What is Sorbet?
Sorbet is a frozen dessert, typically made from sweetened and flavored water. Sorbet is dairy-free, so it’s less creamy than ice cream. Instead, it’s more like eating a flavorful and refreshing snow cone, or shaved ice.
Is Sorbet Healthier Than Ice Cream
Store-bought sorbet usually has more sugar than ice cream, but in this case, homemade watermelon sorbet is naturally-sweetened and dairy-free. You can even leave the sugar out entirely if you want to!
How to Make Watermelon Sorbet
To make Watermelon Sorbet, you’ll need to start with frozen watermelon. (Here’s how to freeze watermelon if you want a photo tutorial.) Starting with frozen fruit let’s you make this without an ice cream maker. I like to freeze fresh watermelon, cut into cubes, on a sheet pan the night before I plan on making this, but you can freeze it even further in advance as long as you store it in an airtight container in your freezer.
In the bowl of a large food processor, combine the frozen watermelon and lime juice, and process briefly to break it down. Add maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time, and process again, until the watermelon sorbet tastes as sweet as you want it to.
From there, you’ll just need to add water, one tablespoon at time, and blend until the sorbet reaches your desired serving consistency. It should be soft and scoop-able, so you can serve it right away.
If you need to make this in advance, I recommend making it no more than 1 to 2 hours before you need to serve it. If you freeze it for too long, it becomes rock-solid and is very difficult to scoop. As an alternative, you can store the leftover sorbet in an ice pop mold, to make frozen popsicles for later!
If you try this Watermelon Sorbet, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience. – Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite summer treat?
