A smooth and flavorful no-cook, chilled tomato soup made from both fresh and sundried tomatoes for a refreshingly different way to beat the heat.
It’s rather fortunate isn’t it that at the very moment when it seems too unbearably hot to even contemplate turning on the oven there’s a plethora of ripe fruit and vegetables to choose from at the market.
Chopped vegetable salads and fruit for dessert becomes the norm around as I try to minimize my time in front of a hot oven or stove. Soup has been on the menu as well; this no-cook chilled tomato soup that is. Similar to gazpacho, it’s the kind of summer soup that whips up in minutes and can stay in the fridge ready to be sipped or spooned at a moment’s notice.
Cold soups are excellent multi-taskers; they make an elegant appetizer served in small glasses, a refreshing first course served with a few grissini alongside, or a casual lunch with a hearty salad to accompany it.
Light with a velvety texture, this cold tomato soup hits all the right notes when the heat is doing its best to drive you from the kitchen. It’s satisfyingly rich thanks to the addition of cashews which gives the soup its creamy texture without a drop of dairy, while simultaneously light enough to feel refreshing.
How to make a cold tomato soup:
Aside from a little chopping and seeding, this soup is a straightforward affair with just minutes of work and no stove in sight. What a relief.
- Carrots are the secret to this soup; they round-out the acidity of the raw tomatoes eliminating the need for any added sugar. Carrots and cashews are blended until smooth then passed through a fine-mesh sieve to create the base of the soup.
- To that fresh peeled and seeded tomatoes are added along with a few sun-dried ones. The intense concentrated taste of sun-dried tomatoes pairs nicely with the more lively fresh tomatoes and adds an extra layer of flavor that keeps the soup from being one-dimensional as some tomato soups are prone to be.
- A bit of olive oil and a pinch of paprika and cayenne pepper also amps up the flavors and add a welcome kick. The result is a brightly hued velvety soup that’s best served chilled on the hottest of summer days.
- Serve with grissini on the side for dipping.
(full recipe instructions below)
More cold soup recipes:
Cold Vegan Tomato Soup
A smooth and flavorful no-cook chilled vegan tomato soup made from both fresh and sundried tomatoes for a refreshingly different way to beat the heat.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup/30g raw cashews (soaked in water for at least 3 hours or overnight)
- 3 small peeled and chopped (or grated if you don’t have a high speed blender) carrots
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ⅛th teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1 ½ cups/360ml filtered water
- 3 medium vine or heirloom tomatoes (about 1 lb)
- 3 olive oil packed sundried tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Drain soaked cashews and place in a blender along with the grated carrots, spices, garlic and water. Blend
on high until very smooth and creamy. (Actual time will vary depending on the strength of your blender). Strain
mixture through a fine mesh sieve pressing on solids to extract liquid. (If you have a high-speed blender you can skip straining step.) Pour liquid back into blender and set aside. - Cut an x on the bottom of the tomatoes. Fill a large bowl with ice water, set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully lower the tomatoes into the boiling water. Remove them after 20 seconds and place them into the bowl of ice water. - Once the tomatoes have cooled, peel the skins from the tomatoes, slice them in half and remove the seeds. Coarsely chop both the peeled and sun-dried tomatoes and add to reserved liquid in blender along with olive oil. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Chill until cold (about 2 hours) to allow flavors to blend.
Taste and season with additional salt or pepper as necessary if desired. Divide soup among small glasses and serve chilled.
Notes
Start by soaking your cashews ahead of time.
For a fully raw recipe, skip the blanching of the tomatoes and simply cut an x and peel with a knife.
Serve with grissini on the side if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 297mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Darya says
Hello! I made this chilled soup yesterday (I used macadamia nuts as I didn't have Brazil nuts) and it was a big success. We all loved it! I'll be making it again in the future!
Sylvie says
Wonderful, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
martha says
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. I made it tonight for dinner. I had many huge and delicious tomatoes and it looked so good. The only problem was, the brazil nut supply had been discovered and eaten, so I used 15 pistachio nuts instead.
It was excellent. I am certain to make this again. I am going to try some of your other recipes. i didn't even wait the two hours in the refrigerator part, about 30 minutes I guess. It was wonderful.
Thanks so much,
Best,
Martha
Sylvie says
I'm really happy to hear that you liked it and were able to find a great substitute for the Brazil nuts!
Carolyn says
Cold soups are so refreshing. I know I'd love this one.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
Love that this is vegan! Looks so satisfying and refreshing!
Sarah @ SimplyScrumptiousBySarah says
mmmm this looks so good! What a great idea for a hot summer day!
Heather Williams says
This looks so good ! I definitely have to try this, thanks!:):)
Bonnie K. says
I love fresh tomato soup.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Such a pretty and velvety soup!
najwa kronfel says
That looks really creamy and what a gorgeous color too!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
I love a cold summer soup and this looks perfect, Sylvie! Lovely recipe and photos!