Soup
How to Make Gazpacho (Classic Spanish Cold Tomato Soup)
Classic Andalusian gazpacho: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil and sherry vinegar blended smooth and chilled. No cooking needed.
By the Forkful editorial team · Published
Quick answer
Blend 2.2 lb (1 kg) ripe tomatoes, 1 green pepper, 1 cucumber, 2 garlic cloves, 2 oz (50 g) day-old bread, 3½ tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, 1 cup cold water and 1 tsp salt until smooth. Strain, then chill for at least 2 hours and serve very cold.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 2 h 15 min
- Makes
- 6 servings
Total time includes 2 h of hands-off waiting (resting, rising, chilling or cooling).
Gazpacho is Spain's famous cold tomato soup, born in Andalusia, and people search for it as soon as the weather turns hot. There is no cooking at all: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and garlic are blended with olive oil, sherry vinegar and a little stale bread, then chilled until very cold.
The soup is only as good as its tomatoes, so use the ripest, most fragrant ones you can find. The bread gives body, the oil makes it silky and the vinegar keeps it bright. Straining gives the smooth texture you get in Spanish bars, and chilling for a couple of hours lets the flavours come together.
Ingredients
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- 2 ¼ lb ripe tomatoes, such as plum or vine (1 kg)
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 oz day-old rustic bread, crust removed (50 g)
- 3 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil (50 ml)
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar (30 ml)
- 1 cup cold water (250 ml), plus more to thin
- 1 tsp fine salt (5 g), to taste
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables. Chop the tomatoes, pepper and peeled cucumber into chunks and tear the bread into pieces. Peel the garlic.
- Put everything in a blender with the oil, vinegar, water and salt and blend for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth.
- Pass the soup through a fine sieve, pressing with a ladle, to remove skins and seeds. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar and thickness with a little cold water.
- Chill for at least 2 hours (it keeps well overnight) and serve very cold, without ice so it does not water down. Top with diced tomato, cucumber and pepper, or croutons.
Tips for the best result
- 1Ripe, in-season tomatoes matter most. If they taste bland, add a pinch more salt and a splash of vinegar at the end.
- 2Start with 1 garlic clove if it is large or your garlic is strong; raw garlic gets more pungent as the soup sits.
- 3Blend long and strain for a silky result, then pour in the oil slowly while blending so it emulsifies into the soup.
- 4Taste after chilling: cold food needs a little more salt than you think.
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered jar or bottle for up to 2 days and shake or stir before serving. It also freezes, though the texture is a little thinner after thawing.
Frequently asked questions
Do you peel the tomatoes for gazpacho?
No. If the soup is blended well and strained through a fine sieve, the skins and seeds stay behind and you get a smooth texture.
Why add bread to gazpacho?
A little day-old bread gives the soup body and helps the oil blend smoothly into it. Leave it out for a thinner, gluten-free version.
How long should gazpacho chill?
At least 2 hours so the flavours blend and it is properly cold. It tastes even better after a night in the fridge.
