This cold tomato soup is very refreshing and ridiculously easy to make. Serve it as an appetizer, or as a tasty summertime lunch.
This cold tomato soup is so good. It’s wonderfully creamy. It has a mild sweetness from the canned tomatoes and a slight tang from the buttermilk, and the basil really enhances it.
Unlike the Spanish gazpacho, this soup has more of an Italian flavor profile. It is smoother and creamier. Both are very good, but this one is easier to make.
Cold tomato soup is the perfect summer dish
We usually think of hot soup in the winter (this vegetable beef soup is so rich and comforting), but cold soup is such a nice dish to have in the summer – it’s as cooling and refreshing as cold lemonade.
On a hot summer day, sometimes I just can’t bring myself to cook – or eat – warm food. On those days, cold soups such as this one, or a chilled avocado soup, are a lifesaver.
An easy recipe made with canned tomatoes
One of the things that make this recipe so easy is that it is made with canned tomatoes (which are very healthy, by the way).
I do highly recommend that you use the brand I linked to below in the recipe card – Pomi tomatoes. This is an Italian brand and it’s notably sweeter and milder than local canned tomatoes, that tend to have an acidic aftertaste.
You can find Pomi tomatoes on Amazon, at Whole Foods, and in a growing number of supermarkets around the country.
I also highly recommend that you use a good extra virgin olive oil in this cold tomato soup. It does make a difference.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this refreshing soup. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
- Fresh basil
- Minced garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil (a healthy ingredient)
- Pomi strained tomatoes or canned tomato puree
- Buttermilk
- Kosher salt and black pepper
How to make cold tomato soup
It’s so easy! The food processor does all the work. Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Place the basil, garlic and olive oil in your food processor bowl. Process into a paste.
- Add the tomatoes, buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
- Chill before serving.
How long can I keep leftovers?
You can keep them in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Make sure to stir the leftovers well before serving. I never tried freezing this soup, so I don’t know if that would work.
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Cold Tomato Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves (20 grams)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups Pomi strained tomatoes or canned tomato puree
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the basil, garlic and olive oil in your food processor bowl. Process into a paste.
- Add the tomatoes, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Process until smooth and well-incorporated, about 1 minute, stopping if needed to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill 2 hours before serving.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., has been following a healthy real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She has taken 
