Watermelon sorbet is a fast & easy summer dessert . All you need is a few ingredients, and about 5 minutes of time to make it! No ice cream maker required.
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!
IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric1x2x3x
- 4 cups frozen watermelon chunks (561 grams)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (15 grams)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup (22 to 44 grams)
- 1 to 2 tabelspoons water , as needed to blend (16 to 32 grams)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, add in the frozen watermelon and lime juice. Process briefly to break down the watermelon; it should look like shaved ice in the bowl.
- Add maple syrup to taste, starting with just 1 tablespoon, and process again. Taste the watermelon mixture and if you want it to be sweeter, add another tablespoon. Process again.
- To help make the watermelon sorbet scoopable, you may need to add some water to help it blend into a smoother consistency. Start with 1 tablespoon of water, process, and then add another tablespoon (or more) if needed, until the watermelon sorbet looks smooth enough to serve.
- This frozen dessert has a great texture right away, so I like to serve it while it’s soft an scoop-able. If you want to make it in advance you can transfer this mixture to a pan and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours. If you freeze it longer than that, it will become very hard and difficult to scoop, so keep that in mind.
- Leftover sorbet can be transferred into ice pop molds for an easy frozen dessert later, too.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is for 1 of 4 servings. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate not a guarantee.
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Watermelon Sorbet (only 3 ingredients!)
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen watermelon chunks (561 grams)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (15 grams)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup (22 to 44 grams)
- 1 to 2 tabelspoons water , as needed to blend (16 to 32 grams)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, add in the frozen watermelon and lime juice. Process briefly to break down the watermelon; it should look like shaved ice in the bowl.
- Add maple syrup to taste, starting with just 1 tablespoon, and process again. Taste the watermelon mixture and if you want it to be sweeter, add another tablespoon. Process again.
- To help make the watermelon sorbet scoopable, you may need to add some water to help it blend into a smoother consistency. Start with 1 tablespoon of water, process, and then add another tablespoon (or more) if needed, until the watermelon sorbet looks smooth enough to serve.
- This frozen dessert has a great texture right away, so I like to serve it while it’s soft an scoop-able. If you want to make it in advance you can transfer this mixture to a pan and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours. If you freeze it longer than that, it will become very hard and difficult to scoop, so keep that in mind.
- Leftover sorbet can be transferred into ice pop molds for an easy frozen dessert later, too.
