Creamy Avocado Gazpacho

This Creamy Avocado Pea Gazpacho is made with wholesome ingredients like avocados, peas, cucumbers, lime juice, cilantro, and coconut milk, but is surprisingly creamy and satisfying. The perfect no-cook, 10-minute lunch or light dinner for hot days.

Though it may appear complicated, it is actually a snap to make easily made in 15 minutes if the beets are pre-cooked. The finely diced veggies give it a wonderful texture and delicious fresh flavor. I find that it is easiest to cook the beets the night before and let them chill overnight in the fridge so they are cold when you go to make the soup the next day.

I first fell in love with gazpacho during my visit to Spain (unsurprisingly). It was less “eat pray love,” more out of necessity. We visited Spain in August, when it is notoriously hot, and gazpacho (a chilled tomato-based soup popular in Spain) was the natural thing to cool down with after walking for hours in the unforgiving sun. I wasn’t vegan at that time, but I didn’t eat red meat, which made it difficult to eat a lot of the standard fare served on our tour back in 2012. I would order bowls of it, along with bread, in an attempt to fill up (gazpacho is delicious but not very calorie-dense). When I returned to the states, I made gazpacho a few times, but I found it was never as good. I assume the tomatoes in Spain are much higher quality than most tomatoes I can find here. But, this Creamy Avocado Pea Gazpacho doesn’t require tomatoes, and is therefore easy to make extremely delicious without sacrificing on any flavor! And while traditional gazpacho features bread as a thickener (gazpacho means “soaked bread” in Arabic), this version relies on avocados, coconut milk, and peas for its creaminess (which means it’s naturally gluten-free). Plus, while traditional gazpacho can leave you hungry within an hour or two, this version is extremely satisfying thanks to all the healthy fats!

After the beets are cooked and chilled, the soup comes together in minutes – simply blend it up! And for the record, it really is this color, with no color editing in photoshop – a bright and gorgeous fuchsia!

Why you’ll like this avocado gazpacho

10-minute meal. This creamy green gazpacho comes together in less than 10 minutes. The only prep work is (1) blanching some peas or steaming them in the microwave and (2) roughly chopping a few vegetables before they get blended. 9 ingredients. This recipe uses only 9 ingredients (not including water, salt, and pepper), so in addition to being quick, it’s also fuss-free.

Healthy yet creamy. Thanks to avocados, peas, and coconut milk, this gazpacho is surprisingly creamy, but it’s still light, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free. Flavorful. Thanks to cilantro and chili peppers, there is some good spiced flavor in this gazpacho. No bland or boring soups here!

Ingredients:

2 cups (280g) fresh peas, shelled (I used English shelling peas)

2 medium-large ripe avocados

2 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil

1 Serrano pepper, stem removed and sliced in half (de-seed for a mild version, but I think the seeds are key for bringing some interest to this soup, and it’s not overly spicy)

1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped in half

1 medium English cucumber, very roughly chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro (you can use the leaves and tender stems)

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste

1 1/2 – 2 cups (360 – 480 mL) water, plus more as needed

1/2 cup (120 mL) full-fat coconut milk, plus more as needed (you can use lite coconut milk, or for a non-coconut milk, try unsweetened oat milk)

A generous amount of kosher salt or sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Optional Garnish Ideas: fresh cilantro and mint leaves (recommended), fresh shelled peas, hemp seeds, cucumber ribbons.

Instructions

Blanch the peas. Bring some water to a boil in a saucepan. Prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice water). Add the shelled peas to the boiling water. Wait for the water to return to a boil, then set a timer for 90 seconds. Immediately after, transfer the blanched peas to the ice bath to stop cooking and cool down. Once the peas are cold, drain them.

NOTE: you can also steam the peas in the microwave. Simply add 2-3 tablespoons of water to a microwave-safe container, add the peas, cover, and microwave on high. Check every 2 minutes for doneness.

NOTE: If using frozen peas, you need to defrost them but no need to blanch them.

Add the blanched and drained peas to a blender. Add the avocado flesh, olive oil, Serrano pepper, shallot, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, 1 1/2 cups (360 mL) water, and coconut milk. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add the remaining 1/2 cup (120 mL) water to thin out.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more lime juice for acidity or more cilantro for pungency. Taste again, and add more salt or pepper as needed.

Serve immediately at room temperature, or transfer to the fridge to serve chilled. This gazpacho is best on the day it’s made, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days (the avocado will start to go bad afterwards).