5 cold summer soups under 250 kcal — exact grams and macros

In the heat a hot lunch just won't go down, but you still need to eat properly. A cold soup solves this best: it refreshes like a drink but fills you up like a meal. And almost all of them skip the stove — blend the vegetables, or chop and pour.

We put together 5 options — each under 250 kcal, with exact grams and macros per serving. We deliberately left okroshka out: its cold-base question (kefir vs kvass) has so many nuances it deserves its own breakdown.

Why a cold soup is a smart summer choice

Cold soups are almost entirely vegetables and water, so they give a lot of volume for few calories: a big, genuinely filling bowl easily fits into 100-200 kcal. That's exactly what you want in a deficit — fullness without overshooting on energy.

The second upside: vegetables served raw or nearly raw keep more vitamins than after long boiling. And if you add a protein base (kefir, Greek yogurt, egg, feta), it stops being "I just drank some vegetables" and becomes a full meal that doesn't leave you reaching for seconds half an hour later.

1. Gazpacho — ~110 kcal (300 g serving)

P: 3 | F: 4 | C: 15

The Spanish classic and the lightest soup on the list. Tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, a clove of garlic, and a spoon of olive oil — all in the blender, then chilled. Almost pure vegetables: minimal calories, maximum flavor and vitamins. The spoon of oil isn't wasted here — it helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins from the tomatoes.

2. Kefir beet soup (kholodnik) — ~140 kcal (300 g)

P: 8 | F: 4 | C: 18

Boiled beets, cucumber, a boiled egg, and herbs over 1% kefir. Pretty, filling, and with protein — from the kefir and the egg. It's handy to boil the beets a couple of days ahead, so the soup comes together in five minutes. The fermented-milk base also goes easy on digestion.

3. Tarator — ~160 kcal (300 g)

P: 9 | F: 8 | C: 12

A Bulgarian cold soup on Greek yogurt: cucumber, garlic, dill, a little walnut, and a drizzle of olive oil. The yogurt brings protein and a pleasant tang; the walnut adds "good" fat and crunch. Keep the walnut to about a tablespoon — it's tasty but calorie-dense, and it easily turns a light soup into a heavy one.

4. Cold avocado and cucumber soup — ~200 kcal (250 g)

P: 4 | F: 16 | C: 12

Avocado, cucumber, lime, herbs, and a little water or kefir in the blender. The thickest, most filling option thanks to avocado's healthy fats — which is why we keep the serving smaller, 250 g, or the calories add up fast. A great pick when you need to stay full for a long time without meat.

5. Melon gazpacho with feta — ~150 kcal (300 g)

P: 5 | F: 6 | C: 20

A sweet twist: puréed melon, mint leaves, a little feta, and a drizzle of olive oil. It refreshes like a dessert but is really a light meal, not sugar: the melon brings sweetness and water, the feta a salty contrast and a bit of protein. Perfect in peak heat, when you don't want anything "serious."

Where the extra calories hide

The soups themselves are light — the calories come from what's added "on top" and "by eye":

• Sour cream and mayo by the spoon. A tablespoon of 20% sour cream is ~40 kcal, of mayo ~90. Two or three spoons, and a light soup gains half its calories back.
• Bread and croutons. A couple of slices of baguette or a handful of croutons is +100-150 kcal that no one mentally adds to the soup.
• Store-bought gazpacho. Packaged soup often has added sugar and noticeably more oil — check the label.
• Walnuts in tarator. Tasty, but 100 g of walnuts is ~650 kcal; measure with a spoon, not "generously."

Takeaway

A cold soup is an underrated summer tool: a big, filling serving for 100-200 kcal, loads of vegetables, and almost no cooking. The five above cover both thirst and hunger — from the very light gazpacho to the hearty avocado soup.

In NutriApp, you can build any of these soups from ingredients and see the exact macros per serving — so you immediately spot what actually adds calories: oil, nuts, or a spoon of sour cream. Save your recipe and log it with one tap, no recalculating each time. And if you want a grab-and-go bite instead of soup, here are 5 summer snacks under 250 kcal.

So do you love cold soups, or is it "soup must be hot" for you? Share it in the VK discussion.