This tomato gazpacho recipe is definitely a favorite! This Spanish-style cold soup is incredibly flavorful and refreshing. It is made with tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar. We love it!
Related: This incredible summery panzanella salad uses summer tomatoes and the same croutons as we use in this gazpacho soup.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho, from Andalusia, Spain, is a chilled soup (sometimes called a salad in Spanish cookbooks) traditionally made with tomatoes, garlic, onion, and cucumber. Often thickened with bread, Gazpacho is delicious and highlights the abundance of summer produce.
We like to add our own twist to gazpacho soup. While authentic gazpacho recipes often use raw ingredients, we prefer lightly roasting the tomatoes with onions and garlic. This makes the tomato flavor more rich and tones the raw bite of the garlic and onion. Instead of using bread, we use homemade croutons to thicken the soup. Our croutons are made with garlic, shallot, and herbs, which add a lot of flavor. They are also excellent served on top and add a nice crunch.
Before sharing our delicious gazpacho recipe (below), here are some helpful tips for making the best gazpacho at home.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Gazpacho
For the best results, begin with ripe and juicy tomatoes, which offer the most flavor. If it’s summertime, finding these types of tomatoes should be easy. However, if you’re craving homemade gazpacho outside of the summer months, don’t worry. This recipe involves briefly roasting the tomatoes before blending, so you can still use out-of-season tomatoes found in grocery stores throughout the year.
Peeling the tomatoes and removing the core make a big difference in the soup’s texture. To peel them, you only need to make a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato and then boil them for 30 seconds. After that, simply place them in an ice bath, and the peels will come off quickly. It sounds like a hassle, but it’s not that bad.
Roast the tomatoes alongside a bunch of garlic and onion. They are only in the oven for 20 minutes, but this roasting time helps to deepen their flavors and takes a bit of the bite away from the garlic and onion. Sometimes, I find raw gazpacho to be slightly overpowering, so roasting tones things down a bit.
While the oven’s hot, throw in a red bell pepper. Roasting softens the pepper and makes it easy to remove its peel. We roast peppers to make our red pepper hummus and love the results. It’s an easy process and makes a big difference in the soup. For a spicy soup, try roasting a jalapeño like we do for this older gazpacho recipe.
Now everything is roasted, we can blend the soup. Throw the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and roasted pepper into a blender. Then follow up with peeled and sliced cucumber and some croutons that have sat in a mixture of water and vinegar to soften. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until your desired consistency.
Tomato gazpacho, like many cold soups, is best when chilled for a few hours in the fridge to let the flavors bloom. I typically make gazpacho a day before and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
To serve, add to a bowl or glass (yep, you can drink it, too). Then top with some chopped cucumber, tomato, and more croutons.
Our Best Tomato Gazpacho
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This tomato gazpacho recipe is definitely a favorite! This Spanish-style cold soup is incredibly flavorful and refreshing. It is made with tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar. While authentic gazpacho recipes often use raw ingredients, we prefer lightly roasting tomatoes with onions and garlic. This makes the tomato flavor more rich and tones the raw bite of the garlic and onion. We also take the extra step to peel our tomatoes. It’s easy and develops a much better texture in the end. 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, use store-bought croutons or cubed rustic bread as a substitute.
You Will Need
2 ½ pounds (1133 grams) ripe tomatoes, 6 to 7 medium tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Quarter of a large onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 cup garlic croutons, see recipe here, or substitute cubed rustic bread
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
- Prepare Vegetables
1Heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit (204°C). Set aside a wide baking dish as well as a small baking sheet.
2Rub the bell pepper with a bit of olive oil, then place onto the small baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pepper skin looks wrinkly and you see dark spots. Remove from the oven. When the pepper has cooled enough to handle, pinch the skin and peel it away. Slice open the pepper, scrape the stem and seeds, and discard.
3While the pepper roasts, peel tomatoes (optional, but enhances the texture of the soup, see notes above). Fill a large bowl with water and ice to make an ice bath. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut a shallow “X” into the bottom of each tomato. Carefully submerge the tomatoes into the boiling water and leave them for 30 seconds. Transfer to the ice bath. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to do this in two batches. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel away the skins.
4Remove the core and slice each tomato in half, and then place into the large baking dish — it is okay if they are touching.
5Scatter the smashed garlic cloves and sliced onion around the tomatoes. Drizzle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and finish with a few twists of black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.
- Blend Soup
1In a small bowl, combine the croutons with water and vinegar. Set aside until the croutons absorb all the liquid and look soggy.
2In a blender, add the tomato mixture with all of the onions, garlic, and juices in the dish. Then top with the bell pepper, crouton mixture, cucumber, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Blend on high until your desired consistency. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, or vinegar.
3Gazpacho tastes best when chilled. If you can, refrigerate for a few hours, if not overnight, to let the flavors bloom.
4Serve drizzled with olive oil and chopped cucumber, tomato, and more croutons on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- 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.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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