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    Home » Recipes » Soups, Stews, and Chilis

    Cold Cucumber Soup

    Published: Aug 12, 2018 · Modified: Aug 28, 2020 by Jenn Sebestyen

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    Two bowls of green cucumber soup topped with diced peppers and slivered almonds.

    A cool and creamy, dairy free soup that’s perfect for summer. This Cold Cucumber Soup is easily in a blender in just minutes. Simply blend, chill, and serve!

    Two bowls of cold cucumber soup with silver metal spoons in them. A lime wedge lies nearby.

    The kids might be going back to school this week, but we’ve got plenty of hot summer days ahead. Easy recipes to cool us down are still a must.

    This Easy Watermelon Blender Juice is a favorite, as is this Tart Cherry Sparkling Lemonade.

    As far as dinners go, we’ve been enjoying lots of this cucumber quinoa salad and these 15 minute burgers.

    One of my favorites to reach for at lunchtime is this cool and creamy Cold Cucumber Soup. It’s so light and fresh – perfect for using up all of those garden cucumbers. It’s an excellent starter for a heartier meal, too.

    Three bowls of cold cucumber soup on a wooden table. Fresh basil leaves and lime wedges scattered around the bowls.

    Cucumbers are often overlooked when discussing the most nutrient dense vegetables. Technically they are classified as a fruit, though most would refer to them as a vegetable for culinary purposes. And although they might not boast quite as many nutrients as their cruciferous buddies, cucumbers are still full of health promoting goodness.

    You’ll find vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B1, and fiber in these slender green beauties. They are also rich in antioxidants.

    Because cucumbers are made up of mostly water, they are low in calories and fat, and are extremely hydrating. This makes cucumbers a potentially great choice for weight loss.

    Sliced cucumber rounds make great appetizers with your favorite dip – like my Cucumber Bites with Sun Dried Tomato Spread.

    Cucumbers can even be good for your skin. Not only can eating healthy fruits and vegetables, like this Cold Cucumber Soup, make your skin glow, but sliced cucumbers on your closed eyelids may help to reduce puffiness and swelling.

    Two bowls of cold cucumber soup on a wooden table.

    Cucumbers contain cucurbitacins, which are organic compounds naturally produced by the plant, and can cause a bitter taste.

    Generally, the cucumbers you find in your local grocery store won’t have much bitterness as they are purposely grown and selected to taste their best. But garden cucumbers, if not grown in perfect conditions, can definitely have a slight bitterness.

    The bitterness, if any, will be mostly found on the skin and stem end of the cucumber. Slicing off the ends and then peeling the skin from flower end to stem end should take care of removing any bitterness.

    You could even go one step further and rinse your peeler after every swipe to make sure you aren’t dragging that bitterness from the stem end back onto the vegetable.

    For this cold cucumber soup recipe, I added a sweet apple to help balance the tart lime and herby basil. It also helps to counteract any bitterness that the cucumbers might have.

    We are also removing the seeds of the cucumber to ensure it blends perfectly! I like to use seedless English Cucumbers. They aren’t actually seedless, but the seeds are smaller and more tender than a lot of other varieties. There are also fewer of the seeds in each vegetable, leaving more of the cucumber flesh to enjoy.

    Though, your average garden cucumber works perfectly, too!

    Overhead view of three bowls of cold cucumber soup.

    Like I said, summer is meant for quick and easy recipes, and this Cold Cucumber Soup recipe ticks that box.

    It’s made fully in a blender in just a few short minutes. Personally, I love to use my high speed Vitamix blender, but an immersion blender in a soup pot or large mixing bowl, or a food processor would work as well.

    If you don’t have a well working blender and your soup doesn’t get perfectly smooth, try running it through a fine mesh sieve before serving.

    Close up overhead view of cold cucumber soup in a white bowl topped with chopped almonds, diced red pepper, and diced cucumber. A silver metal spoon is in the bowl.

    This chilled soup couldn’t be easier to make. Just chop all of your ingredients and add them to the blender.

    Carefully transfer the blended soup to an airtight container and stick in the fridge for an hour or two to chill.

    You could certainly eat it right away, if you wish, but I prefer it definitely on the chilled side.

    I like to garnish this Cold Cucumber Soup with diced red pepper, slivered almonds, and of course, more diced cucumber.

    The red pepper and almond inspiration came from a local farm to table restaurant in a suburb of Minneapolis that now escapes my mind. We stopped in for lunch during the summer of 2017 while on vacation and I ordered their Chilled Cucumber Soup, which came with garnishes of diced red peppers and almonds. It’s taken me over a year, but I finally recreated that dreamy deliciousness!

    Front view of a bowl of cold cucumber soup garnished with diced red peppers and cucumbers, chopped almonds, and a tiny basil leaf.

    I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.

    Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.


    For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!

    Two bowls of cold cucumber soup with silver metal spoons in them.

    Cold Cucumber Soup

    A cool and creamy, dairy free soup that's perfect for summer. And it's all made easily in a blender.
    4.91 from 22 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Appetizers and Light Bites, Soups, Stews, and Chilis
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 49kcal
    Author: Jenn Sebestyen

    Recommended Equipment

    • Blender

    Ingredients

    For the soup:

    • 2 English cucumbers peeled, seeded, & chopped (about 4 cups)
    • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 4-5 fresh basil leaves
    • 2 green onions
    • 1 sweet apple peeled & cored (I used a Red Delicious)
    • juice of ½ lime
    • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or to taste
    • water to thin optional, if needed

    For the garnish:

    • diced cucumber
    • diced red pepper
    • slivered almonds

    Instructions

    • Place all of the soup ingredients into a high speed blender and purée until smooth. Add water (or additional almond milk) to thin, if needed.
    • Carefully transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours to chill.
    • Once chilled, serve garnished with diced cucumber, red peppers, and silvered almonds.

    Notes

    ~ Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumbers.
    ~ To prevent bitterness, slice off the ends of the cucumber first and then peel it from flower end to stem end.
    ~ Choose a sweet apple variety to contrast the tart lime and herby basil.
    ~ Switch up the flavor by using fresh dill instead of basil if you prefer. You can also use lemon instead of lime.
    ~ Use a high speed blender to get this soup silky smooth. If your blender isn’t high speed or if your soup doesn’t get perfectly smooth after blending, try pouring it through a fine mesh sieve before serving.
    ~ This Cold Cucumber Soup tastes best when chilled.
    ~ This recipe is vegan, gluten free and oil free.
    ~ To make this recipe nut free, use unsweetened, plain soy milk, rice milk, or oat milk and skip the almond garnish.

    Storage/Freezing
    Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
    You can also freeze this soup. Transfer the soup to a freezer safe container or plastic bag. It should keep well for up to 3 months. You may need to re-blend it after thawing for the best texture.

    *Nutrition facts calculated without garnishes.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 150mg | Iron: 0.9mg

    Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Guillermo says

      July 30, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      Great recipe! Followed as written. Well blended flavours (no pun intended).Very refreshing with a nice garlic zing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        July 30, 2022 at 7:35 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

        Reply
    2. michelle says

      August 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm

      Tasty but the garlic and onion were too much for a raw soup. if i make again, I’ll halve both.3 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        August 16, 2021 at 6:43 pm

        Thanks for you feedback, Michelle.

        Reply
    3. Annie says

      July 08, 2021 at 2:04 pm

      Hi Jenn
      We eat a lot of gazpacho in summer with watermelon or tomato base.
      I was not sure if I would like the unsweetened almond milk.

      Used my home grown cucumbers (left the peel on), Thai basal I had frozen last season, a batch of homemade almond milk and used the juice of a whole lime.

      Jenn it was amazing!!
      Would love to send you the pic 🥒💚🥒5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        July 09, 2021 at 8:32 am

        I’m so glad you loved it, Annie! Thank you for your comment!

        Reply
    4. Sherri says

      July 04, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      I really like this soup for lunch
      Quick and easy. Very refreshing.5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        July 05, 2021 at 11:32 am

        Glad you enjoy it, Sherri. Thanks for your comment!

        Reply
    5. Chuck Bean says

      June 27, 2021 at 8:44 pm

      I backed off the garlic and onions to about 1/4 and added a teaspoon or so of Maggie sauce… so amazing!!! Thanks for this. Ate it two days in a row already!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        June 28, 2021 at 9:54 am

        So glad you enjoyed it, Chuck. What is Maggie sauce??

        Reply
    6. Aliza says

      October 02, 2020 at 6:11 pm

      Please help! The garlic I used made the soup too strong. Any tips on how to subdue the taste?

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        October 03, 2020 at 12:56 pm

        Oh, I’m so sorry! Do you have fresh parsley. You can try blending again with a handful of parsley. Or add a little lemon juice or maybe a splash of balsamic. You can also double the recipe, but skip the garlic in the second batch and then mix them together to dilute that garlic flavor. Good luck!

        Reply
    7. Jilly_K says

      August 26, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      While I’m not a vegan, I’ve been having gallbladder issues lately (oh the pain!) so am on a self-imposed liquid diet for the time being. This means no meat, no fats or oils, nothing spicy, and no dairy. I happened upon your recipe which uses almond milk–yay! I made a version of this recipe (with a few embellishments), but it was a bit thin, so added a ripe avocado, and it turned out great! (I also doubled the lime/lemon juice as well). Definitely will check out your other recipes! (already very curious about the dried tomato dip!)

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        August 27, 2020 at 8:28 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Avocado sounds like a delicious addition. Let me know if you try anything else. And I hope you feel better soon!

        Reply
    8. Carol says

      August 15, 2019 at 3:24 pm

      I just tried making this cucumber soup with garden cucumbers- don’t know why but there’s a bitterness- took out all the seeds as instructed. I did use regular milk- tried adding more apples and some honey to it. Anything else I could do? Hate to waste it!! Maybe more basil leaves contributed to it? Any ideas would be appreciated!

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        August 15, 2019 at 7:30 pm

        Hi, Carol. Did you peel the cucumbers? If so, it may just be that your cucumbers were extra bitter. Basil can sometimes have a bitter flavor, too, if the plants are overgrown. Try adding a pinch more salt and stirring well. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil might help, as well. Let me know if that works!

        Reply
      • Ben Weiss says

        October 23, 2019 at 9:40 pm

        Perhaps this will work: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/trick-for-avoiding-bitter-cucumbers-article

        Reply
        • Jenn Sebestyen says

          October 24, 2019 at 4:06 pm

          Thanks for the info!

    9. Chris Koponen says

      June 11, 2019 at 9:00 pm

      We are having a very warm evening up in the Northwest and so I tried this cold soup for the first time! It is delicious! I doubled the garlic because I like extra heat plus I used a whole limes worth of juice and I left the basil out. (Forgot to buy at the store). Also, i only peeled ONE of the organic cucumbers. Will be making this again! Great leftovers for tomorrow too! TY!

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        June 11, 2019 at 10:00 pm

        Thank you, Chris! So glad you are enjoying it. And love you added extra lime…I love lime!

        Reply
    10. Leros says

      August 15, 2018 at 8:25 pm

      Bookmarked! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 15, 2018 at 9:04 pm

        Hope you love it!

        Reply
      • Cheyenne says

        April 12, 2020 at 10:37 pm

        This sounds so good! Does it freeze well?

        Reply
        • Jenn Sebestyen says

          April 13, 2020 at 9:43 am

          Hi, Cheyenne. I haven’t personally tried freezing it, but I think it would work just fine. You may want to re-blend once it’s thawed in case it gets a little slushy in texture. Enjoy!

        • Cheyenne says

          April 13, 2020 at 2:03 pm

          Thank you for your response. I also forgot to ask, what is the serving size for this?

        • Jenn Sebestyen says

          April 14, 2020 at 10:11 am

          About 1 cup. Meant to be an appetizer-type soup, not an entrée. Enjoy!

    11. Jenni LeBaron says

      August 13, 2018 at 12:11 pm

      This sounds really good. I love the sweetness added from the apple and the basil really sounds like it elevates the whole dish! Yum!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm

        I love the apple in there too. Perfect natural sweetness. Thanks, Jenni!

        Reply
    12. Kelly Anthony says

      August 13, 2018 at 11:43 am

      Almost every day this summer has been above 90! We could for sure use a cool soup recipe 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm

        I am definitely looking forward to fall!

        Reply
    13. Jessie says

      August 13, 2018 at 10:58 am

      We love Cucumbers in my house and this looks delicious and like a great lunch idea. Plus a great way to use up those cucumbers from the garden!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm

        My kids brought in about 15 cucumbers the other day in one haul. Good thing they love ’em too!

        Reply
    14. Lisa | Garlic & Zest says

      August 13, 2018 at 10:04 am

      I make a cold cucumber soup too and it’s wonderful for a hot summer day. This looks so refreshing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 13, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        Thanks, Lisa. I’ll have to check yours out too.

        Reply
    15. Elaine @ Dishes Delish says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:44 am

      I can just imagine how refreshing and delicious this cucumber soup is! I love a good cold soup, but I also love hot soup even in the heart of summer! I’ll be trying your vibrant and delicious soup before the summers end for sure!5 stars

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 13, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        Oh, me too, Elaine. I could hot soup all year round, but every once in awhile I like to mix it up. Thanks!

        Reply

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    Jenn Sebestyen of Veggie Inspired

    Hi, I'm Jenn! This is where I share delicious plant based recipes for the whole family. I love to cook; I can read cookbooks like novels; and I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen by making standard American favorites healthier.

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