A Delicious Lemon Sorbet Recipe

I am totally obsessed with most lemon sorbets, even though it reminds me of sweet ice sometimes.

But today, my homemade sorbet tastes just like the fruit, because the flavor is built in two passes: zest steeped in hot syrup. With five ingredients, a saucepan, and one freezer, you can have a lemon sorbet that is perfect for hot summers.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No machine needed. If you have an ice cream maker, you can use it. But the fork method below works fine, and I still do because it makes clean up super easy.
• It is five ingredients, and you probably have all of them in your fridge and pantry.
• Dairy-free and vegan without trying to be. Sorbet is just fruit and sugar, so nobody at the table has to miss out.
• It keeps for about a week in the freezer without turning into a brick. The sugar ratio is balanced, so it stays scoopable.
• You can split the work. Make the base today and freeze it tomorrow.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 g) white sugar — don’t swap in brown or raw sugar since it can change the color.
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• Zest of 2 lemons — Go easy with this.
• 1 cup (240 ml) fresh lemon juice — that’s 4 to 6 lemons depending on how juicy they are. Please don’t use the bottled stuff.
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt — trust me, you won’t taste it.
• 1 tablespoon glucose syrup or light corn syrup — optional. It keeps the texture smooth if the batch sits in the freezer more than a couple of days. Skip it if you’re eating it the same day.

Instructions

Add your sugar, water, zest, and salt in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes; do not boil. Remove the mixture from the heat, with the lid on, and let it sit for 15 minutes. So that it can steep.

Pour the syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press on the zest with a spoon to get every drop from the lemons. Stir in the lemon juice and the corn syrup if you are using it.

Add it to your Fridge for at least an hour.

You can freeze it two ways: with a machine: churn for 20 to 25 minutes until it looks like soft serve, then scrape it into a container.

Without one: pour the base into a shallow metal pan or loaf pan and freeze for 45 minutes. Stir with a fork, dragging the frozen edges into the middle every 15 minutes.

Storage

For storage, I recommend placing your sorbet in an airtight container because air can cause ice crystals. Best within 5 days.

That’s about it; sorbets are so easy to make once you follow the instructions. This recipe is sweetened juice with a little technique. Once you understand the ratio, you can make sorbet out of any fruit.

I usually make a batch on Sunday, and it lasts me through the week. It’s good to serve it after a heavy meal, or you can enjoy it before bed as I do. Both ways are great.

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