Easy Lemon Sorbet Recipe - Only 3 Ingredients! - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What is lemon sorbet ice cream made of? ›

INGREDIENTS: Water, Lemon Juice from Concentrate (24%), Sugar, Dextrose, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup, Lime Juice from Concentrate (2%), Rice Starch, Maltodextrin, Emulsifier (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Citrus Fibre, Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum), Glucose, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Flavouring.

Since every fruit is different, every sorbet may need more or less sugar (less for super-sweet mangoes, for instance). Thicker fruits may need to be watered down while thin juices need bulking up with thickeners. You'll also have to add acid (lemon or lime juice are best) and salt to taste.

If your sorbet is rock-hard after churning and freezing: Allow it to sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften before scooping OR. Melt the base back down to liquid, add more sugar, or a bit of corn syrup, or a splash of alcohol, then re-churn and refreeze.

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.

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.

Making home-made sorbet is easier than you think. You don't even need an ice cream machine! It's basically just frozen fruit puree sweetened with sugar and water. You can also add herbs, chocolate or wines and liqueurs to flavor the sorbet.

Tapioca starch (or corn starch): tapioca starch fis our go-to starch to thicken a sorbet mixture, for the velvety texture it creates. If you do not have tapioca starch, you can use corn starch instead, which is not the same, but it still works.

The fruit puree provides natural sweetness and contributes to the creamy texture when frozen. Churning Process: During the churning process of making sorbet, the air is incorporated into the mixture, creating a light and airy texture. This aeration helps give sorbet its smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

If you want a fluffier sorbet, you can add two egg whites, whipped to form stiff peaks, when the mixture begins to solidify.

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!)

What happens if you use too much sugar in the sorbet? ›

If you add too much sugar your sorbet won't freeze properly and you'll end up with slush. However, if you don't add enough you'll end up with a hard block of ice, which is less than appetising. Apparently, 20 -30% sugar is about right.

Just puree the fruit, add some honey, chill, then freeze. Um, okaaay. Needless to say, I'll be making homemade sorbet from here on out, and I don't think I'll ever even miss the sugar.

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. There's a very simple way to tell if your sugar levels are right: Float a large egg in the sorbet base.

If you are freezing in an ice cream churn then the mixture should churn until it has thickened. At least until there is no liquid that hasn't crystallized. If you are pre-freezing the mixture into a block and chopping it up in the food processor then the mixture should be fully solid before being chopped up.

To stabilise the liquid of the mixture and prevent the formation of ice crystals it is necessary to lower the temperature of this mixture as quickly as possible to -18 °C.

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.

"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.

At its heart, sorbet is simply a frozen fruit syrup, but you can ramp it up a level and include whipped egg white or even mascarpone for a creamier result.

In fact, the biggest difference between sorbet and Italian ice may be their origin. Italian ice is the Italian version of creamy dairy-free ice while sorbet is of French origin. In addition, sorbets often contain liquor flavors while Italian ices do not generally contain alcohol but may compliment it well.