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This is hands down my favorite gazpacho recipe! The secret is lightly roasting the tomatoes with onions and garlic, which adds incredible flavor!
Gazpacho, a chilled soup (sometimes called a salad in Spanish cookbooks) from Andalusia, Spain, is traditionally made with tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cucumber, and often thickened with bread. While authentic gazpacho recipes rely on raw ingredients, our version takes a slightly different approach.
We developed this with Chef Richard and discovered that lightly roasting the tomatoes, onions, and garlic enhances the tomato flavor and softens the bite of the raw aromatics. The result is a seriously delicious, refreshing gazpacho that still feels true to its roots.
Key Ingredients
- Tomatoes: For the best gazpacho, I use ripe, juicy tomatoes. Summertime is ideal for finding them, but if you’re craving gazpacho out of season, don’t worry! While fresh garden-grown tomatoes usually have way more flavor, since this recipe roasts the tomatoes before blending, store-bought tomatoes work fine.
- Bell Pepper: I add one roasted red bell pepper to the blender. You can buy jarred roasted peppers or roast your own (I’ve included instructions in the recipe).
- Onion and Garlic: Roasting the tomatoes with olive oil, onion, and garlic mellows their flavors, making the soup extra delicious.
- Croutons: Authentic Spanish gazpacho often includes bread blended into the soup for creaminess and thickness. Rustic bread works well, but try my garlic croutons for extra flavor! They’re made with garlic, shallot, and herbs and are also amazing on top of the soup for a nice crunch.
- Sherry Vinegar: This aged vinegar is traditionally used in Spanish gazpacho (called Vinagre de Jerez in Spain). I love it as an all-purpose vinegar for salad dressings, too.
- Cucumber: Another classic gazpacho ingredient, I peel and use seedless cucumbers. If your cucumber has seeds, remove them before blending.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make My Favorite Gazpacho
Tip 1: Prepare the tomatoes. While it’s not 100% necessary, when I make gazpacho, I peel and remove the cores of my tomatoes. After making this recipe a few times, I’ve found that it improves the soup’s texture (especially if you don’t have a high-powered blender).
To peel them easily, score a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato, boil for 30 seconds, then transfer to an ice bath. The skins will slip right off.
Tip 2: Lightly roast the vegetables. Roast the tomatoes, garlic, and onion for about 20 minutes to deepen their flavors and mellow any sharp edges. Sometimes, raw gazpacho is slightly overpowering, so roasting tones things down a bit. While the oven’s on, roast a red bell pepper next to the tomatoes, as it softens and peels easily once cooled.
Tip 3: Blend until smooth (or not!). Add the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pepper to your blender. Then, toss a peeled cucumber and a few croutons, which have been soaked briefly in water and vinegar to soften. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until smooth, or leave it slightly chunky if you prefer more texture.
Tip 4: Chill before serving. Gazpacho tastes best after it chills for a few hours (or overnight) to let the flavors bloom. I make it the day before and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. To serve, add it to a bowl or glass (yep, you can drink it, too). Then, top with some chopped cucumber, tomato, and more croutons.
More Tomato Soup Recipes
The Best Gazpacho
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This tomato gazpacho recipe is unbelievably delicious! We peel our tomatoes. It’s easy and develops a much better texture (especially if you don’t have a high-powered blender). It’s not 100% necessary, but after making quite a few batches of this soup, we’ve noticed that those made with peeled tomatoes have a much more pleasant texture.
We use this recipe for garlic croutons. If you do not want to make your own, you can substitute store-bought croutons or cubed rustic bread.
Makes 6 cups
You Will Need
2 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes, 6 to 7 medium tomatoes (1130g)
1 red bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Quarter of a large onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
½ cup garlic croutons, use garlic croutons recipe, or substitute cubed rustic bread
¼ cup water (60ml)
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Prep: Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Set aside a wide baking dish as well as a small baking sheet.
2Roast the bell pepper: Rub the pepper with a bit of olive oil, then place it on the small baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the skin looks wrinkly and you see dark spots. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, remove the stem and seeds, and discard them.
3Prep the tomatoes (optional, but recommended): While the pepper roasts, fill a large bowl with ice water to make an ice bath. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut a shallow “X” into the bottom of each tomato, then carefully submerge them in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to the ice bath to cool. Once cooled, peel away the skins.
4Core and roast tomatoes: Remove the tomato cores and slice each tomato in half. Place them into the large baking dish (it’s okay if they touch). Scatter the smashed garlic cloves and sliced onion around the tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and finish with a few twists of black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.
5Soak the croutons: In a small bowl, combine the croutons with water and vinegar. Set aside until the croutons absorb all the liquid and look soggy.
6Blend: Transfer the roasted tomato mixture (including onions, garlic, and juices) to a blender. Add the roasted pepper, soaked croutons, cucumber, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Blend on high until smooth or to your preferred texture. Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper, or vinegar as needed.
7Chill before serving: Gazpacho tastes best when chilled. If you can, refrigerate for a few hours, if not overnight, to let the flavors bloom. Serve cold, drizzled with olive oil and topped with chopped cucumber, tomato, and more croutons.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: Homemade gazpacho keeps up to 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (the texture may thin a bit, so consider re-blending it briefly before serving).
- Gluten-free / bread-free: Croutons and bread add a silkiness and thickness to the soup, but you can leave them out and still make excellent gazpacho.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe (1 1/2 cups)
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Calories
218
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Total Fat
11.6g
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Saturated Fat
1.7g
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Cholesterol
0mg
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Sodium
560.6mg
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Carbohydrate
26.7g
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Dietary Fiber
5.2g
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Total Sugars
10.9g
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Protein
5.5g
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