Cold Cucumber Soup

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!

Prep Time15

Chill Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cold cucumber soup, cucumber soup, cucumber soup recipe

Servings: people

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

Use low sodium chicken broth instead. This cucumber soup is 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 don't need this to be vegetarian, though, you can use chicken broth. Note that the flavor won't be as robust.

Nutrition