I'm excited to share my Spanish family's recipe for authentic gazpacho andaluz with you! This traditional Spanish gazpacho from Andalusia is easy to make, super healthy, bursting with flavor, and absolutely delicious! Whether you enjoy a small bowl of it as an appetizer, or in a glass as a drink, it hits the spot on a hot day!
If you want to try some fun variations of this Spanish favorite, try my recipes for melon gazpacho and cherry gazpacho.
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Introduction
The first time I tried gazpacho was when I was studying abroad in Granada. My host mom, Josefina, gave me a big glass of orange gazpacho. Although she claimed to have owned a restaurant in the past, I could see why Josefina wasn’t known for her culinary skills after taking a sip of the lukewarm concoction. I wanted to like gazpacho, but it tasted like bland, boring tomato juice.
About five years later, I had become obsessed with gazpacho's creamy cousin salmorejo, and thought it was about time to give traditional gazpacho another chance. My Spanish friends would swear by the stuff as the best cure for a cold, flu, hangover, break-up…whatever is wrong, gazpacho will fix it!
After reading at least 20 different Spanish gazpacho recipes from my cookbook collection and favorite Spanish recipe sites, I blended a few different versions to create the best traditional Spanish gazpacho recipe. This gazpacho can be eaten from a bowl with delightful toppings, or sipped from a glass like vegetable juice.
Ingredients
Wondering what you need to make this traditional gazpacho from scratch? Fortunately, it takes simple, easy-to-find ingredients you may already have in your fridge and pantry! Let's talk about the key ingredients.
- Tomatoes: Obviously, this is one of the most important components of a great gazpacho. Use ripe tomatoes for the best results.
- Pepper: The traditional choice is a long Italian green pepper, which is more commonly known as a Cubanelle pepper.
- Olive Oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for the very best flavor.
- Aromatics & Seasonings: Enhance the gazpacho with onion, garlic, vinegar, and salt.
- Croutons/Stale Bread (Optional): Like in salmorejo, one of my favorite Spanish soups, blending some stale bread or croutons into the soup will help thicken it. Feel free to omit this if you want a thinner gazpacho.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
There are many variations of gazpacho, so experiment and find what you like best. Try my more modern gazpacho recipes, like green gazpacho and watermelon gazpacho, for some fun ideas!
- Cucumber: Many people omit the cucumber, but I personally love it.
- Red Pepper: Sometimes I use red bell pepper instead of the more traditional green Cubanelle (Italian) pepper.
- Thickening: My mother-in-law often thickens her gazpacho with a chunk of stale bread or even carrot.
- Olive Oil/Water: Some people use more or less olive oil, as little as a few tablespoons, and others add more chilled water at the end to make the texture lighter and more watery.
How to Make
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes. Depending on how powerful your blender is, you may need to chop them smaller.
- Cut the pepper into smaller pieces.
- Quarter the onion.
- Peel and halve the garlic, removing the center core, which can add bitterness to the gazpacho.
- Add the tomatoes to the blender first since they have the most juice and will make it easier for the blender to combine the ingredients.
- Next, add the pepper.
- Put in the onion and garlic.
- Add the cucumber if you're using it.
- Blend until smooth and well combined.
- Season with salt first.
- Add the sherry vinegar next.
- While the blender is running, slowly incorporate the olive oil so it emulsifies.
- Finally, check the taste and texture and add some ice-cold water if you want.
- Pour the gazpacho into glasses, or serve it in bowls with toppings on the side. Don't forget a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt right before eating!
Recipe FAQs
The key ingredient in gazpacho is ripe tomatoes. This traditional recipe also includes green pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and salt, along with the optional addition of cucumber.
It's believed that gazpacho originates in the south of Spain, where temperatures in summer can go up to 48°C (118°F). A cold soup is necessary to stay hydrated and refreshed during such hot weather. That said, before refrigeration gazpacho would have been served at room temperature (but never warm/cooked).
Gazpacho is a very healthy food, and here in Spain people will drink gazpacho when feeling sick or hungover. It's a puree of lots of raw vegetables, so is packed with vitamins and minerals. It's very hydrating, and when made with extra virgin olive oil it also has healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants.
Gazpacho can be enjoyed any time of day! Many people start their day with a glass of cold gazpacho, especially when feeling under the weather. More typically, you'll start your lunch or dinner with gazpacho in a glass or in a small bowl with toppings.
Serve
Gazpacho is great any time of year, but is especially refreshing in the summer! It's the perfect starter for a paella feast, or as part of a tapas spread. It's something you can eat (or drink) any time of day; I always have a big pitcher in the fridge!
The traditional way to eat gazpacho is to drink it from a glass, but I love eating it from a bowl with toppings! My favorite topping is Granny Smith apple, since the tart apple compliments the gazpacho.
Other garnish ideas include marinated cherry tomatoes, avocado, tart cherries, diced nectarine, strawberries, red onion and cilantro, raw red bell pepper, cucumber, raw onion, croutons, or hard boiled eggs.
Store
Leftovers: Refrigerate leftover gazpacho in a sealed container for up to 4-5 days.
Freezing: Gazpacho can be frozen in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag for up to 6 months.
Defrosting: Thaw it overnight in the fridge and re-blend before serving if it has separated. Keep in mind that defrosted gazpacho will not have the same texture as when it is freshly made.
Expert Tips
- Use the best, ripest tomatoes you can find. Avoid using ones that are mealy or under-ripe.
- Make sure to use a powerful blender for the smoothest gazpacho, and pass it through a chinois strainer for the best texture.
- For a very cold gazpacho, refrigerate for a few hours before serving. You can also add ice instead of the water if you prefer a quick fix!
- Don't worry if the gazpacho separates in the fridge. This is normal, and you simply need to give it a good stir or shake before serving.
- If desired, serve with a variety of garnishes, such as Granny Smith apple, marinated cherry tomatoes, avocado, tart cherries, nectarine, strawberries, red onion and cilantro, raw red bell pepper, cucumber, croutons, or hard boiled eggs.
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Authentic Gazpacho Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-7 medium tomatoes vine-ripened if possible
- 1 green Cubanelle pepper also called Italian pepper
- 1 cucumber
- ½ of a small white onion
- 1 medium clove garlic
- ¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 1 splash sherry vinegar Vinagre de Jerez
- 1 pinch salt plus extra for garnish
- toppings such as diced green apple, onion, pepper, croutons, or hard-boiled eggs optional
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash and dry the vegetables.
- Peel the tomatoes if desired, then coarsely chop them.
- Split the pepper in half lengthwise and discard the seeds and membranes, then cut it into a few smaller pieces.
- Peel the garlic, cut it in half lengthwise, and remove the core. This part of the clove can add bitterness when the garlic is eaten raw.
- Peel and quarter the onion.
- Peel the cucumber and cut it in half. Add half to the blender and save the other half for a topping.
- Add the tomatoes to a powerful blender, then add the pepper, garlic, onion, and cucumber. Blend on low speed until the vegetables are mostly chopped, then blend on high speed until it is puréed.
- Season with the salt and vinegar. Keep the blender running on a slow speed and slowly add the olive oil until it's emulsified.
- Taste and adjust the salt and vinegar to taste. Thicken as desired with stale bread or croutons, or thin it down with ice-cold water.
- Pour the gazpacho through a chinois strainer to remove any tomato skins or small lumps, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve. It will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Serve the gazpacho cold in glasses or in small bowls garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, or with other toppings.
Notes
- Use the best, ripest tomatoes you can find. Avoid using ones that are mealy or under-ripe.
- Make sure to use a powerful blender for the smoothest gazpacho, and pass it through a chinois strainer for the best texture.
- For a very cold gazpacho, refrigerate for a few hours before serving. You can also add ice instead of the water if you prefer a quick fix!
- Don't worry if the gazpacho separates in the fridge. This is normal, and you simply need to give it a good stir or shake before serving.
- If desired, serve with garnishes, such as Granny Smith apple, marinated cherry tomatoes, avocado, tart cherries, nectarine, strawberries, red onion and cilantro, raw red bell pepper, cucumber, croutons, or hard boiled eggs.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
wonderful cook
This gazpacho tastes just like the traditional version. I made this for our family gathering and received lots of compliments! Thanks for sharing this.
Betty Swollocks
This recipe is not authentic. Gazpacho ALWAYS contains stale breadcrumbs!!!
Lauren Aloise
That's not correct, but they're certainly an option!
Claire
In the past I've made gazpacho using tomato juice or spicy V8 to add depth to the flavor. However, today I had a craving for the gazpacho I've eaten in Spain, so I went to the internet to look for an authentic recipe. Yours was the 1st one I saw and it looked like a good bet. So... off to the farmers market to buy ingredients. I am now enjoying a cup and I absolutely love it! Simple to make and delicious. This will be my new "go to" gazpacho recipe. One small issue: nobody at the farmers market had any idea what you meant by an Italian pepper so I improvised and hit it just right!
Marcela
Made some just now, already tastes lovely. It will be perfect in a few hours. This is a great recipe, it helps to know that adding more of the olive oil contributes to the orange color. Thank you.
Lauren Aloise
You're welcome!
Deborah H
This recipe was absolutely delicious and so simple and quick to make. I made the recipe as written and used many of the suggestions for toppings- I seriously could eat this every day. The flavor reminds me of gazpacho I had at Casa Alfonso, one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona.