Chilled Tomato Gazpacho
To make gazpacho, blitz very ripe raw tomatoes with cucumber, red pepper, garlic, olive oil, and a splash of vinegar until smooth, then chill it well and season with salt. It's a no-cook cold soup, so it depends entirely on ripe, flavourful summer tomatoes. Chilling for a couple of hours lets the flavours meld and it turns silky and refreshing. Serve cold with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped vegetables on top.
On a hot day, gazpacho is the most refreshing thing you can make — a cold, raw tomato soup blitzed from peak summer produce, no stove required. It’s a Spanish classic that turns a glut of ripe tomatoes, a cucumber, and a pepper into a silky, tangy bowl you drink as much as eat. Make it ahead, keep it cold, and it’s summer relief in a glass.
Ripe tomatoes are non-negotiable
Gazpacho is raw, so it’s only as good as the tomatoes — this is a late-summer recipe, made when they’re dead ripe and full of flavour. Pale, out-of-season tomatoes make watery, flat soup no amount of seasoning can fix. Use the best you’ve got.
Season boldly
Cold dulls flavour, so gazpacho needs more salt and acid than you’d think. Taste it after chilling and push the salt, vinegar, and olive oil until it’s bright and lively. Good olive oil blended in gives it silky body.
Chill it well
Blend, then chill at least a couple of hours — it needs to be properly cold, and the rest lets the flavours meld. It’s often better the next day, which makes it a perfect make-ahead.
Make it yours
- Smooth or rustic: peel and sieve for silky, or leave it with texture.
- Thicker: blend in a slice of soaked bread, traditional-style.
- Toppings: diced cucumber, pepper, croutons, a swirl of oil.
- Twists: a handful of strawberries or watermelon for a fruity version.
Serve it cold in bowls or glasses with the crunchy toppings scattered over. It’s cooling, tangy, and the smartest thing to do with a tomato harvest when it’s too hot to cook.
At a glance
Chilled Tomato Gazpacho
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Blitz the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, and garlic until smooth.
- With the blender running, add the olive oil and vinegar.
- Season well with salt (cold soup needs plenty). Add a soaked slice of bread and blend again for a thicker soup, if you like.
- Chill at least 2 hours until very cold.
- Taste and adjust salt and vinegar. Serve cold, topped with chopped vegetables and olive oil.
Frequently asked questions
Do the tomatoes need to be peeled?
For a smooth gazpacho, peeling gives a silkier texture, but it's not essential if you have a good blender — just blitz longer and, if you like, pass it through a sieve. To peel easily, score an X in the base, dunk in boiling water for 30 seconds, and slip off the skins. Since gazpacho is all about the raw tomato, use the ripest ones you can, peeled or not.
Why does my gazpacho taste flat?
Cold mutes flavour, so gazpacho almost always needs more salt and acid than you'd expect — taste it after chilling and add salt, vinegar, or lemon until it's bright and lively. Under-ripe tomatoes are the other culprit; this soup can't rescue pale winter tomatoes. Good olive oil blended in adds body and richness that rounds everything out.
How long does gazpacho keep?
It keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days and many say it's even better on the second day once the flavours have fully melded. Keep it covered and cold, and give it a stir before serving since it can separate. It's a great make-ahead: blitz it the day before a hot-weather meal and it's ready to pour. Add the crunchy toppings just before serving.