16 Ice Cream and Sorbet Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How sorbet is made? ›

Sorbet is essentially made of a simple sugar syrup, infused with fruit puree or juice or another flavoring agent like coffee or chocolate, that is then chilled and churned.

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.

The difference between ice cream and sorbet is also based on whether or not dairy is used. Technically speaking, ice cream always contains cream and/or milk as its main ingredients, while sorbet traditionally never includes dairy or eggs, instead being primarily made from fruit juice or fruit purée.

Both sugar and alcohol lower the freezing point of water and keep the ice cream "softer" at lower temperatures. Too much sugar and the ice cream is too sweet. A little bit of alcohol goes a long way in lowering the freezing point though.

One of the first frozen treats ever developed were ices (or sorbets), which essentially are a mixture of smooth ice, sugar, flavoring and other refreshing ingredients like fruit purees. A sorbet does not contain any dairy products and is more acidic, which results in tart flavors.

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.

"It really depends on each person's individual dietary needs and what their health goals are," says Joy. "For example, if you're sensitive to eating dairy, then you should go for the sorbet. But if you're watching your blood-sugar levels, then sorbets aren't the best choice because they raise blood sugar quicker."

“There is not any calcium.” Forget what Grandma told you about any sorbet being a digestive aid. “It's the lemon sorbet that aids digestion,” she said. “You don't need to eat sorbet to get the benefits and you can avoid the sugar of the sorbet by just having fresh lemon squeezed in your water.”

Good frozen dessert choices include non-fat frozen yogurt and sorbet. Avoid snacks high in hydrogenated fat (trans fat) found in most packaged cookies, crackers, and bakery items. Eat fat-free cookies, cakes, and frozen desserts in small amounts.

"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.

How do you thicken sorbet? ›

In this recipe, we use tapioca starch to thicken the sorbet mixture, which gives a velvety texture to the sorbet, but you can use corn starch if this is what you have. Thickening the sorbet mixture with a starch gives it body, which makes the sorbet expand during churning and become fluffy.

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 Master Ratio

If you don't know the exact sugar content of your fruit, the best thing you can do is play it safe. 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.

Similarly, too little sugar in ice cream can make it rock hard. Because sugar lowers the freezing point of the water in ice cream, the right amount will keep your ice cream from freezing completely – which is to say, leaves it scoopable instead of turning it into a brick of ice.

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.

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.

As water starts to freeze in a syrup, the unfrozen water becomes, in effect, a more concentrated syrup. This process continues until you have a bunch of small ice crystals in a sea of syrup so concentrated that it'll never really freeze.

What Is Sorbet? Sorbet is a frozen dessert made up of just fruit purée (or fruit juice, like lemon juice) and sweetener (commonly sugar, simple syrup, or liqueur). While ice cream, gelato, and sherbet are dairy products, sorbet is dairy-free and therefore vegan.

Sherbet is made with dairy, so it contains a little bit of fat. One ½ cup serving of sherbet averages around 130 calories and 1 to 3 grams of fat. Sorbet is made with just fruit and sugar and is therefore fat-free. There are between 120 to 150 calories per ½ cup of sorbet.