Cold Cucumber Soup
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Published
Thick and creamy, yet light and refreshing, this Cold Cucumber Soup recipe is quick and easy to prepare without any cooking, and a perfect lunch or dinner side to help you cool down on a hot summer day. Also a fantastic use for garden fresh cucumbers!
More fabulous ways to use cucumbers include our cucumber sandwiches and asian cucumber salad!
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Easy & Refreshing Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe
Soup in the summer? Yes, please – but make it cold! This cucumber soup is one of my go-to soup recipes for summer. No cooking is required, and the cucumbers offer such a light and refreshing flavor. Green grapes, garlic, and sherry vinegar add just the right amount of earthy flavor and acidity, balanced by adding bread and cashews.
This cucumber soup is also vegetarian (and even vegan depending on the bread you use) and dairy-free, although you wouldn’t know it since it has such a luscious consistency, so it accommodates many different diets if you’re entertaining.
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- Great for summer. Not only is it light and refreshing, it’s also the perfect way to use up a surplus of garden fresh cucumbers.
- Thick, creamy texture. This cold cucumber soup is made with stale bread and cashews, both of which help to thicken it. The end result is a smooth and creamy texture, while still be light.
- No cooking required. Cooking is not required in any part of this recipe. In fact, all you need is a blender!
What You’ll Need
This cucumber soup recipe is made with ingredients like Italian bread, raw nuts, and cucumbers.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Italian bread – You want to use stale slices, with the crust removed. This gets blended up to add substance and thicken the soup.
- Raw cashews – Raw cashews also help to thicken the soup.
- Vegetable broth – You want to use cold broth, since we’re making a cold soup. (You can also use chicken broth if it doesn’t need to be vegetarian.) Note that I recommend low-sodium broth.
- Cucumbers – I use Persian cucumbers for this recipe, as they’re smaller and have thinner skin. However, since we’re peeling the cucumbers anyway, you can also use English cucumbers. Note that English cucumbers are a lot larger, so you may only need 1 instead of 3.
- Green grapes – Be sure to use seedless grapes.
- Garlic – Adds an earthy bite to the soup.
- Sherry vinegar – For some zip! Cider vinegar also works.
- Coarse salt – To enhance the other flavors.
- Extra virgin olive oil – For richness and moisture. Be sure to use a good quality oil for the best flavor.
- Garnishes – I like to add chives, thinly sliced green grapes, and/or thinly sliced cucumbers before serving.
How To Make Cold Cucumber Soup
This soup comes together quickly and easily. Just leave plenty of time for it to chill.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Soak. Add the bread, cashews, and broth to a high-powered blender. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Puree. Add the cucumbers, grapes, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Puree for about a minute, until mostly smooth. Keep the blender on and drizzle in the olive oil until smooth.
- Adjust seasoning. Give the cucumber soup a taste. Add seasoning as needed.
- Chill. Transfer the soup to a container, cover, and chill in the fridge for an hour before serving.
Tips for Success
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making this cold cucumber soup.
- Remove the crust & skin. You’ll want to remove the crust from your stale bread and peel the cucumbers to ensure you have a smooth, creamy texture.
- Use a high-powered blender. Since the cashews are being blended, you’ll need a good blender for this soup. Otherwise, you may not get the smooth texture.
- Chill before serving. Even though we’re using cold ingredients, you will still want to chill the soup before serving. This gives the flavors time to really meld and makes it the most refreshing.
Serving Suggestions
As you can tell from the title, this soup is best enjoyed cold. Keep it chilled until serving. After I transfer it to bowls, I like to drizzle the top with additional olive oil and then add chives, sliced grapes, and/or sliced cucumbers as a garnish. Sliced radishes are also a great topper.
Cold cucumber soup makes an excellent light lunch or dinner in the summer months. It pairs well with grilled chicken, steak, fish, or even stir fry. You could also serve it with a fresh salad, such as panzanella, wedge salad, shrimp Louie salad, or a garden salad, for a classic soup & salad combo.
Proper Storage
Cold cucumber soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Just give it a gentle stir before serving. I don’t recommend freezing this soup.
More Summer Soups To Try
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Cold Cucumber Soup
Ingredients
- 12 slices stale Italian bread, , crusts removed, torn into small pieces
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 2 cups cold low-sodium vegetable broth, (see note)
- 3 small Persian cucumbers, , peeled and chopped (or 1 large English cucumber)
- 1 & 1/2 cups seedless green grapes
- 2 cloves garlic, , peeled
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, (or cider vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, , plus more for drizzling
- fresh chives, thinly sliced green grapes, and/or thinly sliced cucumbers (unpeeled), , for garnish
Instructions
- Put bread, cashews, and vegetable broth in a high-powered blender and let stand 5 minutes.
- Add chopped cucumbers, grapes, garlic, vinegar, and salt to blender; purée until mostly smooth, about 1 minute. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil; purée until smooth, about 30 seconds more.
- Turn off the motor and give it a taste. Adjust seasoning, if preferred.
- Chill, covered, about 1 hour.
- Serve soup drizzled with additional olive oil and garnished with chives, sliced grapes, and/or sliced cucumbers.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
HI Amy, I don’t have any Italian bread on hand, do you think that homemade sourdough would be awful?
It wouldn’t be my preference, because it will change the flavor, but it will still be fine.