Gazpacho is a cold soup from the Andalusian region of Spain and is often eaten in the summer. If you are used to making meals in bulk, you may be wondering … can I batch-cook and freeze gazpacho?
Can You Freeze Gazpacho?
Yes, you can freeze gazpacho for up to 8 months. You can make large batches of gazpacho, either smooth or chunky, and portion it into freezer-safe glass containers for placing into the freezer.
Does Gazpacho Freeze Well? Yes
Can You Refreeze Gazpacho? Yes
How to Freeze Gazpacho
Gazpacho was traditionally made by mixing stale bread with olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and water and adding vegetables and nuts to the broth.
Modern adaptations of gazpacho tend to make the base out of tomatoes.
You can keep the soup quite chunky, with cubes or slices of vegetables throughout the soup, or you can blitz the soup into a smoother consistency. Luckily, both will freeze well but have slightly different preparations.
How to Freeze Smooth Gazpacho
If you like your gazpacho silky and smooth then the method for freezing it is fairly simple:
- Make Gazpacho: Follow your favourite gazpacho recipe and blitz it into a smooth soup using an immersion blender. You could then pass it through a sieve to ensure it is silky smooth.
- Separate Into Individual Servings: As with most dishes you plan on freezing, it’s best to freeze in individual portions to make defrosting easier and quicker.
- Pour Into Containers: Pour your soup into freezer-safe ziplock bags or into containers, preferably glass.
- Label and Date: As always, write the meal name and the date of freezing on the bag or freezer container.
- Freeze: Find a space in your freezer and freeze your gazpacho for 6-8 months.
How to Freeze Chunky Gazpacho
If you prefer texture in your gazpacho, then here is how to freeze a chunky soup. The major difference is that you’ll need to ensure you evenly distribute the chunks between each portion:
- Make Your Favourite Gazpacho: Follow your favourite gazpacho recipe, but instead, do not blitz and you can leave this soup chunky.
- Separate Into Individual Servings: As with most dishes you plan on freezing, it’s best to freeze in individual portions to make defrosting easier and quicker.
- Pour Into Containers: Pour your soup into freezer-safe ziplock bags or into containers, preferably glass.
- Label and Date: As always, write the meal name and the date of freezing on the bag or freezer container.
- Freeze: Find a space in your freezer and freeze your gazpacho for 6-8 months.
4 Tips for Freezing Gazpacho
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 4 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing gazpacho to have the best results:
Squeeze Air Out
When sealing your ziplock bags of soup, be sure to squeeze out as much air as you can before placing it into the freezer. This will prevent the bag from exploding as the soup freezes.
Consider What Chunks are Used
Some things you may use in your chunky soup may not freeze particularly well. For example, vegetables with a higher water content as they tend to form ice crystals which lead to a degradation in texture. In addition, chunks of bread will also not freeze well.
Leave Space
If you are freezing your soup in a plastic or glass container, be sure to leave about an inch of space to the top to allow the soup room to expand as it freezes.
Use Glass Containers
It’s highly recommended you use a glass container for your soup because many of the ingredients that are used will stain plastic, namely tomatoes.
How Long Can You Freeze Gazpacho?
You can freeze gazpacho for up to 8 months when stored properly. As always, the sooner you use your frozen soup, the better.
Beyond 8 months, it is likely to be perfectly safe to eat but you will notice some drastic changes to both the flavour and texture.
You can keep gazpacho in the fridge for around 3 to 4 days in an airtight container or in a covered bowl.
How Do You Defrost Gazpacho?
Gazpacho is an easy meal to defrost, and given that it is a dish served cold, no need for a microwave! It is best to know ahead of time when you will be wanting to consume your gazpacho, as it does require a fair amount of time to thaw.
When you want to thaw your gazpacho, simply leave it out on the counter for 90% of the time and then allow the remaining 10% to thaw in the fridge.
It’s best to do this overnight. If you are thawing a blended, smooth gazpacho, you may want to give it another blast in the blender to ensure all the ingredients are combined again and it will bring the texture of the gazpacho back to life.
Can You Refreeze Gazpacho?
Whilst refreezing is never really the ideal practice, gazpacho is a dish that you could refreeze after it has been thawed. It will remain perfectly safe to refreeze – assuming you’ve not used any meat products.
You may find that the texture becomes a little watery after freezing it multiple times, however.
Does Gazpacho Freeze Well?
Yes, gazpacho does freeze well.
Given its liquid consistency, it will set very nicely in whatever container it is stored in. Just be sure to double-check the ingredients used, as some chunks of vegetables could cause some difficulty.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing gazpacho or gazpacho in general, then these may help:
Gazpacho can be kept in the fridge for around 4 days. It must be kept in an airtight container or kept covered. When you want to eat it, you’ll need to give it a good stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
Although a traditional gazpacho is made with tomatoes, it can be made with a range of refreshing ingredients. Any type of gazpacho, including watermelon, can be frozen.
