Gazpacho, Salmorejo and Cold Soups: Summer Recipes with Your Hand Blender

When the heat is on, the last thing you want to do is turn on the stove. Spanish cold soups—gazpacho, salmorejo, vichyssoise—are perfect for lunch or dinner with hardly any cooking, and they all share one key tool: the hand blender. This guide focuses on how to get the most out of it to achieve smooth, lump-free, and perfectly chilled soups this summer.

Why a Hand Blender is the Best Choice for Cold Soups

Many of these recipes can be made in a blender, but the hand blender has clear advantages for cold summer soups:

• Blend directly in the jug or bowl where you’ll serve it: fewer parts to wash in the heat.
• It’s easier to adjust the texture at the end: you can blend for longer directly in the container if the soup has turned out too thick.
• It can handle any quantity: from a single serving to a large jug for the whole family, without being limited by the fixed size of a blender jar.

Our recommendation: The Electric Immersion Hand Blender with Measuring Beaker includes a tall beaker that helps prevent splashing when blending raw vegetables with liquid, which is common when making gazpacho or salmorejo. If you need more power for large batches, the 800W Stainless Steel Immersion Hand Blender blends raw vegetables with less effort.

Cordoban Salmorejo: The Recipe You Can’t Miss

Unlike gazpacho, salmorejo contains bread and no pepper or onion, giving it a creamier, richer texture.

Ingredients (serves 4): 1 kg ripe tomatoes, 150 g day-old bread (crust removed), 1 clove of garlic, 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste, a splash of sherry vinegar (optional).

Preparation:

1. Chop the tomatoes and soak the bread in a little water or some of the tomato juice for 10 minutes.
2. Place the tomatoes, drained bread, garlic, and salt in the container you’ll use for blending.
3. Blend with the hand blender using up-and-down motions until there are no more bread lumps.
4. With the blender still running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream until the soup is emulsified, smooth, and glossy.
5. Adjust the salt and vinegar to taste, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Hand blender tip: If the salmorejo is too thick, don’t add water: add more tomato or a little more oil while you continue blending to avoid diluting the flavor.

Gazpacho: The Versatile Base for Countless Variations

Classic gazpacho contains tomato, pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, oil, and vinegar, all blended raw. If you want the full step-by-step recipe, including a version with avocado, check out our detailed guide in Healthy Main Dishes.

Here, we focus on the part that really makes the difference: how to blend it so it’s smooth rather than fibrous.

• Strain out tough skins and seeds from the pepper and cucumber before blending if your blender isn’t very powerful, to prevent stringy bits in the final texture.
• Blend in batches if preparing a large quantity: it’s better to blend thoroughly in two batches than to strain the blender by overloading it at once.
• Add the oil at the end in a thin stream, just like with salmorejo, to achieve a lightly emulsified texture.
• Pass the soup through a fine sieve if you want the ultra-smooth finish typical of restaurants.

Vichyssoise: The Cold Leek and Potato Soup

Less well known than gazpacho or salmorejo, vichyssoise is a cold leek and potato soup, perfect for those who prefer a milder, less acidic flavor.

Ingredients (serves 4): 2 leeks (white parts only), 2 medium potatoes, 500 ml vegetable or chicken broth, 100 ml heavy cream or evaporated milk, salt, white pepper.

Preparation:

1. Cook the chopped leek and potato in the broth until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Let it cool slightly before blending (never blend very hot liquid with the hand blender fully submerged, as it may splash).
3. Blend with the hand blender until completely smooth.
4. Add the cream or evaporated milk and blend for a few more seconds.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3–4 hours before serving; traditionally, it is served very cold, sometimes with crushed ice on top.

General Tips for Cold Soups Made with a Hand Blender

• Let hot liquids cool before blending: blending something very hot with the submerged blender can cause splashes and burns.
• Use a tall, narrow container instead of a wide, shallow one: the blender blends better when the liquid fully covers the blades.
• Chill the soup before adjusting the salt: coldness dulls flavors, so a soup that tastes well-salted while hot may end up bland once chilled.
• Clean the blender immediately after use: tomato and garlic residue dries and becomes much harder to remove if left on.

Conclusion

Gazpacho, salmorejo, and vichyssoise are three different ways to beat the summer heat without turning on the stove, and all three rely on a good hand blender to achieve the right texture. If you don’t have one yet or yours isn’t powerful enough, you can explore our recommendations in the blenders and food processors collection. And if you want to keep equipping your kitchen for summer, don’t miss our complete kitchen gadget guide.