Cold Cucumber Basil Soup

Name: Chilled Cucumber-Basil Soup Recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 85 min
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 yellow onion, (roughly chopped); 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

August 18, 2020 By valentina 27 Comments

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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 Basil Soup is absolutely lovely on a warm summer day. The flavors are refreshing, mild and of course, super delicious.

What’s in this recipe?

cucumber
basil
lemon juice
water
onion
garlic
olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar

What to Serve With it

A few delicious ideas . . .

When we think of cold soups, we often think of Gazpacho. Gazpacho is the name for chilled soups, made of raw, blended vegetables — usually including tomato.

The name and the soup are Spanish. You could say this Cold Cucumber Basil Soup is a modern version of it, but it’s not at all authentic.

More about Gazpacho is here.

Can you make cold cucumber soups 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.

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. 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 fantastic cold soup recipes:

Cold Cucumber Soup with a slice of lemon in orange bowl with white rim

Chilled Cucumber-Basil Soup Recipe

Valentina K. Wein

Chilled Cucumber Basil Soup is one of my favorite cold soup recipes. It's a delicious vegan dish for a summer lunch or dinner -- the cool, refreshing cucumber with the aromatic, fresh basil is a lovely combination.

*This recipe serves four as an appetizer -- if you're serving it as a main course, double the recipe.

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 25 mins

Refrigeration 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 160 kcal

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 yellow onion, roughly chopped
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

Calorie count is an estimate only.

Keywords soups for summer, cold soups, chilled soups

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