Cold Avocado Soup

One ripe avocado, a blender, and 15 minutes. That’s all it takes to produce a chilled soup so creamy and smooth it tastes like it simmered for hours. The avocado itself provides all the body. No flour, no potatoes, no thickener needed. Just pure, velvety green richness.

Chilled half-and-half and cold chicken broth go into the blender with the avocado chunks, creating a soup that’s ready to serve the moment it’s pureed. The lemon juice does double duty: it brightens the flavor with a citrus edge and prevents the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown. Without it, that gorgeous green color fades to grey within the hour.

Serving this in wide, shallow bowls shows off the color and gives you more surface area for a snipped chive garnish. This is an elegant starter course for a summer dinner party, or a light lunch on a hot day when cooking feels like too much effort.

Pro Tips

• Use a perfectly ripe avocado. It should yield to gentle pressure but not feel mushy. Underripe avocado gives a thin, bland soup. Overripe tastes bitter
• Chill the broth and half-and-half beforehand so the soup is cold enough to serve immediately after blending
• Blend until completely smooth with no green flecks. A full minute of blending gives you the silkiest texture
• Serve immediately for the best color and flavor. This soup doesn’t hold well and darkens after an hour or two

Variations

• Add a small jalapeno (seeded) to the blender for a spicy kick
• Swap chicken broth for vegetable broth and use coconut cream instead of half-and-half for a vegan version
• Float a few pieces of lump crabmeat on top for a luxurious seafood starter