Spanish Gazpacho Recipe (Cold Tomato and Vegetable Soup)
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With its gorgeous red-orange hue and sweet, fresh, garlic-infused flavor, my gazpacho recipe brings the colors and flavors of Spain to your humble abode, no matter what time of day it is.
Gazpacho Recipe
What is Traditional Gazpacho?
A filling, refreshing, and nutritious way to keep cool in the hot summers, at its core, gazpacho is a cold soup of blended raw vegetables, stale bread, and other ingredients.
Hailing from the Iberian peninsula and synonymous with Spanish cuisine, the dish is also popular in Portugal.
A typical gazpacho will include stale bread, traditionally that has been soaked overnight, tomatoes, and additional vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, and onion. Olive oil, salt, garlic, and sherry vinegar are all common inclusions.
Historically, the ingredients were mixed by hand with a mortar and pestle. This resulted in a thicker, chunkier gazpacho, rather than the silkier, foamer versions that a blender or food processor produces today.
In fact, despite the hard labor, some people still make gazpacho in this way to this day!
As you will discover if you read on, one of the biggest reasons why I love this dish is that it is so versatile. Spaniards enjoy it both as a soup and a beverage, at all times of the day, and while I have stayed relatively close to what is deemed traditional gazpacho, the variations are broad and plentiful.
Variations
Difference Between Gazpacho and Salmorejo
Both gazpacho and salmorejo are cold tomato-based soups, hugely popular throughout Spain. The biggest difference, however, is that gazpacho can include additional vegetables alongside the tomato, whereas salmorejo can only contain tomato and bread, along with additional seasonings. Some also consider salmorejo to be a dip, whereas gazpacho is a soup.
Northern Gazpacho – In the north of Spain, it is common for gazpacho recipes to include one, or both of, cumin and paprika.
Arranque Roteño – This gazpacho variation from Cádiz in the south is thicker and creamier, as it contains more bread and no added water (or ice).
Other Traditional Variations – Gazpacho exists in many different forms. In Extremaura, for example, the gazpacho, known as cojondongo, has a base of breadcrumbs, oil, garlic, and vinegar, and then is topped with vegetables like tomato and onion. Whereas Castilian gazpacho, on the other hand, is much thinner, with chunkier vegetables in the broth.
Modern Variations – Today, many Spanish chefs have got creative with exciting new types and variations of gazpacho. As mentioned, I have stayed relatively close to traditional gazpacho, but you can find plenty of modern recipes that use fruits like avocados and strawberries, and even meat-based gazpachos.
Ingredients
For 4 servings:
- Tomatoes – 2lb tomatoes (the most flavorful and ripest tomatoes you can find)
- Cucumber – 1 small cucumber or 1/2 English cucumber
- Pepper – 1 green Italian sweet pepper (or green or red bell pepper)
- Garlic – 1 small garlic clove
- Ice – a couple of ice cubes (if using a high-speed blender or countertop blender or 1/4 cup of ice-cold water if using an immersion blender)
- Vinegar – 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar
- Olive Oil – 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil + more to drizzle on top
- Bread – 1-2 slices of bread (to make the gazpacho creamier)
- Salt – 1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp fine salt), plus more to taste
Optional toppings: finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make sure all your produce is thoroughly washed and dried.
Step 1 – Prep all the ingredients.
A – Cut the tomatoes into chunks, removing the core.
B – Chop the cucumber into chunks. If the cucumbers have thin skin, there’s no need to peel them. If they have thick skin and/or are bitter, you should peel them.
C – Chop the Italian pepper or bell pepper.
D – Peel and chop the onion.
E – Remove the sprout/germ from the middle of the garlic clove. Since gazpacho is a raw soup, raw garlic can be very pungent, and we remove the sprout to make it less pungent/harsh.
Step 2 – Blend the ingredients together.
Method A: Use a high-speed blender like Vitamix or Blendtec.
Add all the ingredients to the blender and start low but turn it on high quickly and blend for about 45-60 seconds.
Method B: If using a regular countertop blender, you’ll have to process the gazpacho for a few minutes until everything is blended.
Method C: If using an immersion blender, use cold water instead of ice. Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and blend using the immersion blender, a bit at a time.
Method D: You can also use a food processor, it will just be a bit coarser. You’ll have to make sure you strain it.
Step 3 – Use a strainer if you want to achieve a perfectly smooth consistency.
Step 4 – Pour it into a container (preferably a pitcher), cover it, and refrigerate it for about 2 hours to let the flavors combine well and come together.
If you don’t have a couple of hours, refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes and serve each bowl or glass of gazpacho with an ice cube.
Make sure you stir it after it sat in the refrigerator before serving it.
What to Serve with Gazpacho
Step 5 – Taste it before serving and add any additional salt or water (if you prefer it more liquid). Serve in bowls with some finely chopped tomato, cucumber, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
You could also try it garnished with:
- Chopped or sliced ham (salmorejo-style)
- Diced hard-boiled egg (salmorejo-style)
- Chopped herbs like mint or parsley
- Crushed or chopped nuts
- Croutons
- Peeled orange slices
As many people consume gazpacho as a drink, you could pour it into a glass instead of a bowl and serve it with a straw.
When you make this beloved Spanish staple, let me know in the comments how you decide to serve it. There are so many variations; you really can get creative with it!
Gazpacho Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 lb tomatoes the most flavorful and ripest tomatoes you can find
- 1 small cucumber or 1/2 English cucumber
- 1 green Italian sweet pepper or green or red bell pepper
- 1 small garlic clove
- a couple of ice cubes if using a high-speed blender or countertop blender, or 1/4 cup of ice-cold water if using an immersion blender
- 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil + more to drizzle on top
- 1-2 slices of bread to make the gazpacho creamier
- 1 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp fine salt and more to taste
- Optional toppings: finely diced tomatoes cucumbers, and peppers.
Instructions
- Make sure all your produce is thoroughly washed and dried. Then, cut the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers into chunks. Peel and chop the onion and remove the sprout/germ from the middle of the garlic clove.
- Blend the ingredients together until smooth using a countertop blender, immersion blender, or food processor. If using an immersion blender, use ice-cold water instead of ice.
- Strain the gazpacho if you want to achieve a perfectly smooth consistency.
- Pour the gazpacho into a container (preferably a pitcher), cover it, and refrigerate it for about 2 hours to let the flavors combine well and come together. If you don’t have a couple of hours, refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes and serve each bowl or glass of gazpacho with an ice cube.
- Taste it before serving and add any additional salt or water (if you prefer it more liquid). Serve in bowls with some finely chopped tomato, cucumber, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil on top. As many people consume gazpacho as a drink, you could pour it into a glass instead of a bowl and serve it with a straw.
You Might Also Like to Read
- Spanish Salmorejo Recipe (Cold Tomato Bread Soup)
- Catalan and Spanish Tomato Bread Recipe (Pan Con Tomate)
- Okroshka Recipe (Cold Soup to Enjoy in the Summer Sun)
- Cold Beet Soup Recipe (Lithuanian Šaltibarščiai)
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