Vegan, cream of basil soup.
I really don’t mind cooking when it’s hot outside. I actually love to cook in the summertime, and I know this makes me a crazy person. My love for cooking in July started long before I had central air conditioning here in St. Louis. When I lived in Philly, I’d crank my oven so high I swear my tiny apartment was about to burst into flames.There’s something about the produce in the heat of the summer that inspires me on a primal level. The colors. The textures. The plentiful bounty at the market, in my CSA box and {now} in my garden. I think we probably all feel the same way, like we can never get enough of the summer veg.
We become vegetable hoarders. We covet them. And we literally fight people {or squirrels} for them until they run out. Often I’m drawn to roasting them. Eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini. I pop tray after tray of them into the oven. Keeping it simple, all with just a little sea salt and a splash of olive oil and whole garlic cloves right in their skins. The flavors deepen, the notes soften, and everything tastes the perfect amount of sweet. I don’t know why. It doesn’t matter the season, or temperature outside. Roasted food always tastes the best to me.
And even though eating trays of roasted summery veg isn’t too heavy, there are still some summer days when all I want to eat is raw, lighter foods. Like smoothie bowls for breakfast, salads for lunch and raw soups, like this one for dinner. This cream of basil soup is totally raw and vegan and naturally gluten-free and requires practically no work at all to throw together. It has a smooth finish and it’s herby in spirit. But please don’t miss the corn and cucumber salad, it totally makes the dish and rounds out all the flavors with a little acid. Also, this soup is perfect thing to make with the abundance of basil I have right now. I seriously have, so, much, basil.
If you’re like me and enjoy cooking during the summer, but also don’t want to turn your oven on, maybe you should look into getting one of these Wolf convection ovens. I won this beast at the Saveur Blog Awards, and seriously, it is so badass. All the bells and whistles you guys. Legit the most serious piece of cooking equipment I own. And probably that I’ll ever own, and I love it.
What do you favor in the summer, raw or roasted?
Here are few of my popular summer recipes that favor both…
Banana Mango Green Smoothie Bowls with Hemp Seeds + Sprouts
Summer’s Bounty Chopped Kale Salad with Nectarines + Zesty Lime Vinaigrette
Basil Roasted Eggplant with Heirlooms + a Balsamic Drizzle
Cabbage Wedges with Corn + an Herby Spicy Zesty Vinaigrette
Blackberry + Mango Lemon Poppy Seed Fruit Salad with Earl Grey Whipped Coconut Cream
Chilled Cream of Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups of raw cashews soaked {see notes}
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 1/2 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the soaked cashews, and discard soaking liquids.
- In a blender pulse together, on low the cashews and water. Add in the basil, spinach, garlic, salt and pepper and blend on low until totally smooth.
- Transfer soup to a airtight container and refrigerator for at least one hour or until chilled all the way through.
- Serve with a few spoonfuls of corn and cucumber salad {see below} and a drizzle of olive oil + pinch of sea salt and pepper.
Notes
Corn Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 3 ears of sweet corn {2 cups off the cob}
- 1 small-medium cucumber peeled if desired {1 1/2 cups diced
- large handful of parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine or apple cider vinegar
- juice from 1/2 lemon {about 1 tablespoon}
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Remove the corn from the cob. Dice the cucumber in small pieces.
- Combine the corn kernels, diced cucumber, chopped parsley, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper in a bowl and toss together to coat evenly. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Millie | Add A Little says
This looks incredible! I love the fresh, summery flavours and the beauty of the simplicity of the dish!
Michelle @ Hummingbird High says
OMG, this soup is all sorts of hearts. I just love that pale green color!
Maria says
How long would this raw soup keep do you think?
Sherrie says
Hi Maria – in an airtight container, refrigerated, about 2-3 days.
Kristan@the-broken-bread says
Vegetable hoarders, I love that! Sherrie, I can’t tell you how much I love your site and your photography, it’s perfect. That soup looks so beautiful! That pale green and smooth texture is so lovely.
Sherrie says
This comment totally made my day. All my love girl!
Sonja says
This is so gorgeous, Sherrie! The photos are stunning, and it sounds fabulous.
Sarah | Well and Full says
Haha, the summer turns me into a vegetable hoarder as well! Just the other day I was at the farmers’ market and I saw some perfectly ripe plums. So naturally, I got all of them! There is something so appealing about fresh produce that has just come from the local land. I love it! And what a beautiful way to showcase these summer flavors here. I love how simple and natural this gazpacho is!
Christina J Bollinger says
Sherrie, I can’t get the ‘print me’ links to work in either Safari or Chrome.
Sherrie says
Hi Christina – there was a glitch. It should work now.
Brittany says
This soup looks amazing and perfect for summer. I love that you just toss everything into your blender and chill.
Sherrie says
YES – it’s super easy-peasy.
Ashley says
Girl, the photography on this post is my absolute favorite.
Sherrie says
xo !!!!
Barbara Uchmanowicz says
Hi I stumbled upon this recipe looking for some dish with basil (which I had a whole buch of). Just made the soup and corn salad to go with it. It tastes wonderful! And the salad gives the right amount of crunch. Even my meat loving husband says, it’s really good! Thank you!
kristie {birch and wild} says
What an amazing idea. I have never had a soup like this, but I can’t wait to try it! Beautiful photos here. So stunning.
Luna says
Hi! This soup looks so delicious but unfortunately, I’m allergic to cashews. Could I possibly replace the cashews with another nut?
Sherrie says
Hi Luna – to keep the soup raw you could try pine nuts or macadamia nuts. I haven’t tried it with either, but both would create a creamy texture. Otherwise, you could try white beans. I hope this helps.
Genevieve says
My boyfriend’s parents (in STL, actually!) have a Wolf stove and it is seriously THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER COOKED ON. I just can’t go back to my normal stove now. I love making pies during the summer (who could resist, with all the amazing fruit?) but I have to say I prefer cooling foods like smoothies, juices, big chopped salads, and chilled soups like this one. The produce this time of year is amazing so it isn’t difficult to eat partially or mostly raw. It’s been so hot and humid- if someone handed me a bowl of hot soup I think I would run in the other direction, haha!
Amanda Paa says
Convection ovens save me in the summer too. I can only imagine how awesome the Wolf one is. I have plans to makes this soon. Cashews are so magical aren’t they? And I just successfully reintroduced corn this week, which I would have cried to have left out. Yay! xo
Grace @ Earthy Feast says
Such beautiful bowls of soup filled to the brim with the loveliest shade of light green! I’m in love and so inspired with all this and also really jealous of your convection oven.
Jasmin says
I love to cook in the summer too, but during the night time. I could stay until 3am to make some complicated dish, or to whip up some huge layered cake. And I could easily stay one of these nights up and make this basil soup – it just started to blossom in my garden.
Mary says
This is beautiful. I made it and the smell is incredible. How did you get this so extremely smooth, though? I use a food processor, which is mich more powerful than the old blender I used to use, but I definitely don’t get the silky texture pictured here. I soaked raw cashews for probably 8 hours. My texture is more like soft sand in solution. Maybe less water next time?
Sherrie says
Hi Mary – ugh sorry to hear the texture for you wasn’t so great. I think your issue was using a food processor, and not a blender. A blender’s main function is to blend food smooth, while a food processor’s function is to chop, shred, grate, etc. So as old as your blender is, it was probably a better option. I hope you try to make it again!
Yulia Foster says
Hi this looks delicious and I have a ton of basil. I don’t have cashews so wondering how I would make this non-vegan/non raw? Thank you.
Sherrie says
Hi Yulia – using white beans would be a great solution for the cashews!
Ali says
This looks wonderful and prompted a morning trip to my local produce market. Cashews are soaking now. Soup in one hour! Thank you!
Joseph says
This looks like a good summery soup. I like things I don’t have to cook over the stove in the summer lol. Using nuts and water to provide a creamy base is a very inventive use of cashews and adds extra protein to make the soup more filling. And not only does the spinach add color, the raw spinach will add other nutrients as well, such as an iron boost. Thank you!
Brett says
How long do you typically blend to get it “perfectly smooth”?
Sherrie says
Hi Brett – it really depends on the blender you are using. But it could take up to a few minutes.
Carol H. says
I have made this soup several times over the past few months. It’s absolutely delicious. I must admit to making a few modifications due to lack of ingredients on hand, as well as to a whim or two. I have used small white beans instead of cashews. And my family is not vegan so I’ve added some buttermilk to enhance its creaminess. Finally, I had a ripe avocado and blended it in as well. Loved it all. Such a pretty soup that’s truly tasty and fresh. Now, I know what I will do with excess basil this summer. Yum and thanks!
Sherrie says
Hi Carol – you are so welcome! It’s a favorite of mine as well. I love it so much.
Muriel says
I don’t eat vegan or dairy free- so what do I use in place of the cashews. I saw white beans. Anything else. I do eat dairy. Thank you.
Sherrie says
Hi Muriel – the cashews add a lovely texture and creamy base. I would suggest trying the cashews for something new. Or the white beans if you’d rather.
Nicole says
I made this soup last night and it was delicious! I added some tamari and nutritional yeast for additional flavor. Just a note – the spinach is not included in the directions. I’m sure most people figure it out, but just wanted to mention that!
Sherrie says
Hi Nicole – I’m so glad you loved this. And thank you for the note about the spinach! Whoops – sorry about that. I’ve made the necessary changes to recipe.