5-Minute Cold Cucumber Soup
You’re just minutes away from one of the most refreshing soups on the planet! Unlike most chilled soups, which require hours of refrigeration before eating, this 5-minute cucumber soup can be served straight out of the blender. All you do is throw everything into the blender or Vitamix, and let it do its thing. The key is to make sure that your cucumbers and buttermilk are cold (coming straight out of the refrigerator) before beginning. If you are using traditional garden cucumbers instead of English cucumbers, peel and seed them before adding them to the blender (the skins are thicker and the seeds are bigger and more watery).
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- ½ jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, coarsely chopped
- 2 small green onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 pounds seedless (English) cucumbers (about 2 large cucumbers), coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dill, plus additional for garnish
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Champagne or white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for serving
- Flaky sea salt for serving, optional
Instructions
- Place the buttermilk, garlic cloves, jalapeño, green onions, cucumbers, dill, lemon juice, Champagne vinegar and sugar in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
- Add the olive oil and blend until combined. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve immediately or chill for up to 1 day. Drizzle each bowl with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.
Notes
Make it Ahead: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Blend it briefly to reincorporate before serving.
Tips:
- I make this soup in my Vitamix blender, which makes it ultra silky. However, any blender will work.
- If you're serving this soup right away, make sure that all of your fresh ingredients are cold, straight from the refrigerator.
- If you don't have buttermilk you can use about ½ cup plain yogurt instead (thin the soup with water as needed), or you can use kefir.
- Feel free to swap out the dill for other tender herbs, such as basil and/or chervil.
- Drizzle the soup with the best quality olive oil you have. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds a burst of flavor and crunch, but it's optional.
- While this chilled cucumber soup is delicious straight from the blender, you can also store it for up to 1 day. Pack it up for a healthy lunch on the go, or serve it as an elegant first course at dinner! Just be sure to blend it briefly before serving, as the soup will separate in the fridge.