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. In addition to this refreshing cucumber soup, avocado gazpacho and summer tomato gazpacho are always in rotation at my house when the weather is warm.
Cold Cucumber Soup with Basil is absolutely lovely on a warm summer day. The flavors are refreshing, mild and of course, super delicious.
And this recipe is super quick and easy to throw together in a blender and serve! During my catering days, I used to serve it as a passed appetizer in tiny cups. Guests would drink them. Cute and delicious!
Ingredient Information
- cucumber - I use English cucumbers (also called Hot House or European). They are skinnier, longer, have fewer seeds, and thinner skin than regular cucumbers. However, use your favorite variety of cucumber, including Mini/Persian cucumbers.
- basil - For this recipe do not try to use dried basil. It's all about fresh basil and the recipe calls for a generous amount. Choose bunches of basil that are perky and a deep green color.
- lemon juice - I always use Meyer lemons over regular lemons when given the option. Meyer lemons are a touch less tart and a touch sweeter. And with a thinner skin and fewer seeds, they are incredibly juicy.
- extra virgin olive oil - Use one you love the flavor of. This is especially important in cold soups since the flavor is stronger when it's not being cooked.
How to Make Chilled Cucumber Soup with Basil
- 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.
- Roughly chop the cucumbers and add them to a blender with the water, lemon juice, garlic, onion, basil leaves, salt, sugar and a few turns of black pepper. Blend until smooth.
Recipe Tip: 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.
- Pour in the olive oil, stir, season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate the soup for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe Tip: This soup is great after chilling for an hour, but it's even better the next day (if you can wait that long).
Serving Suggestions
This cold cucumber soup is fantastic served with salads, and I particularly love it with salmon dishes. Below are a few delicious ideas.
- Fried Meyer lemon Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Peach Caprese Salad
- Salmon Burgers - with Fresh Salmon
- Olive Oil Poached Salmon
Variations
- 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.
- 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.
Making it Ahead
- It's actually best if you can make this soup 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.
Enjoy every last spoonful of this delectable Cold Cucumber Basil Soup!
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
NUTRITION
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valentina
This blender is pretty cool, Greg. Just sayin.' 🙂
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
2pots2cook
We are in the middle of another heat wave here ( again ) so this is such a lovely refreshing week dinner 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
It just hit triple digit temperatures outside my house, and the thought of cooking is so disheartening. This refreshing soup was perfect!
valentina
Thanks for your note. So happy you tried this. Glad it cooled 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
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
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! 😀
speedy70
Ottima questa zupetta fredda, la copio subito, grazie!!!
Valentina
Grazie! Spero che ti piaccia! 🙂 ~Valentina