Easy Garden Fresh Gazpacho

Published: Sep 11, 2017 · Modified: Aug 26, 2024 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

Classic Spanish Gazpacho is the perfect summer soup – chilled, savory, and full of rich, robust, garden-fresh goodness. (And no cooking!)

45-degree image of gazpacho in a white bowl, garnished with marigolds and raw, chopped vegetables.

Made almost entirely of raw, blended vegetables, spices, and fresh herbs, this easy gazpacho recipe makes a rich, savory, no-cook, chilled soup with just a hint of sweetness and far more depth than you might expect. If you’re looking to transform a your garden harvest or farmers' market haul into something fresh and flavorful, this gazpacho recipe is the one you need!

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What Goes into Homemade Gazpacho
How to Make this Easy Gazpacho Recipe
How to Serve Gazpacho
Garden Fresh Gazpacho

What Goes into Homemade Gazpacho

Like a perfect BLT, gazpacho is a late-summer indulgence. The ideal time—really, the only time—to make traditional tomato-based gazpacho is during the final stretch of summer when gardens and farmers' markets are brimming with sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.

Glass bowl filled with tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

Vine-ripened tomatoes: In Spain, Roma tomatoes are the first choice for making gazpacho, but you can use any meaty, ripe summer tomato with good results.
- DO NOT make this soup with hot house tomatoes. They simply do not have the depth of flavor or sugar content to make the effort (however small) worthwhile.
Cucumbers: In the US, English cucumbers are your best bet. Peel and seed the cucumber before using.
Bell peppers: Use whatever color peppers you have on hand.
Jalapeños: Take care when you dice these up. Remove the seeds for a milder soup; leave the seeds in for a little heat.
Onions: Since this onion in this soup is never cooked, a sweet onion is the best choice. We prefer to use a yellow sweet onion if possible.
Fresh basil: Use fresh basil for gazpacho; never dried.
Garlic: Four garlic cloves really is enough. I know you want to add more (and you can), but don't overdo it or the garlic flavor will overpower all those fresh tomatoes.
Lime: Remember to zest the lime before you squeeze it!
Olive Oil: Use your favorite olive oil.
Bread: Traditionally, bread is blended into the soup at this point to thicken it slightly and give it body, although this is optional. For the best results, use a soft baguette or leftover white bread. Crusty breads will not blend in as well. Remove the crusts before using.
Chili Powder: We recently started subbing in a teaspoon of our Spicy Dry Rub for the chili powder. Totally awesome - highly recommend it!!

Extreme close-up of chopped red, yellow, and orange peppers.

How to Make this Easy Gazpacho Recipe

In a large mixing bowl, toss the following to thoroughly combine:

diced tomatoes
diced cucumber
diced bell peppers
diced jalapeno
chopped onion
basil, cut into thin ribbons
minced garlic
seasonings: salt, cumin, oregano, Sriracha, and pepper

Note: You do not need to peel tomatoes for gazpacho. You should core them to remove any hard white core, but leaving the peel on is fine. Nevertheless, from year to year, our garden tomatoes occasionally have rather thick skins. In that case, we do think it's a good idea to peel them.

In a large blender, combine the following and puree until smooth:

rough chopped tomatoes
olive oil
lime juice
lime zest
balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire sauce

Pour the blended mixture into the mixing bowl with the first mixture. Using an immersion blender, puree together until it reaches the desired consistency. (If you like your gazpacho very chunky, you don't need to do this step.)

Soak the slices of bread in the blended mixture for about 5 minutes, and then use the immersion blender to break it up and blend it in a bit. (totally optional)

Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend. (This step is very important.)

Serve cold. Garnish with additional diced veggies, avocado, and/or sour cream.

Acidity levels vary wildly when it comes to tomatoes. If you feel as though the soup is a little too acidic, you can counteract this by adding a pinch of baking soda.

Blender Note: We prefer using an immersion-blender for the last steps because it allows for better control of the final product. However, if you don't own an immersion blender, you can complete the last step using a countertop blender. In this case, puree about half the total mixture in the blender and then remix everything together.

Side shot of soup in bowl, garnished with a marigold. Large tomatoes are in the background.

Did you know that marigolds are edible? They have a slight citrus flavor, and can range from spicy to bitter, tangy to peppery, making them perfect for summer salads and savory dishes. They make a great garnish for gazpacho, too!

How to Serve Gazpacho

Serve gazpacho with crusty rustic bread and a panzanella salad or a slice of quiche for and easy summer meal.

Garden Fresh Gazpacho

Classic Spanish Gazpacho is the perfect summer soup – chilled, savory, and full of rich, robust, garden-fresh goodness.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time:1

Cook Time:2

Total Time:3

Servings: Servings

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 Stand Blender
1 Immersion Blender

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Tomato Mix 1

4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes peeled & diced ¼"
1 pounds cucumbers peeled, seeded & diced ¼"
½ pounds red orange, yellow or green bell peppers, seeded & diced
1-2 whole jalapeno peppers seeded and diced ⅛"
½ pounds onion diced ¼"
15-20 large fresh basil leaves chiffonade
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1-3 teaspoons Sriracha or other hot sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder optional
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Mix 2

1 lb tomatoes roughly chopped (or cherry tomatoes)
⅓ cup olive oil
1 lime juice & zest
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Optional

2 slices leftover white bread crusts removed
thinned sour cream or crème fraîche

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine Tomato Mix 1 ingredients: diced tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeño, onion, basil, garlic, salt, brown sugar, cumin, oregano, Sriracha, and pepper.
Toss Tomato Mix 1 thoroughly to combine.
In a blender jar, combine Mix 2 ingredients: Rough chopped tomatoes, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, balsamic, and Worcestershire sauce.
Puree Mix 2 until smooth.
Pour Mix 2 into bowl with Mix 1 and stir to combine.
Using an immersion blender, puree the two mixtures together until it reaches the desired consistency.
If you like your gazpacho very chunky, you don't need to do this step. (See Blender Note below)
OPTIONAL: Traditionally, bread is blended into the soup at this point to thicken it slightly and give it body.
For the best results, use a soft baguette or white sandwich bread. Crusty breads will not blend in as well.
Soak the slices of bread in the blended mixture for about 5 minutes, and then use the immersion blender to break it up and blend it in a bit.
Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
Serve cold.
Garnish with additional diced veggies, avocado, and/or sour cream.

Notes

You do not need to peel tomatoes. You should core them to remove any hard white core, but leaving the peel on is fine. Nevertheless, from year to year, our garden tomatoes occasionally have rather thick skins. In that case, it's a good idea to peel them.

Acidity levels vary wildly when it comes to tomatoes. If you feel as though the soup is a little too acidic, you can counteract this by adding a pinch of baking soda.

This recipes lends itself easily to halving or doubling.

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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About Renée B.

Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.