Homemade Lime Sorbet Recipe 3-Ingredients - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What is lime sorbet made of? ›

Dissolve sugar in boiling water and let cool to room temperature. Stir in fresh lime juice, lime zest and vodka (if using). Give mixture a little blend with an immersion blender and transfer to your ice cream maker.

Sorbet is made with just fruit and sugar, so it's dairy-free. Sorbet tends to have an icier consistency; the more sugar sorbet contains, the less icy the texture. Sorbet flavors are primarily fruit-driven, like this All-Fruit Mango Sorbet or No Churn Raspberry Lime Sorbet. Sorbets also come in chocolate 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

"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.

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.

Why put egg white in sorbet? ›

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.

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.

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!)

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. The easiest way to enjoy a block-free sorbet is to leave it out to thaw or run it in your microwave on defrost mode.

Homemade sorbet will generally keep for about a month in the freezer before starting to become overly icy. Serve the sorbet. Let the sorbet soften for a few minutes on the counter, then scoop into serving bowls.

For those who need dairy- or gluten-free dessert options, or who cannot eat eggs or nuts, sorbet may be a suitable option. In theory, a fruit sorbet is healthy, but most commercial varieties are based on sugar rather than fruit.

It's also a vegan-friendly treat, as by definition sorbet doesn't have anything but fruit or a flavoring, sugar, and water. This is not to be confused with sherbet, which is also fruit based but does contain milk.

Ingredients: Water, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk, cream, contains less than 2% of whey, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, calcium sulfate, polysorbate 80, citric acid, citrus pulp, concentrated lime juice, natural flavors, Yellow #5, Blue #1. Contains: Milk.

Enjoy our Lime Sorbet Paleta, made with freshly squeezed lime juice, is the perfect balance of tart & sweet. Our Lime Sorbet Paleta is Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, & Kosher.