Cold Zucchini Soup with Buttermilk recipe

Cold zucchini soup with buttermilk is not the first recipe that comes to mind when you think about refreshing soups for summer, but we love to make it at least once a year.

Close to our home, there are these beautiful gardens that people can “rent” and enjoy going outdoors and a little bit of gardening. While walking our dog, we ended up in the gardens and we were stopped by a man who asked us if we want zucchini. He had a crate full of zucchini, with a sign in front of it that said “zum Mitnehmen”, which means practically to take away. Then, he offered us one giant zucchini and said we could take more. But one was more than enough for our needs.

Getting at home with this giant zucchini, we decided to make some cold zucchini soup with buttermilk and save some to fry with an egg crust.

And what a great idea that was!

Cold soups during summer are a great way to stay hydrated and get the necessary vitamins. Not to mention, most of them are vegetarian, so you can enjoy them guilt-free.

Cold Zucchini Soup with Buttermilk recipe

The recipe is simple. 

One small onion, zucchini cut in small bites, water, salt, buttermilk, and some dill.

The first thing you have to do is to prepare the onion. Chop it into small pieces and them in a pot place two spoons of cooking oil and set the heat to medium. Add the onion to the hot oil and stir it until it becomes translucent.

After that, add the chopped zucchini and stir for 2 more minutes.

Cover them entirely with water and let them boil for 20-30 minutes. After the zucchini is soft enough, remove the pot from the stove and wait until it is almost cool, before adding your buttermilk.

Then, add some finely chopped dill. It gives the soup a discrete flavor and it goes perfect with zucchini (and cucumbers). Add salt to the taste, after you add the buttermilk, to prevent it from becoming too salty.

Before serving this soup, make sure you chill it in the fridge for at least two hours.

How to make buttermilk and buttermilk substitutes

The only downside was that we did not have any buttermilk, so we had to make some. I think you can use this “buttermilk” recipe in anything when making Irish buttermilk bread, fluffy pancakes, or cakes.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you could make some from milk and vinegar. The recipe is one cup milk, one tablespoon of vinegar. You let them sit for around 40 minutes at room temperature and then you will notice the milk starts to curdle. It is then ready to be used as it is.

Another substitute for buttermilk in this recipe is sour cream or yogurt. Just try and see how you like it more.

Full Course Meals

When you have guests, you can serve them small portions of cold zucchini soup before the appetizers.

Do you have any other recipes you could do with these types of zucchini?

Do you love to cook with seasonal fruits and vegetables? Please share your experience with us, comment below, or tag @basilbunch.blog on Instagram and hashtag it #basilbunchblog. We would love to see your creation!