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.

Too little sweetener and your sorbet will be icy; too much sweetener and it will be mushy. Churn or stir your sorbet while it's freezing to prevent large ice crystals from forming.

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.

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.

Anyone who has stored a bottle of booze in the freezer (that's how you get the coldest martini) knows that it doesn't freeze all the way. Why? Alcohol has a low freezing point (about -16°F, depending on the spirit), and your freezer hovers around 0°F. This makes alcohol an invaluable addition to no-churn ice cream.

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.

If using lemon or lime juice, it's too intense on its own so start by diluting it with some water. 2 parts juice, 1 part water is a good starting point. 1-2 tbsp liqueur for flavor, but also prevents the sorbet from freezing solid.

Not only is sorbet a healthier alternative to ice cream, but it is also a dessert that can be enjoyed guilt-free. With no eggs or cream present in the recipe, sorbet contains fewer calories and less fat compared to traditional ice cream.

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.

Too little sugar and you end up with loads of crunchy ice crystals. Some experts swear by a ratio of 4 cups puréed fruit to 1 cup sugar. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, place the sorbet mixture in a sealed container in the very coldest part of your freezer (usually at the bottom and back).

Why do you add pectin to sorbet? ›

Pectin improves viscosity and like sugar, helps to decrease the size of ice crystals. Fruit is not a natural bedfellow for no-churn ice cream with all its water content.

For starters, since the basic elemental difference is that sherbet includes dairy and sorbet does not, it is an especially important distinction if you or someone in your sphere is vegan or chooses to eat dairy-free, since then you know you can serve sorbet without worry.

How Much Juice Is in One Lemon? On average, there are 3 tablespoons of juice in one lemon. So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. Because some lemons are less juicy than others, it's safe to say you'll need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice.

1. It's low in calories and easy to eat after a meal. 2. It is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals when you add fresh or frozen fruit.

Make sure that you puree well. Too cold a freezer: sorbet is going to be best if it's not frozen extremely cold, but your freezer probably is nice and cold. Be willing to let it sit out a little bit before eating, or and perhaps keep it in the door where it's slightly warmer.

"While ice cream is based on dairy with other types of add-ins (including fruit sometimes), the difference is that sherbet is based on fruit purée and then made more creamy with the addition of some dairy," says Hultin.

The major difference between the two is that sherbet is made with dairy and sorbet isn't. Sherbet has more of a creamy texture that you'd expect from ice cream thanks to ingredients like milk, heavy cream, or buttermilk in the mix. Sorbet, on the other hand, is simply sugar and fruit.