This delicious Spanish gazpacho recipe is made the authentic way using just a few fresh ingredients, like vine ripe tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers. This easy soup is full of flavor and makes the perfect summer meal.
It has officially hit that time of year where BLAZING HOT doesn’t even cover it. You are probably familiar if you live anywhere in the south or on the East Coast. You spend some time outside and can immediately feel the thick blanket of humidity hit you with each breath of fresh air. That’s where are right now. Eating something hot for dinner? No, thank you.
But a cool and refreshing bowl of gazpacho?!?! ALL DAY!!!!! I can’t think of a better summer meal. It’s one you can enjoy for lunch, dinner, even breakfast. Full of delicious, in-season vegetables that are blended into a creamy chilled soup. It’s also easily packable and makes a fantastic picnic meal if you’re on the go. While this traditional Spanish Gazpacho is my favorite, I also love my Avocado Melon Gazpacho for a fun summer twist!
As a nutritionist, I always love an excuse to pack in more fruits and vegetables, and I know the importance of eating produce that is in season! This allows our bodies to get the maximum nutritional value. Blending up summer produce in one delicious cold soup is my kind of perfection.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho originates from the Andalusian region of Spain and is a soup that is made from pureed ripened tomatoes, and other vegetables with a few spices. It is served cold, and makes for the most delicious appetizer soup or main course in the summer!
Inspiration:
This recipe was inspired by a trip I took to Spain in which I tasted the absolute BEST Gazpacho I’ve ever had in my life. The trip was to Southern Spain in the Andalusian region, and the town was Ronda. If you are venturing to this part of the World, you must visit Ronda. Out of the hundreds of European cities I’ve visited, this was by far the cleanest (I must also mention charming, picturesque, beautiful, and full of great restaurants). Here is a picture of me so flippin happy after tasting this gazpacho on a 100 degree + kind of day:
Of course the mojito in my hand also made me very happy, but that’s beside the point. This gazpacho. I wanted to bathe in it. We went back to the resort we were staying at, and I learned that real Spanish Gazpacho actually contains bread. Kind of weird, but this explained the slightly creamy texture. I watched a cooking demonstration, and learned the tricks to making this a delicious bowl of summer soup. Of course it took me a few tries to get it exactly right, and pretty darn close to that perfect day in Ronda. I am happy to share this recipe with the world in hopes that you all stop looking for the perfect Gazpacho recipe!
How to make Real Spanish Gazpacho:
This is the perfect summer dinner my friends!! We’ll gather up these ingredients:
- vine ripened tomatoes
- cucumber
- onion
- green bell pepper
- garlic
- red wine vinegar
- olive oil (or avocado oil)
- sea salt
- cumin
- French bread
Give the vegetables a rough chop, and place inside a high powered blender with the bread, red wine vinegar, salt, and cumin.
Power up the blender, and pour the oil in while blending. Blend until completely smooth!!
Pour into a large bowl or container, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. I like to refrigerate for at least 8 hours, this does taste even better the next day!
Variations:
- Spicy: If you want to add a little kick or spice to the recipe, go ahead and add in some cayenne pepper (about 1 tsp).
- Gluten-Free/Paleo/Whole30 variation: you can omit the bread. The bread is a standard ingredient in Spanish Gazpacho and gives the recipe a creamy texture/taste.
- Balsamic Vinegar: In my initial variation of this recipe, I liked the addition of 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar for more tang with a hint of sweetness. I have omitted in the recipe below for a few reasons: I think it still tastes delicious without, and it’s more authentic without it!
Serving and Storing:
Serve with a delicious side salad. Here are a few of my favorites:
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. This Gazpacho tastes even better the next day!
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Real Spanish-Style Gazpacho
This delicious Spanish gazpacho recipe is made the authentic way using just a few fresh ingredients, like vine ripe tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers. This easy soup is full of flavor and makes the perfect summer meal.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs vine ripe tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 6 inch cucumber peeled and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper* (optional)
- Chunk of french bread** about 3-4 inches, cut into pieces
Instructions
-
Prepare your vegetables by ensuring they are chopped into small pieces (the garlic can be minced) Add the vegetables and bread to the blender.
-
Begin to pulse. Slowly add oil and vinegars. Keep blending until smooth. Add cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper (if using).
-
Keep blending until the soup no longer has chunks and is pretty smooth. It will look a little creamy like the in the picture above.
-
Pour into a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. The flavor gets better with time.
Recipe Notes
The soup will keep for about 5 days in the fridge, but is best within the first 48 hours.
*I do like to add in cayenne pepper for a bit of heat. Definitely optional, and not typically used in traditional gazpacho. But it’s a nice touch!
**The bread is a traditional ingredient in Spanish Gazpacho, but can be omitted for a Gluten-Free or Paleo version.
I love gazpacho! I am always excited to see other people’s renditions, and try different takes on it. So I’m definitely excited to have come across yous 🙂
Thanks Meg! I love trying different Gazpachos too, but this one…… Oh my, it’s my favorite!
HI. I just found your post and it looks fantastic, but I have never heard of balsamic cream. It sounds fascinating, how do you make it? Thank you, patty
Hi Patty, balsamic cream is delicious. Not sure how to make it, but it can be found near the vinegar in many grocery stores. It’s a thicker version of balsamic vinegar, with a syrup quality. I buy mine from Trader Joe’s, hope that helps!
Thank you for the quick reply. I will definitely look for balsamic cream at the store to make this recipe. Thank you again. Patty
Is that really 1 cucumber or 6. When I imported into MyFitnessPal it came up as 6 cucumbers.
1 cucumber that is 6 inches long! A bit confusing 🙂
Looking forward to making this soup. Can the recipe be doubled without a problem by just doubling all the ingredients?
Yes, no problem!
Your recipe is awesome! My parents honeymooned in Spain in 1965 and Andalusian Gazpacho has been a cherished family favorite for 3 generations now. We are a family of gazpacho snobs and I shake my head at nearly every recipe I come across. My wife wanted to make gazpacho for me as a nice surprise but couldn’t put her hands to our family recipe and found yours. I must say yours is the only one I’ve ever seen that was even close and you nailed it!
*Note: As a recipe hack we will sometimes substitute onion and garlic croutons. Also on especially hot days we sometimes cut in small amounts of chicken broth.
Oh my goodness, totally made my night Rob!! Thank you!
This has become my go-to gazpacho recipe. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Great Connie! So glad you like it!
This recipe looks amazing!!!!I was a bit concerned about the amount of olive oil it calls for since I’m dieting…..
Please don’t be concerned! I use avocado oil in most of my cooking and dressings, that can also be used in this recipe. Both avocado oil and olive oil should be a part of your healthy diet!!!!
What type of shrimp would be best served with this soup? Would it be chilled shrimp as well?
Cocktail shrimp, baby shrimp, tiger shrimp all cold. You could also serve grilled shrimp along side. Hope that helps!
I made this today and while it tasted ok, it was WAY too acidic – next time I would add far less vinegar. It looked nothing like the picture, it came out a muddy brownish colour. Also, I have a pretty large blender but the soup still would’nt all fit so I had to blend it in stages and combine at the end.
My summer go to soup. Incredibly easy to make and very delicious
How do you get it to be dark red like the photo? Followed the recipe exactly with ripe tomatoes and it’s light pink…
Do you freeze this?
I have not, but it could work!
Hello;(This is not all negative, please read all.) Your recipe looks good; I’m sure it i s. I lived in Spain and had gazpacho frequently. No one ever used balsamic vinegar or balsamic cream. True gazpacho is the insides of a loaf of French bread–day old, the vegetables, red vinegar and water. No cumin, no cayenne in true gazpacho, in my experience, ever.It is obvious you have a tremendous gift for creating recipes so I am sure I will find several to try. There are many recipes for gazpacho, many of them good. I only object to your recipe being called “real”, because it would not be made this way in Spain. I wish you even greater success!
Hello everybody! Greetings from Spain. Just a little advise if you want to make this spanish recipe properly…no cayene and no balsamic vinegar. This is not a spicy soup, so no cayene. And balsamic vinegar is italian, not spanish…
And one more thing, the bread must be two days old or so and it is better soaked in water or soaked in the tomato juices before hand. And the last advise is to put the soup through a strainer. Besides that, the recipe is really accurate. Congrats!
Bravo on your recommendations!! Im partucular, I was please to read that you recommend straining soup mixture and soaking bread in tomato juices – recipe above doesn’t suggest removing seeds from tomatoes and cucumbers which I do. I scoop out seeds into a strainer placed under a bowl, then soak bread in collected tomato juice. I understand the reason for straining soup before serving is to remove tomato and bell pepper skins resulting in a silky-smooth soup texture.
I experienced Spanish Gaszpacho in Sevilla and was hooked for life! I finally found an authentic recipe and have made it this way ever since.
Everytime I serve it, my guests are blown away at how delicious and refreshing it is.
I just put it in the fridge, it is so delicous already. This recipe is almost exactly the way it was given to me when I had it in Ronda years ago. Thanks for posting!
You’re welcome! Glad you love it!
Great recipe and background story! I’ve had similar experiences in Spain and share your passion for Gazpacho.
Your recipe is wonderful. If you get a chance, try swapping out the red wine vinegar with Sherry Vinegar. For a spicy effect I use a seeded and minced Jalapeno, although my Spanish friends frowned at me for the addition. That’s ok though… I laughed at them for sprinkling Rice Krispies on theirs.
In any case, thanks for sharing!
PS: Ever try garnishing a spicy bowl of this Gazpacho with some fresh pineapple pieces!
Thank you, Scott! Glad you enjoyed it. And the pineapple sounds very fun. I’ll have to give that a try!
Viva Ronda!I love that city and I love Gazpacho💋 thanks for sharing!
You are welcome!
Disappointed…. We had gazpacho in ronda.. hubby hates cold tomato anything but loved the gazpacho there. Made this exactly as printed…. Saved for next day.. only can taste onions and cucumbers..not thrilled…
Amazing. Never had gazpacho before, but this recipe is awesome. You have a gift!
Thank you!!
This is so good!!! I’ve never made gazpacho before and honestly, I was a little worried it would taste like a weird veggie smoothie… wrong! I can’t believe how delicious and satisfying this stuff is. Thanks for posting!