I think everyone will agree that all melons – watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew – are best eaten in their prime, when they’re sweet and firm. But sometimes, you’ll buy a melon that has gone past its prime or one that, you can tell, is just never going to get there. Either the melon is overripe and mushy or under ripe and not very sweet. When this happens, a cold soup is a great way to save the melon and actually enjoy it. My favorite is this Cold Cantaloupe Soup with Cucumber. This soup makes a great starter, a palate cleanser, or a complement to a grilled cheese sandwich. The sweetness of the cantaloupe is balanced with the spiciness of pickled pepper vinegar and the savory bite of ground white pepper.
Cantaloupe is not the only melon that can be used to make this soup. You can used just about any fall, sweet or semi-sweet melon. I’ve never tried it with watermelon, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. A mix of melons add a very interesting and exciting flavor. So experiment and have fun!
Cold Cantaloupe Soup
A sweet and savory chilled soup made with late summer and fall produce. It does need to be chilled overnight before serving OR if all of the ingredients are already cold, serve immediately.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- ½ cantaloupe*
- ½ medium cucumber, peeled
- 1 Tbsp. minced sweet onion
- 1 Tbsp. pickled pepper vinegar or lime juice*
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. white pepper*
- ½ cup milk of milk substitute I used Organic Brown Rice milk
- Chopped fresh mint
- Place all ingredients except for the mint in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- If too thick to your liking, add a bit more milk.
Transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator overnight to chill*.
- When ready to serve, pour into serving cups or bowls and top with mint.
Cantaloupe – The main thing to keep in mind when determining if a melon would work with this soup is its sweetness. If the melon is really sweet, then the soup is going to be really sweet. The acid and the pepper do tone the sweetness down some, but it might not be enough for some palates. The last melon I used was an overripe muskmelon. It was overripe mushy but not very sweet; therefore, it made a slightly sweet and savory cold cantaloupe soup.
Pickled Pepper Vinegar – This is the preferred acid for this cantaloupe soup because it’s spicy and garlicky. However lime juice, olive brine, or a dash of rice vinegar also works. If you want a little spiciness, add a dash of hot sauce or pepper sauce, or throw a couple slices of jalapeño into the blender.
White pepper – I love to salt and pepper my cantaloupe; therefore, I thought that same seasoning would be great with this cantaloupe soup. I’ve made this soup with both back pepper and white pepper and, to me, the white pepper is excellent. So I highly recommend it. However, if you don’t have white pepper, don’t hesitate to use black pepper.
Milk or milk substitute – This ingredient is used to help create a smooth and creamy texture. Almond milk and rice milk are my preferences.
Chilling Soup – Chill the soup overnight before serving, or chill all of the ingredients before making the soup. Once made, serve immediately.
If you are looking for something else to do with cantaloupe, here are a couple more ideas.
Cantaloupe Walnut Salad with Lime Dressing
For more cold soup recipes, check out this roundup of more than 20 chilled soups.
I have had cold cucumber soup and separately cold melon soup but what a great idea to combine the two in one soup! And perfect for our current heat wave. Hate getting a melon that is not just right.
Thanks Evelyne! The combination of the two does work. 🙂
It did happen to me last weekend! With watermelon… it was so overripe and soft, I threw it away. I didn’t have this genius idea to make a soup! This cantaloupe soup looks so gorgeous, one would never guess it’s made with overripe produce. Fabulous idea! Now that the melons are ending and it’s more and more difficult to find a nice firm one, I will remember your fantastic recipe.
Thanks so much Sissi! Don’t you just hate it when that happens! You pay good money for a melon and it’s mush. When that happens with watermelon I usually extract the juice and make watermelon coolers. Sorry to read you threw it away. 🙁
I am certain I would LOVE this soup MJ! It does look pretty enough to be dessert! But I love the savory elements that tone down the sweetness. And you know, I don’t recall ever using white pepper before, so I’m going to have to investigate that, too! Lovely soup and really beautiful photos! : )
Thanks so much Anne! Be prepared…white pepper is a totally different flavor than black pepper. It’s my standard for white sauces such as bechamel. I love it with melon as well, obviously. ?
I definitely think I could pass this off for a meal here with a grilled cheese. Definitely.
Thanks Debra!
I think the family member who would agree most heartily with you about capturing melons at their peak of freshness is Monsieur Black, our cat (that obligate carnivore who adores watermelon, cucumber, red pepper & melon – go figure…how weird and wonderful is that?). What a great combination of ingredients you have going on in this chilled soup MJ – yes, the tension between over and under sweet fruit…and sometimes, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on behind the skin, try as you might. I like the idea of repurposing food this way and your soup is a beautiful example of how to make it happen!
A cat that eats melon? That’s a new one. ? my wild turtles in the backyard usually get some of the overripe melon, but I’ve had to stop putting it out the past couple of years because raccoons like it too. They? also like turtle. ? so in an effort to not attract the raccoons, I’ve been feeding the turtles snails and catfood and only when I happen to see them. They stayed tucked in the vines a lot.
We all hate throwing food away, but I think many of us, which includes you, are good at repurposing. If I can’t find some way to eat it, then it’s compost and helps to feed next years garden. ? thanks for your comments Darlin! Have a great week!
I like the sound of the pickled pepper vinegar. i’ve never heard of it before and I’d love to try it. This soup looks very refreshing and I love its vibrant colour xx
I never throw the vinegar out even though the pickled peppers are gone. The vinegar is as good as the pickled peppers. You should give them a try. Thanks for the comments.
A great tip for using imperfect melon! The soup looks great, and I love the addition of the spicy/peppery elements. Can’t wait to give this one a try 🙂
Thanks Viviane! I hope you do give it a try!
What a wonderful way to use up a less than stellar melon! I’d hate to admit that I sometimes toss out a melon past it’s prime. This is a winning recipe, lots of seasonal flavor and less food wasted!
Thanks Deb! You aren’t the only one that tosses bad melons. I’m guilty at times myself. That’s probably why I made this recipe so easy to make. You can make this soup in the just about the same amount of time that it takes me to chop it up for compost. 🙂
I am not a fan of cold soups but this one I might give a shot.
I hope you do give it a try. It might change your mind about cold soups. 🙂
Looks like the perfect soup for a hot summer evening treat.
It definitely is. Thanks!
Such a refreshing and tasty summer soup! Gorgeous colour and flavour, MJ.
Thanks Angie!
Love chilled soups in the summer! So refreshing. I’ve never made a cantaloupe one — love its color, though, so I really need to. This looks excellent — thanks.
Thanks John! I’m a huge chilled soup fan so I usually make a few every summer. There very refreshing and when they are as easy as this one, it’s hard to ignore. 🙂
Wild cold soup—–nice variation of cucumber soup. If nothing else I love the color.
Perfect for this time of year—Of course.
Had to pin this one.
Thanks so much Carol! Hope you’re doing well!