If you’re visiting Helsinki or many other big cities in Finland, you’ll quickly notice that Finnish supermarkets offer a surprisingly good selection of ready-made soups. One of the healthiest options is gazpacho, the famous cold tomato soup from southern Spain.
Gazpacho is light, refreshing and packed with vegetables, making it an excellent lunch, picnic meal or quick dinner after a day of sightseeing. It is especially popular during warm weather and can be found in the refrigerated section of larger supermarkets. But it will not have subtitles in English.
So I compared four gazpacho products available in Finland to find out which one offers the best combination of nutrition, ingredients and overall quality.
These gazpachos were compared
The comparison includes:
- Garden Delights Gazpacho (490 g)
- Päivänsäde Gazpacho (1 litre)
- Pirkka Gazpacho (390 g)
- Anko Tomato & Mint Gazpacho
An interesting discovery during this comparison was that Garden Delights, Päivänsäde and Pirkka were all listed on K Group’s online grocery website, while Anko Tomato & Mint Gazpacho was not listed there on the day of this comparison.
However, when visiting a K-Citymarket store in person on that very same day, I found the Anko Tomato & Mint Gazpacho on the supermarket shelf, whereas Garden Delights was not available in that particular store, though it was in the online market.
This is a good reminder that supermarket websites and individual stores do not always carry exactly the same products.
1. Anko Tomato & Mint Gazpacho ★★★★★
Winner of this comparison and my personal favourite
Ingredients
- 70% tomato
- onion
- carrot
- leek
- vegetable stock
- potato
- extra virgin olive oil
- mint (1%)
- garlic
- natural spices
Nutrition (per 100 ml)
- 36 kcal
- Fat: 1.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.1 g
- Sugars: 2.7 g
- Fibre: 0.5 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Salt: 0.70 g
The ingredient list is impressively clean. The soup contains a very high percentage of tomatoes and uses extra virgin olive oil, one of the healthiest fats in the Mediterranean diet.
Unlike most traditional gazpachos, it is also gluten-free, making it suitable for visitors with coeliac disease or those avoiding gluten, like me.
The addition of fresh mint gives the soup a pleasant, refreshing flavour that works particularly well on a warm summer day.
Pros
- Very high tomato content
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Lactose-free
- Low in calories
- Very few additives
2. Garden Delights Gazpacho ★★★★★
Garden Delights is probably the closest to an authentic Spanish gazpacho.
Its recipe focuses on fresh vegetables and olive oil, producing a flavour very similar to what you would expect in southern Spain.
Pros
- Authentic recipe
- High-quality ingredients
- Glass bottle packaging
- Excellent flavour
Cons
- Usually the most expensive option
- Not gluten-free
3. Päivänsäde Gazpacho ★★★★☆
Päivänsäde follows the classic Andalusian recipe very closely.
Typical ingredients include:
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- green pepper
- onion
- olive oil
- wine vinegar
- wheat bread
- garlic
With only around 41 kcal per 100 ml, it remains a very healthy choice.
Its biggest advantage is excellent value for money, especially in the one-litre carton.
Pros
- Traditional recipe
- Excellent value
- Rich in vegetables
Cons
- Contains wheat
- Not suitable for gluten-free diets
4. Pirkka Gazpacho ★★★★☆
Pirkka is K Group’s own-brand gazpacho.
It is the most affordable option and still offers a healthy vegetable-based meal.
While the flavour is somewhat simpler than the premium brands, it remains a nutritious everyday choice.
Pros
- Affordable
- Vegan
- Low in calories
Cons
- Contains wheat
- Simpler flavour profile
Which gazpacho is the healthiest?
| Product | Overall Rating |
|---|---|
| 🥇 Anko Tomato & Mint | ★★★★★ |
| 🥈 Garden Delights | ★★★★★ |
| 🥉 Päivänsäde | ★★★★☆ |
| 4. Pirkka | ★★★★☆ |
Why is gazpacho so healthy?
Gazpacho is one of the healthiest ready-made meals you can buy in Finland because it contains:
- plenty of vegetables
- naturally occurring antioxidants
- lycopene from tomatoes
- healthy fats from olive oil
- very few additives
- relatively few calories
One thing to keep in mind is the salt content. Like most ready-made soups, these gazpachos contain around 0.70 g of salt per 100 ml, so if you drink an entire bottle in one sitting, your salt intake will be fairly high. and you was able to taste the saltiness in the winner, gluten-free gazpacho.
So if you’re visiting Helsinki or travelling around Finland and want a quick, healthy meal from a supermarket, gazpacho is an excellent choice.
For visitors looking for the healthiest option, Anko Tomato & Mint Gazpacho comes out on top thanks to its high tomato content, extra virgin olive oil, gluten-free recipe and clean ingredient list.
If authenticity is your priority, Garden Delights offers perhaps the closest experience to a traditional Spanish gazpacho.
For travellers looking for the best value, Päivänsäde delivers an excellent balance of quality and price, while Pirkka remains a solid budget-friendly option.
Whichever you choose, remember there is many tapas restaurants in Helsinki also, although not all of them have gazpacho.
Read also:
More travel ideas for Helsinki
I hope this interpretation helps your trip to Finland.
Subscribe and watch my INDIVUE YouTube channel!
