This recipe is based on the original recipe of Ina Garten’s cucumber soup from Food Network. While I love her method of roasting shrimp in the oven, you can also “turn the volume up” by soaking them in my shrimp marinade. And if you’re up for it, why not make it with my grilled shrimp?
If you have extra cucumbers on hand, definitely try Creamy Cucumber Salad and Cucumber Mozzarella Salad, too.
Why Should You Try This Recipe?
This chilled cucumber soup with shrimp couldn’t be easier. I know you will love it because:
- Everything is thrown in the food processor: All you do is put everything in a food processor, process for a couple of minutes, and you’re done. And you can do this while shrimp is roasting in the oven.
- Perfect make ahead: Since the cucumber soup needs time to chill, it’s a great recipe to have ready and waiting in your fridge, which makes it ideal for entertaining.
- Healthy, satisfying, and visually impressive: Cold soup never tasted so good with the right mix of light, creamy and savory ingredients. Not to mention, it is a show stopper with all the gorgeous green and orange hues.
Ingredients
This Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup requires two sets of basic ingredients.
The first set is the soup part. To make the cold cucumber and avocado soup, gather together whole milk Greek yogurt, avocado, half-and-half, English cucumber, red onion, garlic cloves, scallions, fresh lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. You will also need fresh dill and crushed red pepper (optional)
The second set is for the roasted shrimp, and for that, you will need large shrimp, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Ingredient Substitutions and Notes
- Yogurt: I opted for the rich and creamy texture and flavors of whole milk (full fat) plain Greek yogurt, but you can also use non-fat plain yogurt.
- Cucumber: Stick with English cucumbers (aka hot house cucumbers) for the best flavor. The skins and seeds are not bitter like regular American cucumbers.
- Acid: Replace the lemon juice with lime juice or white wine vinegar.
- Shrimp: Search for large shrimp or those labeled 16/21. This means there are between 16 to 21 pieces of shrimp in one pound.
- Garnish: Garnish with your favorite fresh herbs, such as fresh mint, parsley, or basil, or a dollop of sour cream.
How to Make
Avocado yogurt soup requires nothing more than a quick whiz in your food processor and then some chilling time. Here’s how to do it:
- Puree: In the bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attachment, add yogurt, avocado, half and half, cucumber, red onion, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Process until cucumbers have broken down and are coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- Chill: Pour the cucumber soup into a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Cook shrimp: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place shrimp onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading out into one even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, flipping once about halfway through.
- Serve: When ready to serve, ladle the chilled soup into small bowls or glasses. Garnish with shrimp, dill, thin slices of lemon – and crushed red pepper and flaky sea salt, if desired.
How to Serve
Ina Garten-inspired cucumber soup can be served in many different fashions. You could try:
- Appetizer: Serve it as a cooling first course to weeknight dinner or dinner parties, especially during those hot summer days. Perhaps, serve it with a drizzle of my tangy Yogurt Dill Lemon Sauce for an extra layer of flavor.
- Soup & Salad: Make it a meal with one of my summer salads for a healthy lunch or dinner.
- Side Dish: Serve it as a side dish with other seafood/shrimp dishes like Orzo Shrimp Salad, Chickpea Tuna Salad, or even Grilled Mahi Mahi for a seafood feast that will impress
How to Store
Chilled cucumber soup will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge. After the 2-day mark, the cucumber begins to release too much water and breaks down.
Be sure to give it a whisk before serving the next day.
Expert Tips
- Allow for at least 1 hour of marinating time. This helps the flavors marry together and chills the soup down.
- Puree until your desired consistency is reached. This could be slightly chunky or super smooth.
- Cold soups can also be pureed with an immersion blender. Simply combine cucumber and all other ingredients in a large bowl, then puree until smooth.
- Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. This makes for perfectly roasted pink shrimp every time.
- Taste for seasoning. I highly recommend tasting it a few times as you blend and add more seasoning as you see fit.
Other Soup Recipes You Might Also Like:
If you try this Barefoot Contessa Style Cold Cucumber Soup recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
This recipe is adapted (with minor ingredient changes) from Ina Garten’s “Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp” recipe in her book Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
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Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe by Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
For the Cold Cucumber Soup:
- 2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 ripe avocado halved and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 English cucumber unpeeled (or half-peeled), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 4 scallions both white and green parts, chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice approximately from 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For The Shrimp Topping:
- 1/2 pound large shrimp 16/21, deveined and peeled – pat dry with paper towels
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
As Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill for garnish
- Pinch of crushed red pepper optional
- Coarse salt to finish it off
Instructions
- Puree: Place yogurt, avocado, half and half, cucumber, red onion, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, salt and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until cucumbers are coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning and add more, if necessary.
- Chill: Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to marinate for at least one hour* in the fridge.
- Cook shrimp: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place shrimp onto a baking sheet in one even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 5-7 minutes, making sure to turn once during cooking.
- Serve: When ready to serve, ladle the chilled soup into bowls. Top off with a few pieces of shrimp, fresh dill, lemon slices, and crushed red pepper, if using. Finish it off with a pinch of coarse sea salt & serve!
Notes
- This recipe serves 6 appetizer portions and 4 main dish portions.
- Taste before serving: The salt amount used might look like a lot but it is not a typo. This cucumber soup needs a lot of seasoning. If you want to use less, you can start with 1 teaspoon and decide whether you want to add more after giving it a taste.
- Make it ahead: You can make the soup portion of this recipe a day ahead. However, I would recommend roasting the shrimp right before serving. And be sure to whisk to soup well before garnishing and serving.
- Puree until your desired consistency is reached. If you prefer a smoother texture, puree longer and vice versa.
- Not a fan of dill? You can use other fresh herbs like fresh Italian parsley or mint. Or, for a milder dill flavor, feel free to use dried dill.
Attila
Recipe was amazing!
Definitely use less of the red onion amount in the recipe is overpowering
The flavors are so good and balanced and smooth especially when serve with other protein or vegetables. Will make this recipe again and again
Aysegul Sanford
Hello Atilla,
YAY! Happy to hear you liked it. It is a great summer soup for sure.
Noted on the red onion.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers!
Susan M. Murray
The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of lemon juice but the instructions do not include it. That seems like a lot of lemon juice. I added it to my first batch very tangy then made a second without and combined the two. Still pretty tangy.
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Susan,
Thank you so much for pointing it out. I am very sorry that I missed adding it in the recipe.
I just made the correction. I put it in to the mixture at the beginning with everything else.
I am a fan of the tanginess that comes from the lemon. However, if you like it less tangy you can certainly adjust it.
Thanks again.
Best,
Ice
zerrin
I’m a big fan of cacik and our favorite summer meal is menemen and cacik. Never thought of adding avocado, onion or shrimp in it. Sounds like a great twist!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Zerrin,
I know.. Who would have thought to add avocado, right??! But I promise it makes it so delicious, you may never want to go back.. 🙂
Ben bizzat kendim
Adeta bir sanat eseri! Ayrıca bu mükemmel blogu hazırladığınız için önünüzde saygıyla eğiliyorum. Gerçekten bütün tarifler “pure class” 🙂 acayip şaşırdım ve tuhaf bir şekilde aynı milletten olduğumuz için gururlandım. (bana n’oluyosa) Neyse, keep up the wonderful work!
Aysegul Sanford
Merhaba,
Blogumu begenmis olmaniz beni gercekten cok memnun etti. Guzel sozleriniz icin cok tesekkur ederim.
Umarim tariflerin bazilarini deneme sansiniz olur.
Sevgiler.
Aysegul
Chrissann
This sounds amazing, perfect for summer nights!