Craving something light, healthy, and refreshing—no stove required? Put our Watermelon Gazpacho recipe in your summer menu rotation for a palate-pleasing cold soup that’s easy to make with your Vitamix. 

Watermelon season runs from May to September in the U.S., but if you’re after the juiciest, sweetest slices, July and August are peak times to buy. Thumping watermelons is fun, but it doesn’t guarantee you’ve picked a good one. Think heavy, dull, round, and ugly for the best watermelon.

  • Heavy: Watermelons are 92% water, so you should feel a little heft when you pick up a good one .

  • Dull: Shiny looks great, but only dull, dark watermelons with waxy-looking skin are really ripe.

  • Round: Round and oval melons tend to be sweeter, so look for ones that are uniform in shape.

  • Ugly: An orange or dark yellow field spot—the area where the watermelon rested on the ground—means the melon is full of flavor. And large webbing and sugar spots aren’t blemishes; they’re signs you’ve picked a sweet one.

Watermelons are low in calories and fat and packed with nutrients like vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as potassium, magnesium, calcium, fiber, and antioxidants such as lycopene. Watermelons are also a zero-waste food. While most people tend to eat the red or yellow flesh inside, the rind can be pickled, candied, or stir-fried. 

Once you’ve found the perfect melon, making Watermelon Gazpacho is as easy as blend, pulse, chill, and serve. Using watermelon instead of tomatoes for the cold soup’s base changes the flavor profile from savory to sweet; adding jalapeños balances that sweetness with a kick of heat, hitting the popular “swicy” trend—sweet with heat. Jalapeños can range from mild to spicier-than-you-thought, so sample a bit of your chile pepper before adding to ensure your desired heat level.

With your Vitamix, making this gazpacho is easy. You can achieve every texture you need with just one machine. The Variable Speed Control lets you adjust how smooth or chunky you want ingredients, and the Pulse feature gives you quick bursts of chopping power. Start by blending the watermelon until smooth, then pulse the other ingredients for that classic gazpacho texture. Let it chill for at least two hours so the flavors can meld and the air bubbles can settle. Serve as a cool entrée or in glass shooters for fun summer hors d'oeuvres.

Ingredients:

3 cups (400 g) watermelon
½ (90 g) red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
½ (30 g) jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
1 (20 g) green onion
½ (50 g) English cucumber
¼ cup (6 g) fresh cilantro leaves, stems included
1 ½  cups (250 g) cherry tomatoes
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Step 1
Place the watermelon into the Vitamix container and secure the lid. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 20 seconds, using the tamper to push ingredients toward the blades, or until watermelon is blended smooth.

Step 2
Remove the lid and place the remaining ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.

Step 3
Select Variable 7. Pulse 5 to 8 times, or until vegetables are chopped to your desired consistency. Chill the gazpacho for at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!