Basic Yummy Gazpacho

Five-Minute Blender Gazpacho for Hot Days

Spain’s iconic chilled tomato soup doesn’t need to be a project. This stripped-back gazpacho takes a handful of summer vegetables, one garlic clove, and a glug of white wine vinegar, then lets the blender do every bit of the work. Twenty minutes of prep, fifteen minutes in the fridge, and you have a vegan, raw, naturally low-calorie soup that tastes like a tomato vine on a sunny afternoon.

Roma tomatoes are the key here. They have less juice and more pulp than slicers, which gives the gazpacho body without going watery. The vinegar isn’t optional. It’s what wakes up the tomato flavor and stops the soup from tasting like cold V8.

Chef Tips

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. Underripe or out-of-season tomatoes will give you a flat, flavorless soup, no matter how much vinegar you add.
• Salt the cucumber chunks and let them sit 10 minutes before blending if your cucumber is older or has tough skin. Drain off the liquid for a sweeter result.
• Chill the soup at least 1 hour for the best flavor. The 15-minute fast track works, but flavors meld much better with a longer rest.
• Blend in batches if your blender is small. Overfilling means a watery, foamy soup with chunks.
• Garnish with diced cucumber, a drizzle of good olive oil, and torn basil for restaurant-style presentation.

Variations

• Use yellow tomatoes and yellow bell peppers for a stunning golden gazpacho.
• Swap white wine vinegar for balsamic and add a pinch of smoked paprika for a deeper, sweeter version.
• Stir a few fresh basil leaves into the blender for an herby twist, or top with diced avocado for a creamy spin.