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.

According to Serious Eats, the optimal sugar concentration for sorbet is 20-30%. Sugar dissolved in water lowers the freezing point of the mixture. The sweet spot of sorbet is all about adding enough sugar to prevent it from freezing solid, while not adding so much sugar that it won't solidify at all.

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.

The main difference? Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet has no dairy. Sherbet (not “sherbert” as it's often mispronounced) incorporates a small amount of dairy, such as milk, cream or buttermilk, which give scoops a richer, creamier consistency as with this Raspberry Buttermilk Sherbet recipe (pictured above).

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.

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 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.

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!)

A sugar concentration between 20% to 30% will generally produce a scoopable, creamy sorbet. * Add less and your sorbet is too icy to scoop; add more and it may never freeze.

Why is my homemade sorbet icy? ›

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.

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.

If you add less sugar, the sorbet may not mix together and freeze properly. If there is too much sugar, the sorbet will be too sweet and you risk the sorbet turning grainy. The puree will also turn into a solid fruit block after you freeze.

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 just fruit juice and sugar—no dairy—and has fewer calories, so many consider it the healthier option.

"If you follow a vegan diet or have a food allergy, sorbet will be a better choice," she adds. Plus, in terms of nutrition, sorbet will also be the healthiest option becasue it doesn't contain the milk, cream, or butterfat, which increases saturated fat content.

WATER, SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, PECTIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID.