Well, of course there are fruit soups, if you like that kind of thing (sweet). :) I found out in my Chinese take out days that good soup is usually good cold. I love cold hot and sour soup and cold egg drop soup. Also, Asian style soups with a dish of vegetables with broth poured over can be good cold if the veg have been lightly steamed or wilted or something. Those might be an acquired taste, but I think butternut squash soup is better cold then warm. The flavors are more distinct cold.

There's also a cold mushroom cream soup that I've had (supposed to be cold) that's out of this world, but I don't know what makes it different from other mushroom soups. Celery soup and asparagus soup are both served cold, and if they're not loaded up with creams can be very refreshing. And cucumber soup. Carrot ginger soup isn't so bad cold out of the fridge if you're too lazy to heat it, but it's not something I'd serve to someone else. :)

Hm... I see a theme here: The soups that are best cold are mostly ones with a single flavor profile and don't have a lot of stuff that needs chewing in them. There are exceptions all around, but that's a starting point.

I once had a delicious cold strawberry soup at an Herb Festival in the NC mountains! Wish I had a recipe for that!

A cold cucumber soup can be very refreshing also, may be very easy now that we have lovely Greek yogurt....."think tzatziki in a soup form!"

Here is a link that might be useful: Chilled Greek Yogurt Soup from the shiksa.com

Sopa de Aguacate (avocado soup) is often served cold. There are many recipes on the web. Basically, it is just avocado pureed in the blender with some rich chicken broth. Very good.

Cucumber Yogurt soup is made by mixing finely chopped cucumber with plain yogurt, dill and a bit of lemon juice or vinegar. Refreshing.

I've seen recipes where avocado is included in cucumber yogurt soup. Never tried it.

Jim

Removed duplicate post.

This post was edited by jimster on Fri, Mar 28, 14 at 22:35

There are many cold watermelon soup recipes.

I enjoy making all versions. Including ones using the white watermelon rind.

dcarch

My favorite cold soup is minted pea soup. No real recipe but it only takes a short time to make. I clean and slice up one large or two small leeks and simmer them until soft in a couple of cups of chicken or vegetable broth.

Then I add about 1/4 cup of chopped outer celery leaves, a few sprigs of parsley and a bag of frozen green peas. Bring to a boil and simmer until the peas are cooked but still nice and green. After adding about a tablespoon of chopped fresh mint, I purée the mixture in the pot with a stick blender.

I don't add any dairy to it but I guess you could.

I also like to purée chunks of a ripe cantelope, a couple of peeled fresh peaches and juice of an orange with a sprinkle of ground coriander and Kosher salt and serve it in chilled bowls.

Check out this selection..... :-) -Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Allrecipes.com - cold soups

Avocado soup is my favorite cold soup, and I make it like Jim's, except that I add lime juice to it. I prefer it without other ingredients than that, as I like to taste the avocado, but a bit of cilantro for garnish is okay, and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt is also acceptable. I do not like tomatoes in it, but I do like tomato soup.

Lars

I think it is spring. Yesterday we had all four seasons....a.m., rain, sleet, then snow, high winds, fog, some snow. By 2p.m. it was sunny and calm and in the high 50's. Home early and did yard work in t-shirts.

I made a fresh salsa to go with burgers. I made way too much so i took a cup of it and added a cucumber and whizzed in the high speedy blender...topped with a bit of chunky salsa and avocado we had gazpacho while the kaiser rolls were in the oven. Our first intentional cold soup of the season.

I've been making warm soups, all last month, my 'March Madness'. I guess i call them chowders but they are veggie based. All have been good cold...sometimes by necessity without a source of heating for lunches.
I just can't control the quantity for 2 servings and make enough for four or six, but that's fine.
We welcome the leftovers. I always start with a savory base like a leek, shallot, garlic, etc.
Then a fruit like meyer lemon, apple. Then a veg...asparagus, sweet corn, a frozen chunk of winter squash, or cubed sweet potato. Savory, sweet and a veg thickener. The flavor profile is really just one theme like Thai or Greek, Spanish depending on spices.

I've been taking out a couple pints after whizzing a bit in the blender for a bit of body, then chilling and adding a chopped cuke, some green onions, slices of avocado, and parsley, cilantro or dill for the next days lunch. Maybe a bit of yogurt or coconut milk.

We prefer our cold soups thin. Always a challenge looking for the provider of a thin broth.
Watermelon is a good one. The garden is never in sync. The first up is chives, wild thyme and rhubarb, maybe some early baby leeks, so i'll be trying some rhubarb purees and juices as my 'tart' taste in place of lemon or lime.

Here is a link that might be useful: more cold soups

I had a memorable classic gazpacho about 10 years ago. They must have used a ring mold like a biscuit cutter. Savory, lightly spicy, a bit sweet. Surrounding the 'ring' of classic red, minimal chunky, gazpacho was a puree of pale green. (must have lifted the ring mold just before serving)

The closest i've come to that beauty was roasting halved tomatillos and blending with a quarter honeydew melon and some lime juice, and a bit of halapeno and cilantro.
Tart, a little sweet, with some heat.

Here is a link that might be useful: honeydew cucumber soup

Here's my recipe for Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup. Even people who have said they usually dislike cold soups praised it.

This makes about 36 oz which should serve about 6 as an appetizer

Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup

3 large cucumbers (peeled and seeded)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dill weed

After peeling and seeding cucumbers, chop them into 1/2" cubes and place in colander. Sprinkle all of the salt on the cucumber pieces and let sit for 10 minutes. (to draw out some of the moisture and any bitterness)

Next place salted cucumbers in food processor or blender with all of the remaining ingredients, blend until desired smoothness.

Chill for about an hour and serve.

Here is a link that might be useful: The original post

Shchav!

How could I forget that! (Oh. Right. I don't like it.) Eastern European sorrel soup. You should see all the ladies fighting over the sorrel when it comes in...

Here are some favorites (the zucchini/basil soup can be served either hot or cold)...

Sol

Glorious soups in elegant settings, Ruthanna and Sol!

dcarch