Cold Cucumber Basil Soup is one of my favorite cold soup recipes. It's a delicious vegan soup for a summer lunch or dinner -- the cool, refreshing cucumber with the aromatic, fresh basil is a lovely combination. 
Cold soups can be just as wonderful and comforting as those that are hot.
This Cold Cucumber Soup with Basil is absolutely lovely on a warm summer day. The flavors are refreshing, mild and of course, super delicious.
Ingredients for Cold Cucumber Basil Soup
- cucumber
- basil
- lemon juice
- water
- onion
- garlic
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, sugar
How to Make it
- Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half horizontally and then lengthwise. Starting at one end, hold a spoon, round side up, and gently scrape downwards, to remove the seeds. Chop them roughly and add them to a blender.
- Add the water, lemon juice, garlic, onion, basil leaves, salt, sugar and a few turns of black pepper to the cucumbers in the blender, and blend until smooth.
- Add the olive oil and stir. Then season with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate the soup for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- A powerful blender is my favorite way to purée this soup to a beautiful, smooth texture. I love this one. A food processor with the blade attachment is my second choice.
- A touch of subtle coconut flavor is always lovely in a vegan soup. You can use coconut water instead of regular water to see what you think.
- Lime is also delicious with the cucumber if you prefer it to lemon.
- This soup is best when it's chilled for at least an hour before serving, but it's even better the next day (if you can wait that long).
- Dill and cucumber are always a beautiful blend as well, so it might be fun to switch out the basil for it to see how you like it -- or just to mix things up if you make it often.
Serving Suggestions
A few delicious ideas . . .
- Fried Meyer lemon Caesar Salad
- Chopped Chicken Apple Salad
- Peach Basil Grilled Chicken
- Olive Oil Poached Salmon
Can you make it ahead?
- Yes! In fact, it's best if you can make it the day before you want to serve it. The flavors develop even more this way.
- You can make it up to two days ahead, keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Below is one of my all time favorites using this combination, and one of the most popular recipes on Cooking On The Weekends: Cucumber Dill Canapés.
Enjoy every last spoonful of this delectable Cold Cucumber Basil Soup!
More cold soup recipes:
Cold Cucumber Basil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cucumber (about 3 large cucumbers)
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 small-medium garlic clove (about 1 teaspoon), peeled, root removed
- ¼ cup roughly chopped yellow onion,
- 2¼ cups loosely packed, fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ teaspoons sugar
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half horizontally and then lengthwise. Starting at one end, hold a spoon, round side up, and gently scrape downwards, to remove the seeds. Chop the cucumbers into several large chunks and place them in a powerful blender or a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
- Blend all of the ingredients. Add the water, lemon juice, garlic, onion, basil leaves, salt, sugar and a few turns of black pepper. Blend until you have a smooth mixture and then pour the soup into a large bowl.
- Finish the soup with olive oil. Add the olive oil and stir to blend.
- Adjust the seasonings. Add more salt, pepper and sugar to taste if necessary. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
- Chill the soup. Refrigerate the soup for at least an hour before serving. If you have the time, refrigerating it overnight is even better.
Notes
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Aimee
This looks so refreshingly delicious. I'm looking forward to trying it and I hope my blender or food processor is up to the task.
valentina
Thanks, Aimée. Hope you try it!
sippitysup
I'm secretly (well, sort of secretly) thinking I need a new gadget. GREG
valentina
This blender is pretty cool, Greg. Just sayin.' 🙂
David
Isn't fresh basil season the best? This soup sounds great and will get me out of my cucumber-dill phase! 🙂
Aimee
Made this tonight. Delicious, cool and refreshing - exactly what I was hoping for. And VERY easy to make in a food processor. Thank you!
valentina
Aimée, that's so awesome! I love it! XO
Colette @ JFF!
What a great idea! This would be a wonderful summer side for
lots of things, actually. I was thinking about your salmon-basil burgers just now.
Polly
This looks so good! I can't wait to try this weekend when away with family.
valentina
Thanks so much, Polly! Hope you loved it! 🙂
Myoriah
This sounds delicious but since I have an avocado I need to use I'll throw that into the blender also. I love quick recipes like this it gives me more time to craft. 😉
joan
Best, most refreshing soup ever - someone had it in little cups before a meal. yummy (and I will make it in my Blentec)
valentina
Thanks so much, Joan! Lucky you have a Blendtec! 😀
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Such a refreshing, tasty soup, perfect on a hot summer day! Love the pretty hue too 🙂 Hope you're having a great week, Valentina!
valentina
Thank you, Dawn. Hope you're having a lovely week as well. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
This looks terrific! I've made something pretty similar in the past, but that was ages ago. I had forgotten how good this combo of flavors could be. We have tons of basil in our garden at the moment, and cucumbers are easy to add to the grocery list. 🙂 Thanks!
valentina
Thanks, John. So great to have an abundance of basil in your garden. Love it. Enjoy and have a great week. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kim Lange
Looks so fresh and tasty! I'd love a big bowl!
valentina
Thanks, Kim! Hope you love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
We do enjoy cold soups around here, although we don't make 'em that often. I love this flavor profile, though, and we just so happen to have a bunch of cukes and fresh basil right now. I think combining them together in this soup is just the answer! Plus, it's super healthy...that means I get an extra bowl of ice cream, right? 🙂
valentina
Thank you, David. So awesome you have such a plentiful summer garden. Must be fun to "shop" in your own backyard! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
We are in the middle of another heat wave here ( again ) so this is such a lovely refreshing week dinner to serve with some grissini ! 🙂
valentina
It's so hot here too. I really shouldn't complain because I live near enough to the ocean that we catch a bit of a breeze. Thanks for your comment, enjoy and stay cool! 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
Cucumber is always so refreshing. I think I might really love this soup with lime. Or lemon. Or dill. I guess I'll have to try them all!
valentina
Thanks! Both lemon and lime are great -- and of course dill too. Enjoy however you make it. Have a great weekend, Jeff! 🙂 ~Valentina
Lauren - BasicGinger
It just hit triple digit temperatures outside my house, and the thought of cooking is so disheartening. A refreshing cold soup like this sounds perfect! Adding to the menu for tonight!
valentina
Thanks for your note. Fantastic that you're trying this. I hope you love it, and I hope it cools you down a bit. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Oddly I am not a huge hot soup person but truly relish cold soups as a first course ! Have made plenty of cucumber ones but never used basil in such proportion . . . as soon as it is available or my pots decide it is warm enough for it to grow . . . U'll be trying !!!
valentina
Thank you, Eha. I hope you love it. I do love a lot of basil. 😉 ~Valentina
CHUCK
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS SOUP?
valentina
Hi Chuck, Yes, you can freeze this -- but, it will loose some its moisture as the cucumbers have a very high water content. All that is to say it might not be quite as delicious as eating it the same day its made, but it will still be good. 😉 Be sure it's wrapped tightly so no air gets in, and I wouldn't free it more than three weeks. Cheers! 🙂 ~Valentina