[Photographs: Lauren Rothman, Vicky Wasik, Daniel Gritzer, Jennifer Olvera]
Yes, it's getting close to the time of year when soups in their most familiar forms become a regular part of our meal rotation—hearty, warming chicken noodle soup; beef stew; and French onion soup, to name a few. But in many parts of the US, we've still got at least a good couple of weeks of mild weather, so let's not shut the door on summer too soon! There's no reason soup has to be heavy or hot, and a cold soup can be a delicious way to enjoy late-summer produce. For a soup that's cooked and then chilled down, try a cool corn chowder, a bright and creamy lettuce soup (it's so much better than it sounds), or cold Korean noodles in broth. To avoid heating up your stove at all, you'll want to seek out our recipes for no-cook soups, like gazpacho made both the best way and the still-pretty-darn-good-and-much-faster way. Below, we've gathered 12 recipes for soups that make satisfying bowlfuls even on the hottest days.
No-Cook Soups
Andalusian Gazpacho
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Gazpacho is the quintessential summer soup, crisply refreshing and requiring no cooking at all. This classic version incorporates tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and bell pepper. The secret to getting the most flavor out of the vegetables is cryo-blanching—freezing the veggies to break them down so that they release as much flavorful liquid as possible. We use that liquid to soak chunks of white bread, which thicken the soup to a creamy consistency when blended with the other ingredients.
Get the recipe for Andalusian Gazpacho »
Easy Gazpacho
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
If you can't spare the hour (at minimum) that cryo-blanching adds to the process, you can still make a tasty gazpacho in far less time—just skip the freezer step, salt your vegetables, and let them drain directly onto the bread. You can make the soup smooth or chunky according to your preference; we like to blend ours thoroughly and press it through a chinois to make it as velvety as possible.
Get the recipe for Easy Gazpacho »
White Gazpacho With Grapes
[Photograph: Lauren Rothman]
Tomato gazpacho is by far the best-known of all the gazpachos, but it's not the only one. A traditional and underappreciated version, white gazpacho is a rich, silky soup made with almonds, garlic, bread, and lots of olive oil. We chill ours in the fridge before serving it topped with minced chives and halved grapes.
Get the recipe for White Gazpacho With Grapes »
Cantaloupe Gazpacho With Crispy Prosciutto
[Photograph: Lauren Rothman]
The winning combination of cantaloupe and prosciutto inspired this gazpacho variation, made a bit fruity by the melon, but still kept firmly in savory territory with the traditional ingredients of cucumber and onion. Strips of oven-crisped prosciutto serve as a garnish and provide a little textural contrast.
Get the recipe for Cantaloupe Gazpacho With Crispy Prosciutto »
No-Cook Blender Tomato Soup
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Sure, our 15-Minute Creamy Tomato Soup is easy, but if you happen to own a Vitamix or similarly high-powered blender, you can make it even easier. Just load up the jar with all the ingredients and switch it on—the friction from the blades will not only liquefy the mixture but cook the onions and tomatoes as well. A slice of white bread and a generous amount of olive oil make this soup thick and creamy without an ounce of dairy—it's delicious either hot or cold.
Get the recipe for No-Cook Blender Tomato Soup »
Cooked and Chilled Soups
Mexican-Style Gazpacho With Grilled Shrimp
[Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]
While gazpacho is generally an uncooked soup, this recipe goes in a slightly different direction, grilling the vegetables (including tomatillos and jalapeño for a distinctly Mexican twist) before blending them so they take on a smoky char. This soup is chunkier than our other gazpachos, and topped with grilled shrimp for a light but filling main dish.
Get the recipe for Mexican-Style Gazpacho With Grilled Shrimp »
Creamy Lettuce Soup
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
Ever avoid buying lettuce because you just can't commit to using it all up before it starts to wilt? This is exactly the recipe you need, as odd as the name may sound. Shriveled lettuce is no fun in salads, but when you cook those leaves up with aromatics and stock and blend the mixture, they're transformed into sweet, fresh, vegetal lettuce soup. A small handful of parsley turns it a vibrant green. You can serve the soup hot or cold, but we're partial to the chilled version on warm days.
Get the recipe for Creamy Lettuce Soup »
The Best Corn Chowder
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
This recipe wasn't explicitly designed to be a cold soup, but it works just as well chilled as hot. The key to the intense flavor here is using every part of the ear of corn—instead of discarding the cobs once the kernels are cut, we add them and their milky liquid to the stock. The result is a richer, cornier corn chowder, thickened by potatoes and cream.
Get the recipe for The Best Corn Chowder »
Pressure Cooker Corn Soup
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
With a pressure cooker at your disposal, you don't need to scrape the milk from the corncobs or use any potatoes or dairy at all to make a rich, flavorful corn soup. Adding the cobs straight into the pressure cooker with the kernels both extracts tons of flavor and furnishes enough starch to thicken the soup. Without any extraneous thickeners, the corn is allowed to truly shine.
Get the recipe for Pressure Cooker Corn Soup »
Make-Ahead Pea Soup With Shallot, Lemon, and Parmesan
[Photograph: Suzanne Lehrer]
A far cry from the thick, rustic pea soup you might enjoy in winter, this version is light and subtle, and great either warm or cold. We cook the soup just briefly to preserve the freshness of the peas and add blanched lemon rinds for extra brightness. The Parmesan cheese adds salt and a hint of creaminess.
Get the recipe for Make-Ahead Pea Soup With Shallot, Lemon, and Parmesan »
Chilled Summer Squash Soup With Yogurt, Mint, and Sourdough Croutons
[Photograph: Lauren Rothman]
Inspired by a CSA-induced overabundance of squash, this soup is made by stewing summer squash with garlic and onions, then blending it with yogurt and fresh mint. The result is both earthy and tangy, with enough body to fill you up but not so much that it'll weigh you down on a hot day. Sourdough croutons seasoned with dried herbs take this from appetizer to entree.
Get the recipe for Chilled Summer Squash Soup With Yogurt, Mint, and Sourdough Croutons »
Cold Korean Noodle Soup With Asian Pear and Cucumber (Mul Naengmyun)
[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]
In winter, I love Korean restaurants for their steaming bowls of kimchi jjigae and dolsot bibimbap, but in the summer, all I want is a pile of cold noodles. Mul naengmyun is a dish of poached beef, chewy buckwheat noodles, and a lightly sweet-tart broth thickened with gelatin. To balance out the soup's textures, we finish it with crunchy toppings like pickled radishes, cucumber, and Asian pear.
Get the recipe for Cold Korean Noodle Soup With Asian Pear and Cucumber (Mul Naengmyun) »