This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
Here’s how to make sorbet! Use this master sorbet recipe for a frosty, irresistible frozen dessert with a variety of different fruits.
Looking for an easy fruity dessert? Look no further than a great sorbet! Sorbet is a frozen fruit dessert that’s similar to ice cream but made without dairy. This lets the pure fruit flavor shine through and makes a frosty, refreshing icy treat. Here’s more about how to make sorbet, including recipes for our favorite fruits to use. It’s an impressive treat that’s an ideal summer dessert, but it works any time of the year!
What is sorbet vs sherbet?
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made with fruit and sugar and churned like ice cream. Sherbet is also made with fruit and sugar, but it also includes either cream or milk. The addition of dairy gives sherbet a creamier mouthfeel than sorbet: it tastes like a lighter version of ice cream. However, sherbet has 1 to 2% milkfat, whereas ice cream has at least 10% milkfat.
Sorbet is light and refreshing, and can be made with many different types of fruit. Depending on the fruit, the texture can be lusciously creamy or more icy (as in the case of citrus or watermelon).
How to make sorbet
Sorbet is simple to make at home: all you need is a blender for pureeing and an ice cream maker for churning the mixture. Below, we’ve got specific recipes for various popular types of fruit. But here’s the basic idea:
- Puree: Place 1 pound fresh fruit and ½ cup granulated sugar in a food processor or high-powered blender and puree. Add 1 pinch salt and ½ cup ice and puree until smooth. (To make ahead, refrigerate at this point until you want to churn, up to 2 days.)
- Churn: Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately, or some fruits will require another 1 hour freezing time to come to a scoopable consistency (see below).
Freeze the ice cream maker base in advance
An ice cream maker freezes the sorbet into a frosty consistency. While you can make no churn sorbet, we’ve found it’s best using an ice cream maker. Here’s the 2 quart ice cream maker we use: it’s absolutely worth the purchase and works for both ice cream and sorbet recipes.
One thing to keep in mind: make sure to freeze the base of the ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe. If you forget, try freezing the base for at least 4 hours. How to check if the base is fully frozen? Give it a shake: if you still hear liquid inside, it’s not fully frozen yet.
Make ahead & storage info
Homemade sorbet is best the day it is churned. Leftovers do hold up in the freezer, though they are different from a purchased pint of this fruity dessert. Here’s what to know about storage info:
- Make the puree up to 2 days before churning. This is the easiest way to make it ahead, then churn before serving.
- Line a storage container with parchment paper. This helps so it doesn’t freeze to the edges of the container.
- Churn up to 2 hours in advance of serving. For some fruit sorbets, this additional freeze time helps to make it scoopable.
- Leftovers save 1 week, but defrost at room temp for 20 to 30 minutes. Take time to let it sit out at room temperature prior to serving. If desired, you can take the parchment paper out of the storage container, which helps it to defrost faster.
Popular sorbet recipes
Ready to make sorbet? Here are the top most popular sorbet recipes to make with fresh fruit (with the exception of mango, which can be made with frozen mango). Click the “Get Recipe” button to read the specific recipe.
Here’s a simple summer dessert that’s easy but impressive: Strawberry Sorbet! The flavor is like taking a bite of 100 strawberries at once: sweet, pure, and tangy. The frosty texture is like an Italian strawberry gelato: cold and creamy, with just the right robust vibrancy to each bite.
Are you a lemon dessert lover? Then you absolutely must try homemade Lemon Sorbet! Each bite is loaded pure citrus flavor: icy and bright, with just the right amount of zing on the finish. Both lemon juice and lemon zest bring a bold flavor, and it’s irresistibly refreshing after a meal or as a palate cleanser.
Note: Because lemon sorbet is made with fruit juice and not fruit, it has an icier texture than other sorbets.
Try this homemade Raspberry Sorbet recipe! The flavor is an explosion of pure fruit, like taking a bite of 100 raspberries at once. It’s got the best creamy, frosty texture, like a good raspberry gelato. Better yet: it’s simple to whip up at home and impresses everyone.
Here’s a dessert that’s fast, easy, massively flavorful and pleases everyone: Mango Sorbet! It’s irresistibly creamy and frosty, with a pure honey-sweet tropical mango essence and a pop of lime on the finish. It’s so refreshing, and there’s almost no one who will turn this down (in our research, at least!).
Got a fresh pineapple on hand? Here’s a fantastic way to use it: Pineapple Sorbet! This frozen treat is bursting with pure, tropical fruit flavor. It has the best frosty, creamy texture and it’s so irresistible, no one can turn it down! All you need are a handful of ingredients and an ice cream maker to whip up this frozen dessert.
If watermelon is in season, you absolutely must try summer’s best dessert: Watermelon Sorbet! Each bite is an explosion of pure juicy fruit flavor, with a smooth, frosty texture. Even better: it’s incredibly simple to blend up!
Note: Because watermelon is mostly water (and has less fiber than other fruits), watermelon sorbet has a slightly icier texture than other fruit sorbets.
Love citrus? Then you’ll be head over heels for this Lime Sorbet! The flavor is zesty and pure: icy with a bright zing on the finish. It’s like frozen glass of limeade, and each frosty, refreshing bite will leave you wanting for more. It’s ideal for a summer evening and works beautifully in combination with other flavors.
Here’s a perfect idea for when this fresh juicy fruit collides with the heat of summer: this Peach Sorbet recipe! It’s a frosty dessert that accentuates the gentle sweetness of peaches simply with sugar and a pop of lemon juice. Churn it up and it’s the ideal refreshing dessert for a summer evening.
Related: sherbet recipes
Love sorbet? Sherbet is just as easy to make: just add whole milk! Here are our top sherbet recipes:
- Try sweet and nostalgic Orange Sherbert
- Go for zingy Lime Sherbet or bright pink Raspberry Sherbet
- Opt for colorful Rainbow Sherbet
This sorbet recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Let us know if you have any questions!