Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
CUCUMBER & CHIVE SOUP — what a refreshing first course for a summer dinner party! It’s also a delicious way to use up the large cukes in your garden. If you have a food processor, you can make this vegetarian, no-cook puree in about 5 minutes:
Cucumber and Chive Soup
Ingredients for approximately 4 servings
4-5 large cucumbers
1 Tbs fresh chives, roughly minced
10 fresh, whole mint leaves
1/2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
4 heaping Tbs sour cream
Preparing the cucumbers — Peel, halve, and seed cucumbers. Remove seeds by scraping them out with a spoon, as illustrated above. Then roughly slice the cucumbers into one-inch pieces.
Toss cucumber pieces and 1/2 Tbs sugar in a big bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes while juices are rendered.
Processing — Pour cucumbers and their juices, minced chives, whole mint leaves and apple cider vinegar into the bowl of your food processor. Process for 20 seconds or so, until a thick puree is achieved. Add sour cream, and process for 5 seconds more. Transfer puree to a clean bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
Chilling — Set the bowl in your refrigerator for an hour or more before serving.
Serving — ladle soup into bowls, and garnish each, if you wish, with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of minced chives, and a paper-thin slice of cucumber.
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Adele says
I'll give your soup a try!
It's not only a great use for cucumbers, but mint, too. I have waaaay too much of both!!!
Eric says
Kevin, thanks. I needed some easy way to use up my cukes! I'm going to make this TODAY.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Adele & Eric – Great! Let me know how you like the soup.
Eric says
Kevin, it's gggrrreat! I fooled around with the ingredients a bit, adding more mint (about a half cup of fresh leaves) and white vinegar instead of apple cider, which I didn't have in the house.
Anyway, very easy and fresh-tasting. 5 stars!
suscha says
Wow my mouth is watering just looking at the soup! Can't wait to “put up a batch”!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Eric – Glad you played with the proportions/ingredients. That's what cooking is all about!
Suscha – Do it!
Yolanda says
I sent your recipe to a friend, and she said “What, no chicken broth?” Is chicken broth usually added to cucumber soup?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Yolanda – Yes, chicken broth is often called for in cucumber soup recipes. Not mine, though. I happen to think the addition of poultry “fowls” the otherwise vegetarian brew!
Tammy says
Kevin, I been making this soup recipe of yours every cucumber season since you published this recipe — it’s a favorite and truly refreshing.
Now I’m staring at a very large bowl of cucumbers that I just brought in from the garden and wondering if this recipe would freeze ok so I can enjoy over the winter. I don’t think of cukes as particularly freezer friendly.
What do you think? Have you ever tried freezing it? I can juice them all and freeze the cuke juice in ice cube trays for other uses, but I’d sure love some of this soup instead!