225 comments

4.97 from 155 votes (50 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Mary Devine
    08.24.2024

    5 stars
    I’ve made this twice now. So simple and so good. I haven’t used cilantro yet–I had Italian parsley in the fridge both times, and it was great. I also added a slice of sourdough bread. Why? I don’t know. The seasonings as written are on point. Maybe next time I’ll make it with the cilantro and no bread. Anyhow, I shared it with some visitors from the French/Italian border and they loved it as much as my husband and I do.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.28.2024

      Hi Mary, I’m so glad it’s been a hit!

  2. Jodie Kane
    08.05.2024

    5 stars
    This gazpacho rocks! Made it with local heirloom tomatoes. It will be perfect to take along for an upcoming camping/hiking trip.
    Any thoughts on freezing it?
    Thank you so much!

  3. rogue1
    07.31.2024

    5 stars
    Fast, easy and delicious. I used homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, and a green pepper (can’t find fresno peppers here). Sadly, my cilantro bolted for cooler climes, so that was store bought. I’m taking the extra on my camping trip, topping them with cumin and smoked paprika roasted chickpeas. A cooling lunch with protein after a long hike will be heaven!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!

  4. Jennie
    07.31.2024

    5 stars
    I’ve never had gazpacho that I liked until I made this! It’s so tasty and fresh!! I used avocado oil and topped it with some crumbled rye crisps. An absolute winner!!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Jennie, so glad you loved it!

  5. Jean Ann Reuter
    07.30.2024

    5 stars
    This was amazing. I would never have made this if it was not part of the cooking club. I am sold on gazpacho. So fresh and clean. Love all your recipes ❤️

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Jean Ann, I love this comment so much! I’m so glad you tried the gazpacho and that you enjoyed it. Thanks for cooking with us!

  6. Kaitlyn Wise
    07.30.2024

    5 stars
    First time making a gazpacho and I was skeptical to say the least. But this soup is so full of flavor! It was incredibly simple to make. My whole enjoyed this, it has a lovely flavor and really hits the spot on a hot summer day.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Kaitlyn, I’m so glad that you tried it and loved it!

  7. Jessica
    07.29.2024

    I made this for my book club and it was a hit! Topped with avocado, cilantro and jalapeno.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Jessica, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  8. Mysti Miskimins
    07.28.2024

    5 stars
    I made this today and was pleasantly surprised. I was hesitant before to make or even try cold soup, but have been happy with every one of your recipes so thought I’d give it a go. This is perfect for those summer veggies from the garden. I put halved cherry tomatoes and chopped cilantro on top. So good. Thanks!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Mysti, yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the gazpacho!

  9. Brenda Leis
    07.28.2024

    5 stars
    Easy and fast meal.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      So glad you enjoyed it, Brenda!

  10. Shannon H
    07.28.2024

    5 stars
    WOW – I am obsessed with this recipe! I made a little change as I didn’t have the chiles so I used red bell pepper and my husband grows serrano peppers on our roof and I used that for the spice. Also of course I added more garlic. It is so light and refreshing and will become a staple at my summer parties.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Shannon, I’m so glad you love the gazpacho!

  11. Ericka
    07.28.2024

    5 stars
    I made this for my family and we all loved it, including our 8 month old. He hasn’t looked back on tomatoes since trying them in this gazpacho.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Hi Ericka, aww amazing! I’m so glad everyone loved it!

  12. Li
    07.27.2024

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this recipe – so refreshing in hot summer days. (Made it three times in July!)
    Thank you very much for sharing and for the inspiration for hot summer days!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.01.2024

      Hi Li, aww amazing!! I’m so glad you loved it!

  13. Emily
    07.27.2024

    5 stars
    Quick and easy meal prep for the week ahead. Since it’s a cold soup, it makes packing a lunch super easy during this heatwave. Came together in a snap — will make again! Thanks for choosing this recipe for the July cooking club.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.01.2024

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Emily!

  14. Nancy
    07.27.2024

    5 stars
    Looks delicious but admiring the blender. Do you mind sharing the make and model?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.02.2024

      Happy to share! This blender is the Vitamix 750. I’ve had mine for 10 years now and it’s still going strong! The Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series is a newer model at a similar price point. Jeanine has it and loves it. The Vitamix A3300 is a less expensive option. You can’t go wrong with any Vitamix—we’ve used nearly all of them and they’re all fantastic.

  15. Dawn
    07.27.2024

    5 stars
    I made the gazpacho and loved it. It was a perfect opening course for a nice summer dinner with my mother-in-law. She was impressed.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.01.2024

      Hi Dawn, I’m so glad you both loved it!

  16. Taylor
    07.26.2024

    4 stars
    This was delicious and refreshing! Made it during a stretch of 100 degree days 😉 My husband is sensitive to garlic and onions so we left those out but it still tasted wonderful, especially with some fresh thyme on top!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      07.26.2024

      Hi Taylor, I’m so glad you enjoyed the gazpacho!

  17. Susan Collison
    07.25.2024

    5 stars
    Quicker than you can say “Soup’s on”, this gazpacho recipe went together with a few spins of the blender! The flavor of the fresh tomatoes & cucumber really come through, and it’s perfect for a hot summer day. I topped it with fresh basil & pepitas. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      07.26.2024

      Hi Susan, I’m so glad you loved it!

  18. Emiley
    07.23.2024

    5 stars
    I made this for the July cooking challenge. It was refreshing, easy, and a good way to use summer produce! Thanks for the idea.

  19. Katie Lechner
    07.23.2024

    5 stars
    This was very flavorful and tasty!

  20. Shira
    07.21.2024

    5 stars
    This was one of the best gazpacho recipes I’ve ever made. So flavorful and easy to make. I even forgot to chill it and it was perfect. I added chickpeas as another topping for protein.

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.