This refreshing gluten-free gazpacho is an ideal antidote to the heat of summer

Gazpacho is the perfect late summer recipe to help you feel both healthy and refreshed. If you’re unfamiliar with gazpacho, think of it as a “cold soup” or savory smoothie. If you love soup and have missed it during the steamy summer months, gazpacho is your friend! This is a classic dish from southern Spain, originating from Andalusia. It’s popular in Spanish and Portuguese cuisine as an antidote to the heat of summer. Typically blended, gazpacho is an excellent dish if you want to pack a nutritional punch. As with many soups, it’s an excellent food for meal prep: you can make a large amount and serve it alongside other dishes throughout the week, pairing it with summer greens and a protein for a complete meal. There are many gluten free gazpacho recipes that are easy to make and perfect for the season.

Many modern-day gazpacho recipes are also gluten and dairy-free, making it friendly for those with dietary restrictions. As with many recipes that originate in the Mediterranean, it’s incredibly healthy and tastes best when prepared with fresh, ripe ingredients. It has ancient origins, which involved pounding the vegetables with a mortar and pestle. Luckily, we live in an era where food processors and blenders do this work for us, which makes gazpacho rather easy to prepare, as well. 

Today we’re sharing two gazpacho recipes to try on your own. Both make the most of in-season summer fruits and veggies – enjoy them while you still can! We highly recommend a trip to Rebecca’s to purchase these ingredients at their peak freshness, from local and organic providers, when possible. The first recipe is via Cilantro and Citronella, the second via The Spruce Eats. Enjoy!

Refreshing Watermelon Gazpacho via Cilantro and Citronella

Ingredients

  • 600 grams (21 oz) ripe juicy tomatoes (about 3 large)
  • 600 grams (21 oz) watermelon (weight after removing the rind, mine was seedless)
  • ½ a sweet red apple, remove core and seeds
  • ½ a medium cucumber, peeled
  • ½ a medium green pepper (In Spain we use cubanelle / Italian frying peppers but you can sub a green bell), seeds removed
  • 1/8 of a medium white onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 teaspoons sherry vinegar (can sub red or white wine vinegar), plus more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Optional garnishes: diced cucumber, diced watermelon, mint, micro greens, olive oil, croutons, etc.

Instructions

Remove the core from the tomatoes and roughly chop them. Also roughly chop the watermelon and apple. Add them all to a blender and liquefy. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to remove the seeds and pulp.

Now roughly chop the cucumber, green pepper, onion and garlic and toss them into the blender. Add a couple ladles of the tomato-watermelon mixture if necessary to get the blender going. Blend until smooth then return the remaining tomato-watermelon mixture to the blender.

Add the vinegar and salt and then, with the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Leave the blender running for 2 – 3 minutes to emulsify the oil.

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours until chilled. Now this is important: taste it and add more vinegar or salt if you think it’s necessary. The flavors can sometimes mellow a bit as it chills.

Serve plain or with your favorite garnishes.

Gluten and Dairy-Free Tomato-Based Gazpacho via The Spruce Eats

Ingredients

  • 6 large ripe red tomatoes (cored)
  • 1 cup tomato juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small sweet onion (diced)
  • 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
  • 1 large bell pepper (seeded, diced; red, orange or yellow)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely minced)
  • 1 English cucumber (diced)
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • Dash salt (or to taste)
  • Dash freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1/4 bunch cilantro (chopped)

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife and add the tomatoes to the boiling water for just 20 seconds. Carefully remove the tomatoes with a strainer or slotted spoon and put them in a bowl of ice-cold water. When cool, peel off the skin, cut in half, and squeeze out the seeds.

Add the tomato halves to a blender, with the tomato juice, and olive oil. Pulse on and off, until the tomatoes are pureed. Add a little water if needed to thin. Pour into a large glass bowl or other glass serving container. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well, cover, and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour to develop flavors.

Ladle into chilled bowls and serve with cilantro. Top with extra pieces of the vegetables to garnish, if desired.

Tip: For a colorful presentation, dice some extra vegetables to top this delicious cold soup before serving.

If you try one of these recipes, please add a comment below and let us know how it turned out!