Gazpacho
Ice-cold Spanish vegetable soup made from raw tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper, served in a glass.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- –
- Total
- 4 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 393 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Resting
- 4 hr
Only 20 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Ice-cold Spanish vegetable soup made from raw tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper, served in a glass. Soaked white bread and slowly drizzled olive oil make the soup creamy instead of watery, which is the difference compared to pureed vegetable juice. On hot days, it is the most refreshing appetizer of all.
Why this works
The soaked bread turns vegetable juice into a soup. Its swollen starch holds the water phase, and slowly pouring in the olive oil creates an emulsion that makes the soup creamy and opaque. The second point concerns the cold. At 6 °C, the tongue perceives salt and sweetness much weaker than at room temperature. A gazpacho that was perfectly seasoned when warm will taste bland when cold.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Soak the bread
Soak the stale white bread in a little water until it is completely soft, and squeeze it out slightly. It will act as an emulsifier later and bind water and olive oil into a creamy soup. Without bread, gazpacho remains thin and separates in the glass.
- 2
Blend the vegetables
Place the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, soaked bread, salt, and sherry vinegar in a blender and puree everything for two minutes on the highest setting. Take your time, because the soup should be really smooth and not remain grainy.
- 3
Emulsify the oil
With the blender running, drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream. The soup will become visibly lighter and creamier as an emulsion forms. If you pour the oil in all at once, it will separate later and float on top.
- 4
Strain
Pass the soup through a fine sieve and press it through with the back of a spoon until only skins and seeds remain. This step takes five minutes and turns a good gazpacho into a silky one. If you prefer it more rustic, you can skip it.
- 5
Chill thoroughly
Place the gazpacho in the refrigerator for at least four hours, preferably overnight. It really must be served ice-cold, as lukewarm it tastes flat and raw. Taste and season again before serving, because cold noticeably dampens salt and acidity.
Our best tips
- Be sure to season again after chilling. Cold dishes need significantly more salt and acidity than warm ones.
- Drizzle the olive oil in slowly, otherwise the soup will separate.
- Sherry vinegar is defining here. Red wine vinegar works, but tastes less like Andalusia.
Tasty variations
Salmorejo
Use only tomatoes, more bread, and more oil, then it becomes thicker and is served with egg and ham.
Watermelon Gazpacho
Replace a third of the tomatoes with watermelon, which makes the soup fruitier and even more refreshing.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 393 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| – of which sugar | 14 g |
| Fat | 29 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
Where the 393 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use the bread?
For the classic creamy consistency, yes. Without bread, you get a thin vegetable soup that settles in the glass. Gluten-free also works with a boiled potato.
How long does gazpacho keep?
Three days in the refrigerator, well covered. It continues to steep and often tastes best on the second day.
Can I use canned tomatoes?
Better not. Gazpacho relies on the raw, fresh flavor. If good tomatoes are not in season, it is better to cook another dish.
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