Gazpacho, the classic chilled Spanish tomato soup, is a beloved summer staple thanks to its refreshing and cooling properties. But the tasty soup doesn’t have to be relegated to its traditional form of blended tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, and olive oil.
Creative cooks have come up with inventive riffs that offer surprising new flavors and ingredients while keeping the soup’s bright, light essence.
If you’re looking to shake up your gazpacho game, try one of these five creative twists on the traditional recipe.
Watermelon Gazpacho
One of the most popular creative takes on gazpacho is watermelon gazpacho. Swapping out tomatoes for juicy watermelon results in a sweet, fruity soup that still provides the hydration and acidity of a classic gazpacho. Watermelon’s subtle savory flavor lends itself perfectly to a soup form.
This watermelon gazpacho is gorgeous with its rosy pink hue studded with vibrant green melon chunks. In addition to watermelon, it contains cucumber, red onion, lime juice, olive oil, and salt for seasoning.
The lime juice gives it a nice zing, while the olive oil provides richness. For garnish, a dollop of yogurt, fresh mint, and extra watermelon make the perfect finishing touches.
Ingredients:
- 5 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
- 1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Salt to taste
- Mint leaves, yogurt, and watermelon cubes for garnish
Instructions:
- In a blender or food processor, puree the watermelon, cucumber, and onion until smooth.
- With the motor running, stream in the olive oil and lime juice. Blend until thoroughly combined.
- Season with salt to taste. Chill soup for at least 2 hours.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with mint, yogurt, and watermelon cubes.
White Gazpacho
Contrary to its name, white gazpacho isn’t actually whiteβit’s pale green! But it contrasts traditional red tomato gazpacho. This Spanish version uses cucumbers, grapes, almonds, and garlic for a fresh flavor.
The cucumber and grape base creates an airy, almost frothy texture for this chilled soup. Almonds add nutty richness and protein. Together, the crisp, bright ingredients make a gazpacho perfect for hot summer days befitting of its Andalusian origins. Garnish with sliced grapes or almonds.
Ingredients:
- 3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 1 cup seedless green grapes
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- Grapes and sliced almonds, for garnish
Instructions:
- In a blender or food processor, combine the cucumbers, grapes, almonds, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
- Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with grapes and almonds.
Strawberry Gazpacho
For a fruit-focused gazpacho, strawberries make a perfect summery substitution for tomatoes. Their sweet, juicy flavor and pretty pink color completely transforms the soup into a refreshing dessert option.
In addition to strawberries, this recipe includes raspberries, Greek yogurt, and orange juice for tang. Mint, honey, and sliced strawberries dress it up for serving. The yogurt provides creaminess while the mint and honey balance out the tartness of the berries.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- Sliced strawberries and mint leaves for garnish
Instructions:
- In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, orange juice, and honey until smooth.
- Pour into a covered container and chill soup for 2-3 hours.
- To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced strawberries and mint leaves.
Read More: Creative Twists on the Classic Lemon Drop Shot
Avocado Gazpacho
Avocados offer a wonderfully creamy, rich element to gazpacho in place of tomatoes as the base. They pair remarkably well with classic gazpacho flavors like cucumber, peppers, and onions.
This vibrant green soup is full of healthy fats from the avocado along with fresh vegetable flavors. JalapeΓ±o and bell pepper provide spice and crunch while cilantro adds freshness. For garnish, radish, cucumber, and tortilla chips create terrific texture contrasts.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 jalapeΓ±o, seeded and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt to taste
- Radish slices, cucumber, and tortilla strips for garnish
Instructions:
- In a blender, combine the avocados, cucumber, jalapeΓ±o, bell pepper, onion, lime juice, cilantro, vegetable broth and garlic. Puree until smooth. Season with salt.
- Chill soup for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced radishes, cucumber and tortilla strips.
Peach-Raspberry Gazpacho
Stone fruits like peaches shine in gazpacho, creating the most amazing sweet-tart flavor profile. Combined with raspberries and tomato, this creamy peach gazpacho is an unexpected mix of fruit that blends together beautifully.
The peaches provide pleasant, nectar-like sweetness while the raspberries offer tangy brightness. Diced peaches, raspberries, basil, and peach sorbet adorn this soup for a medley of flavors and textures in each spoonful. The sorbet melts into the chilled soup for an extra boost of sweet peachiness.
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe peaches, pitted and diced
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 cup peach nectar or juice
- Salt to taste
- Diced peaches, raspberries, basil leaves, and peach sorbet for garnish
Instructions:
- In a blender, puree 2 cups of the diced peaches with the raspberries, tomato, shallot, vinegar, peach nectar and salt until smooth.
- Pass through a sieve to remove any fibers. Chill for 2-3 hours.
- To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with the remaining diced peaches, raspberries, basil and a scoop of peach sorbet.
Conclusion
Tweaking the classic gazpacho recipe with creative new ingredients results in fun twists that retain the essence of the traditional soup while providing amazing new flavors. Fruits, nuts, and alternate vegetables open up a whole new gazpacho world.
The cool, invigorating qualities of gazpacho make it the perfect summer soup. So go ahead and experiment with watermelon, white gazpacho, strawberries, avocado, peaches or your own inventive combinations for seasonal soup that’s anything but boring.