A comforting, revitalizing soup is usually served hot and steamy straight from the pot.
But that is not always the case – especially in the summer!
A cup or bowl of hot soup is not usually the most anticipated or preferred meal when you’re trying to beat the heat.
We’re already sweating just thinking of it…
But we have a slurp-worthy solution for you to still enjoy something delicious served in a bowl:
Cold soups!
One refreshing technique to enjoy this meal during the hottest months of the year is to prepare chilled versions, using the freshest of ingredients and the tastiest of flavor combinations.
We have three easy ideas to share with you now – and you don’t have to turn on the oven, use the stovetop, or fire up the grill to make them. What a relief!
Any of these no-cook delights will be satisfying as a light lunch when chilling at home in the AC, or as a simple starter to a fun summer dinner party.
Let’s chill out and cool off together in the kitchen!
3 Chilled Soups to Help You Keep Cool
1. Creamy Avocado Coconut
This refreshing cucumber soup will help you keep your cool on any hot day.
Creamy Chilled Avocado Soup – Get the Recipe Now
Blended with creamy coconut milk and avocado, it’s a nutritious, dairy-free recipe that’s packed with fresh ingredients like onion, lemon, cucumber, and parsley or cilantro.
And a little chili powder adds the right touch of heat.
While we recommend using our low-sodium chicken stock for a heartier base, you can easily replace that with an equal amount of vegetable stock to create the perfect vegan version.
2. Cucumber
Don’t you love biting into a crisp, cold cucumber, with its juicy flesh and lightly sweet aroma?
Chilled Cucumber Soup – Get the Recipe Now
Let this veggie be the inspiration for your next cold soup idea.
It will most certainly cool you off on a sweltering summer day – that’s a 100% guarantee!
And it’s low in calories, so it won’t weigh you down as you make plans later to swim in the pool, ride bikes, go kayaking, and enjoy other outdoor activities.
Plain yogurt provides a silky, creamy base with a bold tang, while a little lemon juice and garlic, and a bunch of fresh dill, enhance the dish with big and bold, sunny flavors.
3. Gazpacho
Of course, we couldn’t leave out a made-from-scratch gazpacho! It’s a warm-weather classic!
Gazpacho – Get the Recipe Now
This recipe is one of our summertime favorites – a simple blended tomato mix that can be beautifully garnished with an array of colorful diced vegetables and crunchy croutons.
With ripe plum tomatoes, garlic, cucumber, red bell pepper, onion, and white balsamic vinegar, you’ll be blown away by every flavor-packed spoonful.
A few slices of white bread give the base some thickness, and a generous pour of olive oil adds even more body.
Serve While Cold – Satisfying, Not Strange!
At first, you might find these recipes new and unfamiliar – maybe you have never tried a chilled soup before.
However, these three selections are meant to be enjoyed that way! And you can trust us to steer you in the right direction towards refreshing summer meals.
After reviewing our suggestions, you’ll understand why we chose certain ingredients and prep techniques:
Most of the produce that can be eaten raw – like tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and avocado – are suited to these kinds of no-cook recipes, and can all be combined together swiftly in a blender with yogurt, sour cream, or coconut milk to yield a smooth result.
And by adding lots of fresh herbs, lemon juice, and other flavor boosters, the meal will become aromatic and dynamic, yet not too heavy or abrasive.
So the next time you find yourself uncomfortable with beads of sweat dripping down your forehead over a cup of hot soup, remember these ideas when you want to make something more appropriate for the season.
What recipe from this trio will you make first to surprise your family and friends at your next summer gathering? Leave a comment below with your favorite choice!
Don’t let the fun stop here – we have even more amazing roundups to review for other summertime meals and treats. Prepare the bonfire, set out some beach towels, and read these next:
- Top 10 Easy S’mores Makeovers for Fun Summer Bonfires
- 7 Fast and Tasty Summer Meal Ideas for Every Day of the Week
- 23 of the Best Summertime Sweet Corn Recipes
Photos by Kendall Vanderslice, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on August 25, 2015 by Nina-Kristin Isensee. Last updated on Jully 19, 2023.
About Nikki Cervone
Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
I’ve never really been a big fan of cold soups, I’ve always preferred them piping hot. But, some of these look delicious! I’m going to try the coconut variation sometime soon. I’ve never had it before but all the ingredients look good! I can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
My least favorite part about the summer months is how limiting it makes food options. There’s no worse feeling than coming in on a hot day and having to eat a hot meal. I’ve always only made gazpacho as my chilled soup option, I wasn’t aware that there were any other options. I’ll have to give that cucumber one a shot.
I know what you mean. This summer has been incredibly hot in my country and that makes our dish choice very limited. No one wants to stand next to a stow for an hour on a burning hot summer day. Luckily I love soups, always have. If anything this is a great opportunity to finally try some new (cold) dishes to ease us, even a little.
To be honest, I was aware of only gazpacho. These dishes look great for the summer time. I wonder if this all started because someone wanted some soup but it was too hot because of the weather.It is also best to have something not too heavy when dealing with the heat of the weather. That coconut one kind of makes this dish a bit tropical.
I’ve never like gazpacho, and the other two soups include some of my least favorite flavors (coconut & cucumber). I consider cucumber to be a totally overrated ingredient. It’s not that I don’t think many people would find these appetizing, but you ain’t gonna see me makin’ ’em. I’d rather wait until it gets cold to start eating soup.
Too bad that none of these soups cater your taste. I think cucumber is quite a versatile ingredient and I like its freshness and crispness. But, of course, that’s a matter of taste. I’m sure you will find something else on Foodal to enjoy 🙂
I’ve never actually tried a cold soup before- the concept has always seemed rather strange to me. I’m not even keen on drinks like Bloody Mary or any type of vegetable smoothie so I think I’ll skip these and check Foodal for some delicious salad inspiration instead! Kudos for giving those who do enjoy these dishes some fresh and interesting ideas though!
Never thought of having my soup cold but I guess I will after this. I will definitely try the Traditional Gazpacho as it looks soo yummy! I love my soup hot and it will be interesting to have it otherwise. Thanks for the delightful share!
These flavors seem really interesting to me overall. I really haven’t been a fan of cold soups in the past, but it wouldn’t hurt to try some of these delicious recipes!
Cucumber soup is a classic. Dill makes it a perfect summer soup. I’m definitely going to make this.
The only cold or chilled soup I’ve had to date is Gazpacho, which was quite tasty. I enjoy pretty much anything with avocado or coconut, so I think I will have to try the other two recipes, as well. The summers are long here, and making these will beef up the number of recipes I can make, since I don’t use the oven much during the hot season.
I’ve only had gazpacho once a long while ago, and since then cold soups never really crossed my mind. There’s no way that I could’ve thought of a coconut or cucumber soup, and yet they look delicious. I’ve always been a fan of soup, but in the summer time, I’ll crave it and do one of two things. 1. I’ll fix myself some and sweat or 2. I wait until it’s late at night and I’m not in the mood anymore. This is what I’ve been needing and I’m blown away that I didn’t look this up by now. Great article.
Thank you, my situation has been quite similar until I developed a taste for chilled soups. It’s a pity that soups have such a hard time during summer because they can be really refreshing, stuffing and healthy with the proper ingredients. I hope you have found a new version among my suggestions that you like.
I didn’t know there were any other cold soup options than Gazpacho – these sound delicious!
I suffer terribly in not weather, and I really hate the summer season. Having something ready and waiting in the fridge would solve a number of problems – not least keeping me well away from the hot stove.
Thank you for sharing these great recipes.
I honestly have never been able to get with this concept. You do make it look so appealing though, and it is nice to have access to recipes to prepare it correctly. The only one that seems like I could give it a chance, is the coconut soup. I think my hesitation is due to the texture, but I can try it out.
I’m happy that you would consider trying out one of the three recipes. I thought that some totally different ideas of chilled soups improve the chances that there might be at least one to cater everyone’s taste 😉
Just make sure the soup is really ice-cold, a temperature in between warm and cool doesn’t taste that good.
I love Gazpacho but it’s the only cold soup I’ve ever tried. It’s actually the first time I find recipes for cold soups and I’m always looking for new and original recipes. The coconut soup looks delicious, and lately I’m always in the mood for coconut so I’ll try this one first. Good thing you specified we should prepare the same day, I always cook a day ahead. I’m guessing the avocados are the ones to blame for this?
You’re right, the avocados are responsible. Although you add some lemon juice to prevent a fast coloring, it won’t stay that nice and bright for long. I think the Gazpacho would be the best version to prepare a day ahead. I hope you’ll enjoy the coconut soup just the same!
I’ve never actually had a cold soup before, not even gazpacho. Like some of the previous commenters, it’s a concept I had some difficulty wrapping my mind around, but these all sound delicious. The weather is cooling off a bit around here, but apparently hot drought weather is expected near the end of the year. So I think I’ll still have the opportunity to try these out. That coconut soup in particular looks like it’ll be a big hit.
Living in a tropical country is like living in summer season all year round. I have never thought of making cold soups to ease the heat. Soup for us here is always served hot. I have heard of cold noodle soup before but I never really got into the idea of eating it. Probably because I’m used to soups as warm for the belly.
I am surely going to try the Creamy Coconut Soup. I’m pretty certain my son will love it as he eats avocado like a boss lol. He also loves Pumpkin Soup which I make as hot. I’ll try making one that is cold. Just for fun! I could just heat it if he doesn’t like it cold anyway.
Fantastic idea actually! Why not prepare another variety and just try it cold? Heating up is always possible then. I think I might try that with some other soup recipes I have – although I have to say that the time for hot soups has come faster than I thought. It’s already kind of chilly here in Germany where I live so the cool soups now have to wait for next season I suppose 😉
Interesting ideas, but I don’t know if I could do it. Temperature is a big part of how I like certain foods and I just don’t know if I can wrap my head around eating cold soup. I’m the same way about iced coffee. Maybe I’m just weird.
I think that is totally normal, lots of meals that are served cold instead of warm make the impression of being remains and don’t appear attractive. I like these soups once in a while during summer but when it gets colder I’ll put these recipes back to my folders for the next months and definitely prefer the hot versions. 🙂
I must admit that I don’t like cold soups. For me, soup is something that you eat hot and I have never liked gazpacho. Although the coconut soup does appeal to me, maybe because it isn’t made with the traditional soup vegetables.
I know what you mean, cold soups often have this touch of being like leftovers for me, like a cold slice of pizza in the morning 😉
I think you’re right that – what the coconut soup makes more appealing – is the fact, that it doesn’t consist of the typical soup ingredients. Maybe you give it a shot – or you just try to make it a regular version and enjoy it hot?! I suppose it would taste great, too.
I have to confess that when I first read the cold soup sentence I wasn’t that excited about it, but come on, the idea of adding yogurt and coconut milk to it sounds too good for me. And they all look so good and refreshing, especially now that it’s starting to get kind of hot.
My favorite one is probably the chilled cucumber soup, as a fan of cucumbers and yogurt, that soup sounded just perfect.
It’s definitely something one is not used to, right? I really love the coconut-variety, but, as you note, the refreshing and reviving flavor of the cucumber-soup is just heavenly 🙂