Chilled Zucchini Soup With Lemon and Basil

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Oct. 12, 2023

Chilled Zucchini Soup With Lemon and Basil
Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
15 minutes, plus optional chilling
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(885)
Comments
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During the warmest days, there is no more welcome promise than a no-cook meal. A blender or food processor makes quick work of this peak summer zucchini soup, which requires no cooking and is best served chilled. Cashews thicken the soup while adding a creamy silkiness and a gentle sweetness. Since taste buds don't register the flavors of cold foods as well as warm ones, chilled soups require generous seasonings. Here, the mellow raw zucchini is bolstered by the hefty use of garlic, miso, lemon juice and basil. The soup can be prepared ahead and chilled in the fridge for up to 24 hours or it can be served right away, chilled with ice cubes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2pounds zucchini, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 2cups basil leaves (about 2 ounces), plus more to serve
  • 1cup roasted cashews (5 ounces), plus ¼ cup chopped roasted cashews to serve
  • 6tablespoons lemon juice (from 2 lemons), plus more if needed
  • 3garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2tablespoons white (shiro) miso
  • 2cups vegetable stock
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • Ice cubes (optional)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, to serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

376 calories; 28 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 1022 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the zucchini, basil, cashews, lemon juice, garlic, miso, vegetable stock and 2 teaspoons salt in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth and silky. Taste and check seasonings, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.

  2. Step 2

    Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or serve immediately, transferring the soup to a bowl and adding a few ice cubes if needed. Top with chopped cashews, a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and a few basil leaves.

Ratings

4 out of 5
885 user ratings
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Comments

Laurel Touby

In order to guarantee a creamy soup, first place the cashews, lemon juice and just 1/2 cup of the stock in the blender or food processor. Blend to create a creamy liquid. Then add zucchini, basil, garlic, miso, remaining vegetable stock and 1-2 teaspoons salt in the blender or food processor.

Dianne

This soup is delicious! Great way of using summer, zucchini, and basil. Adding mint takes it to the next level. Note to Cooking editors: it would be most helpful if you indicated the yield in cups rather than four servings. Who is to say how much is in a serving? If I knew this yielded 6 cups, I would’ve used a food processor instead of a blender. Using a blender, I had to do the recipe in multiple batches. From start to finish it took me 45 minutes to prepare this soup. Worth it.

ANewMexican

David, I’d soak almonds for a few hours or overnight, remove the skins, and use the hydrated nuts in place of cashews. The soaking really softens and plumps the almonds.

DianeMN

This soup was surprisingly good! I had frozen cooked & puréed zucchini when I had more zukes than I could use. I might even try this with fresh in the summer.

Jodi

Soak the cashews first, at least an hour ahead or overnight. This will help with graininess. Also using a powerful blender will help to make it creamy, not grainy.

C T

I followed this recipe exactly . It was awful beyond belief . I was hoping for so much more .

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