This easy Gazpacho recipe is perfect. It is the exact right balance of flavors. If you are growing vegetables in your garden, this is exactly what you should make with them!
This easy Gazpacho recipe is one of my favorite summer recipes. Growing up, my parents had the biggest vegetable garden. It was truly a labor of love, especially for my dad, to grow all these fresh fruits and vegetables for us. We had strawberries, zucchini, raspberries, lettuce, cucumbers, the best tomatoes and so much more. Just about every ingredient for this amazing gazpacho soup could be found in that garden, and this was a delicious recipe that my mom made.
Loved it! Have made it twice now and it’s the best recipe ever!! I had tried other recipes and was always disappointed. I’ve shared with my sister and friends. Thanks for this!!
What is Gazpacho
If you’ve never heard of it, gazpacho is a soup that originated in Southern Spain. It is made with a tomato base and a variety of fresh vegetables and served cold. It is so fresh and full of flavor, I can’t think of a more refreshing recipe on a hot summer or warm fall day.
Gazpacho Ingredients
The basic ingredients for homemade gazpacho are tomato juice, fresh vegetables, lemon and lime juices, olive oil, and seasonings. The combination of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors is what makes this the best gazpacho recipe!
- Tomato juice: This is the base of gazpacho. Read more on this below.
- Fresh vegetables: White onion, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions all add flavor and thickness to the soup.
- Seasonings: A combination of garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, honey, tabasco sauce, basil, tarragon, cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and pepper creates a complex flavor profile that is perfectly balanced.
How to Make Gazpacho
This gazpacho soup recipe is so simple and refreshing. Here is a brief overview of how to make it. For the full recipe including all ingredients and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Combine ingredients. Add all of your ingredients to a blender.
- Blend. The blending time will depend on your desired consistency. See more on this below.
- Chill your gazpacho. Place it in the refrigerator to fully chill before serving.
How to Get Desired Consistency
If you prefer your gazpacho completely pureed, combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend to combine.
If you like some chunk to your gazpacho, make the soup in a large container and after combining, remove two cups of soup at a time to puree until you reach the desired consistency.
Either way, after pureeing, you want to put your gazpacho soup in the refrigerator and chill for at least four hours. Gazpacho is served cold, and so not only does refrigerating it chill the recipe, it allows the flavors to fully combine.
Food Processor
The Base of This Gazpacho Recipe
The base of gazpacho soup is tomato juice. This is a great and inexpensive way to start this soup. However, over the years, my mom decided that she wanted to kick up the base of this soup a notch, so she started using Spicy V8. Guys, she was not wrong. It is a simple way to add a lot more flavor and kick to this soup.
If you don’t have access to Spicy V8 or don’t want to buy it, then taste your soup at the end and make sure it has enough flavor for you. You can add more tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper a little at a time to liven it up.
Why Add Honey
The honey in this recipe may seem a little out of place, but it is key to this soup. When cooking with tomatoes, it can be easy for the recipe to become too acidic. This is especially true in this case because we are also adding lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegar.
Just as sugar is the answer to the acidic tomatoes in my Easy Spaghetti Sauce, honey is the answer to the acid in this gazpacho soup recipe. I encourage you to taste this recipe before adding the honey and again after. You will be able to see how the honey changes the recipe without making it sweet. If you find that the recipe is still too acidic, you can add a little more, about a 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
Fresh vs Dried Herbs
Though this recipe does call for fresh parsley, it also calls for a few dried herbs. Normally in a soup recipe, we use dried herbs. If you are simmering a soup, the dried herbs have time to really infuse into the soup.
Given that we aren’t cooking this soup, the choice of using fresh or dried herbs is yours. I tend to use dried herbs in this soup because they are more convenient. Additionally, because we are letting this soup chill in the refrigerator, the basil and tarragon do add their flavor.
That said, if you decide to use fresh herbs, you will want to double the amount listed here as dry herbs add a stronger flavor than fresh.
Storing
Store leftover gazpacho in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Since it is eaten chilled, you can enjoy it right out the refrigerator. See below for how to freeze gazpacho.
Freezing Gazpacho
This is a great recipe to freeze! Pour it into an airtight container (leaving some room for it to expand) and then freeze for up to three months. You can have a little taste of summer into the fall months. Thaw in the refrigerator to enjoy.
Other Great Recipes to Make With Garden Vegetables
If you are like my dad and pour your heart and soul into your vegetable garden, here are some other great recipes to use those goodies.
- These Zucchini Muffins are perfect if your zucchini crop is overflowing.
- My Greek Quinoa Salad is a great way to use up your tomato and cucumbers!
- This Zucchini Salad is so easy but so delicious. A great way to use your zucchini and basil.
- And of course, this Cucumber Tomato Salad is perfection.
If you make this easy gazpacho recipe, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Gazpacho Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups tomato juice see note (949.4 ml)
- 1 small white onion diced
- 3 large vine ripened tomatoes diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 2 scallions diced into one inch of the green
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped (6.9 grams)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (or the juice of one lime)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon dried cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients.
- For a soup with some chunks left in it: Remove two cups at a time and blend until you get the consistency you want.
- For a completely pureed soup: Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender until smooth.
- Chill soup for at least four hours.
Notes
gillian leschasin says
Thanks for the great recipe! I pinned it, made it for dinner tonight and am pleased to have some leftover so I can enjoy again!
Carol says
I have been to Spain (was in the Navy) and had this DELICIOUS soup, and was delighted to learn how Easy it is to make.
I enjoy this chilled in the warm weather, but it’s every bit as delicious served warm .
Meledy says
Loved it! Have made it twice now and it’s the best recipe ever!! I had tried other recipes and was always disappointed. I’ve shared with my sister and friends. Thanks for this!!????
I’m so happy you like this!
Kristen says
This as so ways to make – and tastes so good! I love Gazpacho, but most recipes have you steam the skin off the tomatoes. Too much work! Question – it shows cucumber in the pictures, but its not listed in the ingredients. Just want to be sure I didn’t miss it. Love the recipe -and tastes great!
You are totally right, Kristen! How did I miss that? Thanks for catching that.