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Roasted Garlic Gazpacho

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Instead of raw onions, this gazpacho is made with mellow, sweet roasted garlic.

Spoon in a bowl of roasted garlic gazpacho.

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish-style soup made from tomatoes, olive oil, wine vinegar, and other vegetables. It’s typically loaded with raw onions and garlic, so every time I see it on a restaurant menu, I have an inner dialogue weighing how much I love it against how much I’ll regret eating it later.

I wanted to come up with a recipe that was flavorful but without sharp and lingering aftereffects, so I replaced the traditional raw onions and garlic with lots of mellow, sweet roasted garlic. It turned out vibrant and full of robust tomato flavor — and you can eat it ’til your heart’s content because it goes down smooth.

What You’ll Need to Make Roasted Garlic Gazpacho

Gazpacho ingredients including garlic, tomato juice, and red wine vinegar.

How To Make Roasted Garlic Gazpacho

Gazpacho is incredibly easy to make. Aside from the roasted garlic in this recipe, everything is raw. You simply blitz all the vegetables in a food processor, then stir in the liquid ingredients and seasoning.

Garlic cloves toasting in a skillet.Begin by roasting the garlic cloves over medium heat in a small dry pan. When the skins are browned and the cloves are soft, they’re done.

 

In the meantime, chop the vegetables into large chunks.

Chopped vegetables on a cutting board.

Peel the roasted garlic and scrape off any char.

Peeled, toasted garlic cloves.

Add the peeled cloves to the bowl of a food processor and blitz to purée, then add the chopped tomatoes and pulse until coarsely chopped. Be careful not to overmix; you want the soup to be slightly chunky.

Food processor of chopped tomatoes.

Transfer the tomato mixture to a bowl, then add the chopped bell peppers and cucumbers to the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Food processor of chopped vegetables.

Add the vegetables to the bowl with the tomatoes, then pour in the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and seasoning.

Tomato juice pouring into a bowl of chopped vegetables.

That’s all there is to it. Cover the soup and refrigerate until ready to serve — the longer it sits, the better it tastes. I love it simple and ungarnished, but you can also top it with croutons, sliced avocado or chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Spoon in a bowl of roasted garlic gazpacho.

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Roasted Garlic Gazpacho

Instead of raw onions, this gazpacho is made with mellow, sweet roasted garlic.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 English or hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (do not peel)
  • 5 cups tomato juice, such as Campbells's (not the low sodium)
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Colavita or Lucini
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar, best quality such as Pompeian Gourmet
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium heat; cook, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened in spots, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then remove skins (they should slip right off) and scrape off any char.
  2. Add the peeled roasted garlic to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse, scraping down sides as necessary, until garlic is finely puréed. Add the chopped tomatoes and pulse until coarsely chopped. Do not overmix; the soup should be slightly chunky. Transfer the tomato mixture to an extra large bowl. Add the red bell peppers and cucumbers to the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped; add to the bowl with the tomato mixture. Stir in the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and chill until ready to serve. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. Serve cold.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 164
  • Fat: 10g
  • Saturated fat: 1g
  • Carbohydrates: 19g
  • Sugar: 13g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Sodium: 612mg
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Hello Jenn,
    One additional thing that I discovered on this recipe was roasting garlic. I have friends who buy the roasted garlic pre-made in the container at the grocery. I recently bought a pound of raw just for the pleasure of roasting it. That pound ended up filling an recycled empty jar of about 16oz. The roasting, the smell, the peeling and stickiness of garlic is a great experience good enough to inspire future kid chefs.
    My question is how to use the roasted garlic as an appetizer? Do you have a sauce recommendation?
    Thanks in advance!

    • — Keith Taylor on September 7, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Keith, So glad you enjoyed the roasted garlic! Here are some ideas:

      – Spread it onto crusty bread drizzled with olive oil and add fresh herbs
      – Blend it into hummus
      – Mix it with softened butter and herbs, then spread on bread
      – Use it with tomatoes and basil for bruschetta
      – Spread it on toasted baguette slices, top with brie or camembert, and broil until the cheese is melty

      • — Jenn on September 10, 2023
      • Reply
  • This recipe is delicious and refreshing. I gave some to neighbors who became fans.
    After Jenn told me that 4 large tomatoes equaled about 2 pounds, I used to enormous heirloom tomatoes from a neighbor. I followed the recipe with only the following exceptions:
    V-8 instead of tomato juice (smaller bottle than the tomato juice)
    A yellow and purplish pepper that I had
    Eliminated the additional salt (I didn’t think it needed it.)
    I will definitely make this again. Thanks Jenn for yet another recipe added to my Jenn collection!

    • — SusanB on August 8, 2023
    • Reply
  • What is the average weight of the 4 large tomatoes you use? The reason I’m asking is that my neighbor just gave me 2 heirloom tomatoes that together weigh about 2 1/2 lbs.

    Thanks

    • — SusanB on August 6, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Susan, it’s a guesstimate but I’d say each tomato weighs approximately 8 ounces, so 4 of those would be the equivalent of two pounds. 🙂

      • — Jenn on August 7, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thanks. I’m making it today.

        • — SusanB on August 7, 2023
        • Reply
  • Ola Jenn,
    Thank you once again for another super tasty and fun recipe. I will confess to channeling some Fernand Petiot and used spicey Bloody Mary mix instead of the tomato juice! Good to the last drop to borrow another tagline.

    • — Keith Taylor on July 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • It’s been a million degrees where I live and my house doesn’t have a/c, therefore I’ve been living off this delicious, cold soup for over a week now! Healthy, refreshing and easy to make. Thank you for having a perfect recipe for every season 😊

    • — Adrienne on September 12, 2022
    • Reply
  • So easy, so delicious & so refreshing on a hot, summer day! Another winner!

  • A couple of other ways to add garlic . Heat the olive oil in small fry pan
    Lay the cloves on your chopping board , with the blade of your kitchen knife crush
    the cloves , remove skin , chop the garlic up a bit. Cook garlic for a few minutes at mediun heat then let cool , Add to soup with with tomato juice
    Or put the garlic thru a press , place in a small bowl . Add some fresh lemon or lime juice or vinegar . let soak for 2-3 minutes and drain off the liquid . The garlic has now had it had it’s bite
    removed and will fade into background flavour

  • I love gazpacho and will be making your recipe this weekend! I usually dice all of the vegetables by hand but would like to invest in a really good food processor for this and other recipes. Do you have any recommendations for a high quality make/model?

    Also, could you replace the tomato juice for equal amounts of fresh tomatoes puréed?

    BTW, I ❤️ all of your recipes!

    • Hi Lisa, I highly recommend this one from Cuisinart. And I do think you could use fresh pureed tomatoes instead of the tomato juice, but I think tomato juice has a fair amount of salt, so you’re likely to need to add more salt to the dish. Please LMK how it turns out!

  • Super easy and super good!

  • Hi, loved the recipe! Just one question, do you find the chilling process in the fridge draws out the garlic flavor? I didn’t sense enough garlic for my taste at first, so I added some garlic powder. When I tasted the next morning, it was garlic overload (my fault), but I’m wondering for the next time I make this – does the garlic flavor develop while it is relaxing in the refrigerator?

    • Yes, Jim, aromatic ingredients like garlic and onions can develop a stronger flavor as they marry with the other ingredients, so next time you may want to skip the extra garlic. 🙂

  • Hi Jen,

    Love your recipes and have tried several from your book. YUM I am interested in making gazpacho during these hot summer days – can I use V-8 juice instead of just plain tomato juice? Also, we love veggies – so how about adding celery, zuchinni and/or yellow squash?

    Thanks for answering and enjoy your summer.
    Carolyn

    • — Carolyn Rassias
    • Reply
    • Hi Carolyn, so glad you enjoy the recipes! I haven’t made the gazpacho using V8, but a couple readers have commented that they have used the low-sodium version and have been happy with the results. And sure, feel free to add other vegetables of your choosing–just make sure that if you’re adding a significant volume of vegetables, you’ll need to increase the liquid proportionally. Hope that helps – enjoy!

  • I can not wait to make this soup again. A perfect Summer Gazpacho soup. It was easy and delicious. I gave two friends a small container to sample and they both loved it. I especially like that there are not big chunks of bell peppers. The roasted garlic really makes this taste wonderful.

    • — Pamela M Rider
    • Reply
  • Gazpacho is such a wondful summer treat. Roasting the garlic makes all the difference in the world. What a great idea!

  • I have made this over and over and shared it with lots of people. It is SO easy to make and so delicious. I have a vegetarian daughter and another daughter who is lactose intolerant so I was able to feed both of them with this soup. Thanks so much!

  • Jenn,
    Another wonderful recipe! My wife and I both enjoyed it. I served it with a quesadilla that I made with prosciutto and cheese.

  • How many days can this keep in the fridge and can it be frozen?

    • I wouldn’t recommend freezing it as I don’t know how it would impact the texture, but it would be fine to refrigerate it for a day or two. (Just keep in mind that the color may change a bit.)

  • My daughter LOVES the soup. It’s perfect for school lunches. I usually include a roll and some cheese. It’s fairly forgiving – I use this as my “catch-all” soup when cleaning out the produce bin.

  • Wow! Just a perfect recipe, each ingredient is present and in proper proportion. Used this recipe to celebrate the first harvest from our kitchen garden, and was a great use of heirloom tomatoes. Just about perfect, maybe a few more roasted cloves but thats all.

  • As always, a great recipe from Jenn! I love cold summer soups but this was my first time ever making a gazpacho. I used low sodium V8 (had it in the pantry) and added some blistered shishito peppers, just because I didn’t want to keep them in the fridge any longer. Awesome!

  • This is an amazingly simple and tasty recipe and I am not someone who tends to like gazpacho. The only thing that I did differently was to sriracha for the tabasco as I prefer that zing more. But a really, really good soup and perfect for hot summer evenings.

  • It was wonderful! East to make and I used my fresh-picked tomatoes from the garden. Delicious!

  • I’m a huge fan of Gazpacho in the summer and like this recipe because of the added garlic flavor. I usually end up pureeing the soup because my boyfriend doesn’t like it “chunky”. It’s easy to add in whatever herbs you have on hand – cilantro, chives, tarragon, basil all add great flavor.

  • I like to use V-8 juice. I also add 1 onion, 1 jalapeno, 1 habanero (hubbie likes it hot) and sometimes a little cilantro. He could just about live on this during the summer when tomatoes are at their peak!

  • LOVE your recipe for my favorite summertime food! I’ve made this many times, but haven’t tried using roasted garlic – that’s a very nice touch! The only thing that I tend to do differently is that I like to use sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. It seems to add a different complexity to the overall flavor. Thanks again for another wonderful recipe! 🙂

    • Love that idea, Michelle.

  • I agree with Andrea… using vegetable juice makes it so tasty! It also helps with the acid content a little.

  • I make gazpacho all summer… I like to use the low sodium V8 instead of tomato juice- it adds a yummy veggie flavor to the base… I can’t wait to try it with the roasted garlic! Also some fresh cilantro & lime juice help build a nice fresh flavor!

  • Just made the recipe for gazpacho. All I can say is yum. (Had a few sips already…) Followed the recipe exactly, and it tastes great. Can’t wait to have a bowl at dinner time.

  • Gazpacho is one of my absolute favorite summertime foods – this recipe is one of the best I’ve tried! Thank you! 🙂

  • i made it a little more chunky and added more tobasco. it was really good.

  • Yum. I can’t wait!

  • It looks so yummy, my husband loves gazpacho, I never had it, recipe looks simple to make.
    Thanks jenn

  • This looks scrumptious! I may try it without the tomato juice for a relish instead of soup… and add chopped green onions plus a splash more of the red wine vinegar. I will post how this turns out.

    • — Elizabeth C. in Kansas
    • Reply
  • Perfect TIMING! I have every ingredient in the house and will make this to dip into all weekend. Since I’ll be eating lots of BBQ I could certainly use something light to fill the rest of the day.

  • Perfect timing, I was going to make Gazpacho for our 4th of July BBQ. Thanks Jenn!

    • — Carrie Hirshfield
    • Reply
  • What about caramelized onions, too?

  • Oh this was so good…loved all the garlic flavor…thanks for another wonderful recipe

  • Gazpacho is one of my favorite summer foods.
    This recipe sounds fantastic.

  • Why have you indicated “hothouse” cucumber??

    • Hi Ellen, I like hothouse cucumbers for this recipe because they don’t need to be peeled – it’s easier and the green looks pretty. They are also called English cucumbers.

  • I love all the garlic in this. I tried gazpacho for the first time recently on a cruise and loved it! Will definitely try this…

  • I certainly will be making this recipe soon. I love gazpacho! Thank you!

  • I cannot wait to make this this weekend. Perfect meal for the 100 degree heat we’re having!

  • Yay, gazpacho! Thank you for this recipe. It looks delicious and is my favorite summer soup! Plus I like garlic as well. I can’t wait to try this. 🙂

  • Thank you for sharing! It looks so yummy and I think it is something that I can make….

    Thanks again!

  • I can’t wait to try this ! It is so tempting.

  • I make gazpacho all the time. I use V-8 in stead of tomato juice. Yummy

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