A refreshing Watermelon Gazpacho Recipe perfect for hot summer days and nights. This chilled soup is so darn good, you’ll make it several times a week!
Want more summery faves? Try my Greek Chickpea Salad, or my White Bean Salad, too!
Step-by-step photos and instructions are below!
This gazpacho recipe is the perfect way to travel without leaving home! Take a trip to Spain and make this!
Just because we don’t live in Europe, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy foods from around the world. Especially if they taste as amazing as this does!
Cold Summer Soup
While this is a simple recipe, it does have a lot of fresh ingredients, but it’s the perfect way to use up fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator. Since it keeps well in the fridge you could make a double batch and save for later in the week as well.
Make this a few hours before serving, as you’ll want it to chill for at least a few hours (you AND the Gazpacho).
How does it taste?
This is a perfect appetizer. Even though this gazpacho’s main ingredient is juicy watermelon, it is not a sweet soup. It takes on a tomato tone and savory flavors but has a greater balance of flavor because of the addition of watermelon.
Check out this delicious sweet Watermelon Feta Salad for another yummy way to serve watermelon this summer!
What you’ll find in this post:
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho is a chilled Spanish soup made from raw vegetables (and in this case, fresh watermelon) including juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumber and red onion.
It is a refreshing chilled soup that is blended and served cold. It originated in Spain in the Andalucía Region.
Interestingly enough, original recipes often included a slice of bread and tomatoes, which were ground into a paste using mortar and pestle. Apparently, doing it that way actually reduces the foam that you get when you use an immersion blender or food processor!
Here at the Kylee Cooks household, we are a bit lazy. So, blender it is!
Is this an “authentic” recipe? No, of course not. While I HAVE been to Spain, and had many many different Spanish recipes, this is very much an Americanized recipe that we enjoy here in Phoenix.
Since we have very hot weather (much like it is in Andalucía, Spain), it makes sense that the food from that region really hits the spot! If you’d like a more traditional gazpacho recipe, check out this one from Spanish Sabores.
How to serve Gazpacho with Watermelon
Serve it in large shooters, or in glasses as a drinkable cold soup.
You can also obviously serve it in a large bowl like a regular soup, it it entirely up to you
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gazpacho Soup healthy?
Absolutely. With all the fresh herbs and raw vegetables and fruit involved, this is a very nutrient dense soup full of vitamins and minerals.
Why is Gazpacho served cold?
It goes back to where it originated. It’s served cold to cool a person down after a hot day.
What is the difference between soup and gazpacho?
The big difference is that gazpacho is not just eaten cold, it’s never heated in the first place: it’s basically just a puree of raw vegetables.
Is this a soup? Is this a drink?
Actually, it’s technically neither. It’s classified as a salad that you drink in most traditional Spanish recipe books!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Great to make ahead.
- Perfect as an appetizer, or to pass around at a cocktail party.
- These ingredients are easy to find at your grocery store any time of year.
I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.
Watermelon Gazpacho Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Diced watermelon. Dice this into cubes up so it fits in the blender easily.
- Cucumber. You don’t have to peel the cucumbers, but you can if you wish.
- Tomato. I use one large or two medium, ripe tomatoes. You can also use a handful of cherry tomatoes if that is what you have on hand.
- Red onion. Dice this up.
- Bell pepper. I use a red one, but yellow or orange can be used.
- Lemon juice, white wine vinegar. These add acidity to balance the sweetness of the watermelon.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. This adds flavor to the gazpacho.
- Fresh mint leaves and fresh cilantro. A handful of fresh herbs brightens and cools.
- Hot sauce. Dial this up or down depending on your tastes. You could also add a small amount of diced jalapeño instead.
- Prepared Chili Powder. This does not mean pure ground chilies, it means a blend of spices. Make your own Chili Powder, or grab it from the store.
- Dried Basil. You could use fresh basil if you prefer.
- Feta Cheese. Totally optional, but adds the a little saltiness, to create the perfect balance.
How to make Watermelon Gazpacho
Scroll for Recipe
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Get prepped
Remove the rind from the watermelon, and dice. Peel and dice the cucumber. Chop the tomatoes and red pepper, dice the onion.
Blend
Blend the ingredients together in a blender until pureed. Add the watermelon first, then see notes for preferred order (hardest chopped vegetables first, then the juices and olive oil, followed by the seasonings).
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired and chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.
You will want to chill the gazpacho for 2-3 hours before serving, so plan ahead!
Pour into serving cups, glasses or bowls, and garnish with extra chopped mint leaves, feta cheese, and additional chopped watermelon and veggies.
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
I use almost one full personal watermelon for this gazpacho. Make sure you use a ripe watermelon for best results.
I recommend filling the blender starting with cubed watermelon and cucumber, red onion and working your way down the list of ingredients.
What to do with leftovers
Store your gazpacho in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container, or in a small bowl with plastic wrap covering it. Stir or shake before serving.
Substitutions/Additions
White wine vinegar: You can also use sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Lemon juice: The lemon juice can be replaced with lime juice. You can use fresh or from concentrate juice.
Chili powder: Spiciness warning! Don’t include it if you don’t like your soup spicy.
Hot sauce: If you don’t want any spice in this soup, just take out the hot sauce.
Red bell pepper: You can use an orange bell pepper too, though it will change the flavor slightly.
How to garnish gazpacho
Besides the feta cheese in this recipe, some common garnishes used in classic gazpacho include:
- hard-boiled eggs
- almonds
- diced ham
- onion
- English cucumber
- tomato
- corn
- cooked and diced shrimp
- diced avocados
- olives
- a sprinkle of green onion
- chopped fresh mint or basil
More summer recipes:
- Grilled Zucchini with Lime – kick your grilled veggie game up a notch!
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Watermelon Gazpacho Recipe (Chilled Summer Soup)
Ingredients
- 7 cups seedless watermelon (chopped)
- 1 cucumber (peeled and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons red onion (chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (seeds removed and chopped)
- 1 large tomato (chopped)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon mint leaves (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon prepared chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Feta cheese (optional garnish)
Directions
- Blend the ingredients together in a blender until pureed. See notes for preferred order (hardest veggies first, then the juices and olive oil, followed by the seasonings.
- Taste, season with salt and pepper if desired and chill in the refrigerator until time to serve.
- You will want to chill the gazpacho for 2-3 hours before serving, so plan ahead!
- Pour into serving cups or bowls, and garnish with mint leaves, feta cheese, and additional chopped watermelon and veggies.
Nutrition Facts
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Update: This recipe was originally published in May of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in June of 2022.
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