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Summer Fest: Creamy Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup

July 20, 2011 by Nicole 40 Comments

Creamy Cucumber and Avocado Soup

The Summer Fest party continues this week and the guest of honor is the cucumber.  When I started thinking about what recipe to share today that would highlight one of my favorite summer vegetables, I came up blank.  I don’t usually cook with cucumbers… I just love to eat them!  I love them so much, I almost always have cucumbers in the fridge.  I add them to green salads, summer salads, and a couple times a month they get sliced, doused in vinegar, and become a salad on their own.  I also love slicing them into sticks for an afternoon snack.  But you guys don’t need a recipe to do any of those things (although I have shared a quick cucumber salad recipe in the past).

So, I started thinking about popular cucumber recipes I’ve never tried before and decided I would make a cold cucumber soup for dinner and share the results with you.  Lots of recipes I’ve seen for cucumber soup include yogurt, but since I’ve been on a huge kefir kick lately, I decided to use that instead.  I’ve actually been culturing my own kefir for a few weeks now and drinking it in a smoothie every morning.  It’s delicious and I’ve been feeling great!  I’ll be writing all about kefir soon and will share photos of the kefir-culturing process.  If you are unfamiliar with kefir and/or can’t find it at your local store (it should be located in the dairy section near the yogurts), you can certainly substitute an equal amount of plain yogurt in this soup.

The rest of the soup ingredients came together based on my own tastes and the ingredients I had on hand and I love the way it turned out.  It’s cool and creamy, with just a hint of spice from the chile. I highly recommend stirring in a handful of chopped tomatoes at the end – the tomatoes add just the right amount of sweetness.

I used my high-powered Blendtec blender to make the soup, so mine turned out perfectly smooth.  Your blender might give different results, but the soup can always be strained if necessary.  As always, I encourage you adjust ingredient amounts and seasonings to suit your own taste.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup
makes 4 servings.

2 large cucumbers, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 medium avocado, chopped
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
1 serrano chile, chopped
1 1/2 cups plain whole milk kefir or yogurt (not Greek-style)
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
salt, to taste

Garnish:
chopped tomatoes
chopped avocado
crumbled Cotija cheese (can substitute feta)
chopped cilantro

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.  To serve, garnish soup with chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro, and crumbled Cotija cheese.

Recipe notes: This soup tastes just as great the next day, so it’s definitely something that can be made ahead.  I think this would be great served in shot glasses at a party.  If you aren’t serving the soup with chopped tomatoes, I would add a tiny amount of sugar, honey, or agave nectar to the blender mixture (maybe 1/2 – 1 teaspoon) to help balance the flavors.

Related Recipes:

  • Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
  • Tzatziki (cucumber and yogurt dip)
  • Chilled Ginger Cantaloupe Soup
  • Edamame and Pea Soup with Herbed Lemon Cream
  • Creamy Fennel and Leek Soup

More Cucumber Soup Recipes around the Web:

  • Cold Cucumber and Avocado Cream Soup from Not Just About Cooking
  • Cucumber Avocado Soup from Cooking with Amy
  • Chilled Cucumber Soup from Alice Q. Foodie

Cucumber Recipes from my Summer Fest Friends:

  • What’s Gaby Cooking: Cucumber-Basil Gimlet
  • In Jennie’s Kitchen: Radish-Cucumber Crostini
  • Big Girl Small Kitchen: Spicy Cucumber Salad with Shallot, Ginger and Mint
  • Grecian Kitchen: Summer Cucumber Salad
  • And Love It Too: Cucumber, Mint and Watermelon Salad
  • Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cucumbers Coolers with Agave Simple Syrup
  • Cooking With My Kid: Cucumber Limeade
  • FN Dish: Summer Fest: Cucumber Recipes
  • CIA Dropout: Relishing Cucumbers
  • Healthy Eats: Cool Cucumber Soup
  • Food for 7 Stages of Life: Cucumber Cherry Salsa
  • Cooking With Elise: Green Tea Cucumber Pops
  • Glory Foods: Cucumber and Shrimp Boat
  • Virtually Vegan Mama: Fire-Roasted Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho
  • Food2: When Life Gives You Cucumbers, Make a Cucumber Cocktail
  • Cooking Channel: Cucumbers Stuffed with Crab-Mango Salad
  • Recipe Girl: Bread and Butter Pickles
  • Taste With the Eyes: Spicy Pickled Cucumbers with Wakame and Garlic Blossoms
  • Virtually Homemade: Cold Thai Cucumber-Mint Soup
  • Add a Pinch: Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
  • The Cultural Dish: Ahi Tuna with Cucumber Sauce and Salad
  • Daily*Dishin: Cool n’ Zesty Cukes: 7 Minute Summer in a Jar
  • Daydreamer Desserts: Cubanita Margarita
  • Purple Cook: Cucumber Gazpacho with Indian Flavored Shrimp Relish
  • Indian Simmer: Cucumber at its Best with Chaat Masala
  • Big Apple Nosh: Quick and Easy Homemade Pickles
  • Sweet Life Bake: Agua de Pepino
  • The Sensitive Epicure: Tzatziki with Grilled Gluten-Free Pitas and Fresh Cucumbers and Peppers
  • Zaika Zabardast: Cucumber Gazpacho
  • A Way to Garden: Cucumber-Growing Q&A and the Best Pickles
  • Cooking with Books: Summer Fest: Cucumbers

How You Can Join in Summer Fest

Summer Fest 2011Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute to our online recipe swap in various ways, big or small.

Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

Or think bigger: Publish entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the juicy Summer Fest tomato badge (illustrated by Matt of Matt Bites).

To join the Summer Fest conversation on twitter, use the hash tag #cookingwith.

Summer Fest 2011 Posting Schedule

June 22: Eggplant – missed this one!
July 6: Peaches
July 20: Cucumbers
August 3: Cherries
August 17: Corn
August 13: Tomatoes
September 14: Broccoli

Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Low Carb, Soups, Summerfest 2011, Vegetarian

Previous Post: « Summer Fest: Creamy Peach and Greek Yogurt Smoothie
Next Post: Skillet Cornbread with Fresh Cut Corn and Bacon »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine says

    July 20, 2011 at 8:49 am

    Can't wait to hear about the kefir culturing! This is really random, but I got to thinking... do you measure yogurt in a liquid measuing cup or dry measuring cup? I would measure kefir in the liquid cup, but would do yogurt in the dry cup... and I can't imagine it would make a material different, but I'm curious and thought I'd ask. I'm going to try this, with some homemade creme fraiche and soft cheese. Looks great!
    Reply
  2. Nicole says

    July 20, 2011 at 8:58 am

    Christine: I think I usually measure yogurt in a dry cup - especially thick yogurt. If it's pourable, I might use a liquid cup. But it really doesn't make any difference, so I'll just use whatever is clean and nearby :-)
    Reply
  3. Devany Vickery-Davidson says

    July 20, 2011 at 10:28 am

    Aloha Nicole! This looks delicious! We have hundreds of varieties of local avos and I am always looking for new ways to use them. We also have lots of local Japanese Cucumbers here~ another reason to try this recipe. And your photos in the morning light turned out great.
    Reply
  4. Charity says

    July 20, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    Hello! I'd like to submit this one: Chicken with pickle sauce. It's not my original recipe, but the credit belongs to The Food Network Magazine. We made it recently in Rome, Italy. I loved it, my husband loved it, our toddler ate a few bites. Ta da! http://foodlets.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/chicken-with-pickle-sauce/
    Reply
  5. Vijitha says

    July 20, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    Such a delicious post. I made some avocado smoothie today with basils. Next time, when I find untouched ripen avocados in the kitchen, I know this will be my next recipe to try. I would like to be a part of Summer fest. Is there any email to reach out?
    Reply
  6. Chelsea Talks Smack says

    July 20, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    THIS. LOOKS AMAZING annnnd, like something I could make!
    Reply
  7. Gaby says

    July 20, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    cucumbers and avocados?!? one of my favorite combos ever!
    Reply
  8. Daydreamer Desserts says

    July 20, 2011 at 11:11 pm

    What a great recipe, perfect for summer! Light and refreshing, yet satisfying.
    Reply
  9. Brandis @ Crunchy Thrify Cool says

    July 21, 2011 at 8:30 am

    Here's my family's recipe for sun pickles: http://crunchythriftycool.blogspot.com/2011/07/joining-in-cucumber-y-fun-sun-pickles.html
    Reply
  10. napa farmhouse 1885/diane says

    July 21, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    oh yum! i have extra cucumbers from this week's post prep...and a couple of avocados! sounds like your soup is on my menu tonight...thanks diane
    Reply
  11. Jessica says

    July 21, 2011 at 8:27 pm

    That photo is stunning, so perfect in it's simplicity.
    Reply
  12. Nancy says

    July 22, 2011 at 6:03 am

    You've inspired me...absolutely gorgeous photo. I've had avocade smoothie made by my French friend, but without the cucumber. Cucumber sounds very refreshing. I must try your recipe this summer. Thanks for your great site!
    Reply
  13. Radhika @ foodfor7stages says

    July 22, 2011 at 11:23 pm

    You have made the soup looks so appetizing in the pic. And I definitely need this to beat the summer heat.
    Reply
  14. Caroline says

    July 23, 2011 at 5:23 am

    I just found your site, and I am so excited to try so many of your recipes! You have a beautiful presentation. Thank you!
    Reply
  15. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

    July 23, 2011 at 5:37 am

    What a delicious sounding and beautiful soup for easy summer entertaining. I'm always looking for something that can be prepared well in advance. Thank you!
    Reply
  16. Tami@nutmegnotebook says

    July 23, 2011 at 5:55 am

    I have to admit that I have never combined cucumbers and avocados but this looks delicious! Since I own a Blendtec I just might have to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
  17. Eleanor says

    July 23, 2011 at 7:03 am

    I've been culturing my own kefir for a while and have become a real kefir evangelist. It's so healthy. I love this recipe and will definitely try it. That!
    Reply
  18. Jenny @ Savour the Senses says

    July 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    Just wanted to stop by and let you know that I have finally made my blogroll and you are on it! Check it out at http://savourthesensesblog.com =) Love your site!
    Reply
  19. The Healthy Apple says

    July 24, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    I needed this recipe earlier today when I was in the mood for a chilled soup! Sounds fabulous and I can't wait to try it this week. Thank you!
    Reply
  20. Kulsum at JourneyKitchen says

    July 25, 2011 at 8:48 am

    What a beautiful soup! I have heard a lot of kefir but still haven't tried it! Time to change that
    Reply
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