Gazpacho
A chilled Spanish tomato soup — bright, refreshing and blitzed smooth. Perfect for hot days and easy to make ahead.
Gazpacho is the Spanish answer to a heatwave: bright, chilled and utterly forgiving. This recipe keeps things classic — ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber and a splash of sherry vinegar, all blitzed to a silky, drinkable soup.
It’s brilliant for preparing a day ahead: flavours improve as it chills, making it a fuss-free starter or a cool main on summer afternoons. Serve straight from the fridge with a little diced veg and basil for contrast.
Ingredients
- 1 kg tomatoes — ripe; cores removed
- 1 red pepper — seeded
- 1 cucumber — medium
- 1 brown onion — small
- 1 garlic — clove
- 60 g stale white bread — torn into pieces
- 30 ml sherry vinegar
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 150 ml cold water — plus extra to adjust consistency
- 5 ml sea salt
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
- 6 fresh basil leaves — to garnish
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- fine sieve
Instructions
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Lightly score the base of each tomato with a small cross, then drop them into the boiling water for 30–45 seconds until the skins begin to split.
Prepare an ice-water bath. Remove the tomatoes to the ice bath and leave until cool, then peel off the skins and roughly chop.
Seed the red pepper and peel the cucumber. Dice about 60 g of red pepper and 60 g of cucumber finely and set aside for garnish; roughly chop the remaining pepper and cucumber.
Tear the stale white bread into pieces, place in a small bowl and pour over the sherry vinegar and 60 ml cold water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes until soft, then squeeze gently to remove excess liquid.
In a blender or food processor, add the peeled tomatoes, chopped red pepper, chopped cucumber, brown onion (roughly chopped), garlic and the soaked bread. Pour in 40 ml of the extra virgin olive oil and blitz until smooth. Work in batches if your blender is small.
Pass the blitzed mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl, using the back of a ladle to press through as much liquid as possible for a silky finish.
Stir in the remaining 20 ml extra virgin olive oil and 90–150 ml cold water to reach your preferred consistency. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Taste and adjust acidity with a little extra sherry vinegar if needed.
Cover and chill the gazpacho in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to let the flavours meld.
To serve, pour into bowls or glasses. Garnish with the reserved diced cucumber and red pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and scatter fresh basil leaves.
Tips
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find — their sweetness is the backbone of the soup.
- If your blender struggles with hot liquids, let tomatoes cool completely before blending or work in small batches.
- Reserve a small dice of cucumber and red pepper for garnish to add texture against the smooth soup.
- Make ahead: gazpacho keeps well for 48 hours in the fridge; stir before serving as it may separate slightly.
- For an extra-smooth result, press the sieved pulp with the back of a ladle rather than shaking the sieve.
Substitutions
stale white bread → gluten-free bread (same weight)
Stays closesherry vinegar → red wine vinegar (30 ml)
Stays closeextra virgin olive oil → light olive oil or sunflower oil (same quantity)
Noticeably differentfresh basil leaves → fresh parsley (same amount)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 248
- Calories
- 3 g
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 500 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make gazpacho without bread?
Yes — omit the stale bread and reduce the added cold water slightly. The soup will be lighter and less emulgated, so texture is noticeably different but still tasty.
How long will gazpacho keep?
Stored in an airtight container it will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Flavours meld over time; stir or give a quick blitz before serving if separated.
Can I freeze gazpacho?
Freezing is possible but not ideal — texture and flavour change on thawing. If necessary, freeze for up to one month and thaw in the fridge overnight, then re-blend.
Do I have to peel the tomatoes?
Peeling produces the silkiest result. If you don’t mind a rustic texture, you can skip blanching and peel, especially if tomatoes are very ripe and thin-skinned.
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