Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Just 3 ingredients, and so refreshing! (2024)

FAQs

What makes sorbet so creamy? ›

Without fat from dairy or eggs, it's the suspension of sugar within the fruit purée that allows the sorbet to churn into something with a creamy mouthfeel. You need 20-30% sugar in your sorbet, which will come from your fruit plus some added sugar.

Sugar doesn't just sweeten sorbet—it's also responsible for sorbet's structure. In ice cream, a combination of fat, protein, and sugar all influences ice cream's texture, but in sorbet sugar is the big fish.

But Italian sorbets, called sorbettos, have the same luxurious mouth-feel as an ice cream. I worked on many batches before discovering that through a combination of reducing down the simple syrup to concentrate it, and then adding some thickening via a bit of cornstarch, it could happen!

Stir lemon syrup with peel, lemon juice, and mineral water together in a pitcher or bowl. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Garnish each serving with a twist of lemon peel. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you may freeze it in a tall canister.

"Sorbet is made with fruit but no dairy (eggs or milk/cream) so it's generally vegan-friendly and suits those with egg or dairy allergies, too," she says. The pureness of the fruit makes it icy and refreshing, and it won't be silky or rich in its texture as some other kinds of ice creams and sherberts may be.

The optional egg white helps to stabilize, emulsify, and preserve the texture of the sorbet if you are going to keep it in your freezer for a few days.

Too much sugar will not only make for a sickeningly sweet dessert, it also reduces the freezing point so that firstly, your sorbet will take ages to freeze, and secondly, it will crystallize as it freezes. Too little sugar and you end up with loads of crunchy ice crystals.

Lemon Water

It may seem like an overwrought step but it really helps. It gives the sorbet even more lemon flavor and just a touch of bitterness which nicely balances the sweet and sour. There is so much flavor in lemon peel it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

Corn syrup, on the other hand, is quite viscous, and it adds a rich, full-bodied texture to a sorbet base. The thicker a sorbet base, the creamier it'll be. Many alternate sugars are less sweet than table sugar. Nothing impacts the texture of a sorbet more than how much sugar is in it.

How do I stop my sorbet going hard? ›

1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur (this is for flavor, but it also prevents the sorbet from freezing solid. Alcohol won't freeze, so it is great insurance that you will have a soft sorbet. BUT, if you add too much sorbet won't freeze at all and you will basically have a margarita or daiquiri!)

Sherbet and sorbet are both fruity frozen treats whose names are often incorrectly used interchangeably. The main difference? Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet has no dairy.

These days, my friend Peter the chef tells me, most chefs no longer bother with making Italian meringue for sorbets – instead, they often just add some whisked-up raw egg white.

It's also crucial for the sorbet's texture. Too little sugar and the sorbet becomes icy, too much and it can be slushy — hit the sugar level just right and the sorbet will taste creamy and melt evenly across your tongue.

Sorbet has less calories than ice cream and other frozen desserts, and no fat. It's fruit content also makes it rich in vitamin C. Any downsides? That fruit content also means it contains a fair bit of sugar, and if we're comparing it with ice cream and gelato, it has less calcium, vitamin A and iron.

The optional egg white helps to stabilize, emulsify, and preserve the texture of the sorbet if you are going to keep it in your freezer for a few days.

Ingredients: Gelatin, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, guar gum, milk whey protein concentrate & standardized with dextrose.

Since alcohol doesn't freeze, the vodka helps add smoothness to the the crunchy, icy texture of the sorbet. I made mine with Heritage Distilling Company's vodka. Triple distilled with a smooth finish, it's the perfect addition to this refreshing dessert.