20 chilled soup recipes to help you stay cool this summer

Avocados are still the hippest, superfoodiest, bankruptcy-inducing food around, making this avocado soup the most appropriate and timely meal you can have today. Plus, it’s super easy to make and only takes 10 minutes of your time thanks to this recipe from Country Living.

How often do you get to eat food in the fantastic shade of Fuschia? Now is your chance thanks to this beet soup recipe from Epicurious, which is similar to borscht and combines beets, cucumbers, buttermilk, dill, sour cream, and hard-boiled eggs into one fantastic dish (or bowl).

Cantaloupe, lemon, mint, heavy cream, and basil come together in this refreshing chilled soup recipe from Country Living. And if no kids will be enjoying this meal, feel free to add some champagne to give it extra sparkle and fizz.

In a nod to our Southern friends and obvious hot-weather experts, this corn and shrimp soup is a delight on steamy summer days. In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, the recipe from Taste of Home also calls for onion, curry powder, buttermilk, hot sauce, sour cream, and garlic.

Gazpacho is probably the most well-known chilled soup, as it’s a staple in Spain and Portugal, and it was immortalized on “The Simpsons” in the episode where Lisa became a vegetarian. (Remember? Classic.) Basically, it’s simply a chilled-out version of tomato or vegetable soup. To make your own at home, try this recipe from Alton Brown and the Food Network, which includes cucumbers, red bell peppers, onions, and jalapenos.

The main difference between golden gazpacho and regular gazpacho is the color, which is a result of using yellow tomatoes and yellow peppers. In addition to looking different, yellow tomatoes are also less acidic, which can help if you have a sensitive stomach, and it also translates better into a chilled soup. Get the details courtesy of MyRecipes here.

And the award for “Easiest Recipe to Make” goes to... this mango-raspberry soup from It’s Yummi! All you need is a food processor, four ingredients (mango, raspberries, yogurt, and almond milk), and five short minutes of your time.

This pea and mint soup from Not Enough Cinnamon is refreshing in both taste (cold or hot) and preparation (the only ingredients needed are butter, chicken/vegetable stock, mint leaves, a shallot, salt, and pepper). The attached recipe serves four, with each serving totaling just 119 calories.

As is the case with salsa, the citrus flavor of pineapple pairs well with onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, and cucumber, and this fact is showcased in this pineapple gazpacho recipe from All Recipes. The best part is you won’t even need to turn on the stove.

Salmorejo is similar to gazpacho, as it is also a Spanish tomato-based chilled soup. The difference? Salmorejo is more of a pink-orange color, it’s thicker and creamier, and it tends not to contain as many vegetables. Try this version from Epicurious, which uses prosciutto and slivered almonds.

If carrot soup sounds bland, then allow us to change your mind with this spice-roasted carrot soup recipe from Serious Eats, which is accentuated with coriander seeds, mustard seeds, garlic, and ginger. It’ll need a few hours to chill, but the prep time only takes 20 minutes!

Don’t be fooled by the “spicy” in the name; this bacon, lettuce, and tomato concoction is still a chilled soup and a nice way to cool down. As this Martha Stewart recipe suggests, butterhead/Boston lettuce works best, and don’t skimp on the croutons! Want to go vegetarian? Simply skip the bacon garnish.

The sweetness of strawberries and tartness of rhubarb makes for a winning combination, and thanks to this Eating Well recipe, that combo can now be enjoyed in soup form. You need only six ingredients for this strawberry-rhubarb soup, and one of those is water!

Not only is this Swedish blueberry soup from Texanerin Baking tasty, but it’s also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Just grab some blueberries, maple syrup, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon juice, and water, and you’re ready to go!

Sweet corn is superb in the summer, especially when combined with yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, and jalapenos. Intrigued? Check out this sweet corn soup recipe from our friends over at MANtitlement. 

Sweet potatoes, carrots and celery make up the base of this chilled soup from Recipe Tips, which is just as tasty when served hot. And don’t forget to garnish the finished product with feta or blue cheese crumbles!

We wanted to include at least one coconut soup, and this Thai-inspired recipe from A Year Of Slow Cooking certainly fits the bill. It’s served chilled but still contains a kick thanks to galangal, a Thai spice that’s related to ginger, making this the perfect summertime soup.

If you’ve ever had potato and leek soup, then you’ve basically already tried the hot version of vichyssoise. Hailing from France (or a French person in America), vichyssoise is composed of puréed leeks, onions, potatoes, cream, and chicken stock. Want to make it at home? Martha Stewart has you covered right here.

Cucumber and tomato obviously go well together, but did you know that cucumber and watermelon also make quite the pair? The evidence is right here in this wonderful watermelon gazpacho recipe from Bon Appétit, which also utilizes ingredients like star anise, fresh lime juice, red Thai chile, and basil leaves.

Not only is this chilled soup a good way to stay cool this summer, but it also includes zucchini, which is currently in season. And the best part of this silky zucchini soup recipe from Food & Wine? It tastes just as good served hot, so don’t forget about it when the weather starts changing.