The Best Gazpacho Recipe Ever

In the heat of summer, I come up with super creative ways to get dinner on the table in a hurry and without slaving over a steaming pot of braised short ribs, because the air outside actually feels like you climbed into a steaming pot of braised short ribs. It’s time to turn off the stove and whip up things like this Easy Gazpacho recipe. It’s fast, it’s fresh, and it’s totally flavorful.

I’ve been making this tomato gazpacho for years now. It’s always my solution to a no cook dinner on busy weeknights while packing in all the vegetables. And it’s the perfect recipe to make when you don’t want to turn on the oven in the middle of summer.

Farm Fresh Ingredients

• Tomatoes – The base for gazpacho is tomatoes and fresh whole Roma tomatoes make this refreshing soup tangy and light. Make sure you use ripe tomatoes so they’re juicy and flavorful. If you can’t find Roma tomatoes, you can substitute with cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes.
• Cucumbers – I like to use English cucumbers because they’re seedless and don’t need to be peeled. Because this soup is chunky, the cucumbers add a nice cool, flavor with a crisp bite.
• Peppers – Red bell pepper and orange bell pepper add sweetness and freshness. You can add green pepper, too, for it’s vibrant, fresh flavor. I also add a jalapeno pepper for a little heat but this is optional.
• Onion – Red onion gives the gazpacho a peppery bite. If you prefer, you can substitute with a sweet onion.
• Vinegar – I use Apple Cider Vinegar for the sweeter flavor but you can use sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar as a substitute.
• Flavor enhancers – Fresh garlic, fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato juice pull everything together for the most epic gazpacho recipe ever. You can substitute the lime juice with lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce with coconut aminos, if you prefer.

For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

How To Make Gazpacho

This Easy Gazpacho soup recipe is so simple to make. It’s made with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lime and tomato juice.

1. Chop up all the vegetables into a fine dice and toss them into a large bowl.
2. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the vegetables and add a splash of apple cider vinegar.
3. Toss everything together with the Worcestershire sauce and stir in tomato juice.
4. Season with kosher salt and black pepper then stir in the chopped cilantro.
5. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh herbs and chopped green onions.

If you want a more traditional Spanish Gazpacho, you can put all the ingredients in a food processor or a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

What is Gazpacho?

Gazpacho is simply a chilled tomato soup. I’ve had both chunky varieties like this one and smooth, like a restaurant style salsa.

What I love the most about every gazpacho recipe I’ve ever tried is that you can literally throw in just about any chopped vegetable you love. I try to find whatever is in season at the moment for maximum flavor. For this recipe I used bell pepper, cucumbers, plum tomatoes, garlic and jalapeño- for a little kick.

I also like to add a healthy splash of hot sauce to spice things up a little bit more. You can skip it if you want but at least throw a teensy bit in there if you can.

If you stick with in-season produce from the farmers market, you’ll end up with the best gazpacho recipe you’ve ever made. The summer fresh flavors will be at their peak in this cold soup.

I have a little secret to pump up the flavor a bit more. I add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to add a little more oomph to the chilled soup. It just adds a good bang of flavor to this vegetable- based soup.

Why is Gazpacho served cold?

Traditional Gazpacho originates in Spain, and is usually served in the summer months. It’s, basically a mix of raw vegetables in a tomato base (so like a soupy salad, if you will) and is completely refreshing on a super swelteringly hot summer day.

Can you eat Gazpacho warm?

Hot Gazpacho is actually a thing and it’s just a cooked version of gazpacho that’s served in a cazuela. It’s not refreshing because….well, it’s hot so it’s more of a winter time dish. This classic Gazpacho we’re talking about today is most definitely NOT served hot. We’ll get to that one in a few months.

How to Make Gazpacho Advance

This easy recipe is even better when you make it in advance. The flavors just get better with time so I totally recommend making this even up to 3 days in advance, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

This chunky Gazpacho is great for weeknight dinners, but it’s also AMAZING for summer parties! I serve it to my guests in little shot glasses so they can each just serve themselves. It’s such a refreshing first course or appetizer for your next gathering.

Just the Facts

This summer soup is not only simple to make but the fact that it’s made with fresh ingredients means it’s so totally healthy. Fiber filled and rich in minerals, antioxidants, fiber and in vitamins C, A and E. And because red tomatoes are high in carotenoids such as lycopene and beta-carotene,  it also possibly aids in the prevention of prostate cancer, high blood pressure and eye health issues.

To keep sodium levels in check (because who wants to be bloated on a hot and humid day?), I like to use a low sodium tomato juice. If you can’t find it, then regular tomato juice is just fine but add a little less Worcestershire sauce or skip the salt. Even better, if you want to be a total overachiever: make your own tomato juice!

No Cook Summer Recipes

If you’re looking for a few more no cook summer recipes, you might enjoy this Blueberry Feta Quinoa Salad or Watermelon Gazpacho. This Watermelon Salad and Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh Salad are also great choices.

More Easy Summer Soup Recipes

• Chilled Strawberry Soup
• Chilled Cranberry Soup
• Easy Lobster Corn Chowder
• Easy Seafood Cioppino
• New England Clam Chowder