Chilled Cantaloupe and Fennel Soup with Mint and Honey

Spanish

Medium · Chilled

Chilled Cantaloupe and Fennel Soup with Mint and Honey

A sun-sweet chilled soup that marries ripe cantaloupe with roasted fennel, bright mint, and a drizzle of honey — cool, fragrant, and effortlessly elegant for hot days.

Recipe by

Rocío Delgado

The Olive-Oil Evangelist

Prep

10 min

Cook

25 min

Total

35 min

Method

Heat oven to 200 °C. Toss the chopped fennel with 2 tbsp olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Spread on a lined baking sheet in a single layer and roast 20–25 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges. Let cool completely.

Add the cooled roasted fennel, cantaloupe cubes, garlic, mint leaves, lemon juice, honey, remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, and chicken broth to a blender.

Blend on high until completely smooth, 60–90 seconds. Taste and season with salt. The sweetness and anise notes should balance — add more honey or lemon to taste.

Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or until well chilled. The flavors deepen as it rests.

Ladle into cold bowls or glasses. Finish with a few fresh mint leaves and a thin drizzle of olive oil over each serving.

Nutri-Score

Good balance

A–E · lower is better · score 0

Calories

276

per serving

Low saturated fat · 2g

Protein

Carbs

44g

Fat

11g

Sat. fat

Fiber

Sugar

37g

Sodium

1099mg

Dairy FreeGluten FreeLow ProteinMediterraneanAnti InflammatoryDigestive SupportHeart HealthyWeight ManagementClean EatingLow SugarSodium Conscious

Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.

Environmental impact

Low impact

A–E · lower is better · includes estimates

kg CO₂e

0.6

per serving

BCarbonAEU all-round· carbon sets the grade

Water

1.2m³

Land

22Pt

Runoff

0.1g P

Cantaloupe, deseeded and cubed drives 56% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.

Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.

Flavor Profile

Umami

Sweet

Salty

Sour

Bitter

Spicy

Textures

SmoothTender

Aromas

AniseCitrusHerbal

Kitchen Equipment

Primary Tool

Oven

Blender Oven Baking Sheet Chef Knife Cutting Board Measuring Cups Measuring Spoons Mixing Bowl Parchment Paper Plastic Wrap

Techniques

BlendingChillingRoast

Safety & Storage

Cooking Temperature

Roast fennel at 200°C (400°F) until soft and golden, approximately 20-25 minutes, to ensure proper texture and safety

Storage

Refrigerate chilled soup at or below 4°C (40°F) for at least 1 hour before serving; the resting period is essential for flavor development and food safety

Cross Contamination

Use clean, sanitized blender containers and serving dishes; wash all preparation surfaces and utensils that contact raw fennel before blending

Shelf Life

Consume chilled soup within 3-4 days when properly refrigerated; do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours total

High Risk Population

This recipe contains raw blended ingredients; pregnant women, elderly individuals, young children, and immunocompromised persons should verify chicken broth is fully cooked if using broth rather than water

Allergen Warning

Verify that store-bought chicken broth does not contain hidden gluten, wheat-based thickeners, or cross-contamination with allergens if serving to individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity

Pro Tips

Technique

Roast the fennel until it has real color — those caramelized edges give the soup a depth that raw fennel simply cannot. And please, please, serve this ice cold. It is not the same at room temperature.

Substitution

If fennel feels too unfamiliar, you can swap it with a small cucumber, but you lose that gentle anise note that makes this soup special. I would not recommend it, but I understand not everyone has my devotion to fennel.

From the chef

Ripe cantaloupe and roasted fennel turn out to be a summer blessing of a combination — sweet melon, gentle anise, and a drizzle of honey blended silky and served ice-cold. Roasting the fennel first concentrates its flavor before it meets the fruit in the blender, and a squeeze of lemon keeps everything bright and alive. At a market demo once, the cantaloupes were so ripe they practically fell apart in my hands — that was when this soup wrote itself. Pour it into cold glasses, finish with mint and a thread of olive oil, and let the August heat do its worst.

Rocío DelgadoThe Olive-Oil Evangelist

Visit profile

TagsChilled SoupSummerVegetarian AdaptableGluten FreeRefreshingNo Cook

AllergensGluten

Source: generated · June 12, 2026