How to make raspberry sorbet
Ice cream is the life support of summer. Out here a run (for a malt if you’re like me) happens once a week (or more if you don’t tell your husband). But the truth is–people…the calories. I try to pretend they aren’t there but no amount of hoeing the garden is gonna burn them off. And since my husband lives on Weight Watchers, I try not to sabotage him intentionally. That’s why I discovered our love for sorbet and I’m keeping big containers on hand. Want to learn how to make raspberry sorbet yourself? Get the hip-friendlier “scoop” here.
Sure, learning how to make raspberry sorbet isn’t going to eliminate all the calories. There’s still sugar in this recipe but it’s at least lower in fat (it’s actually fat free) than my beloved malt. With chocolate custard. Curse you Culvers.
And if you have to pick your poison, raspberry sorbet is a great place to start. Yes, you can follow this recipe with any fruit you want to try. I’d love to try watermelon. Yeeeeeessssss.
But you can just start with something easy, and, like every other recipe on this blog–is sure to work and taste great.
How to make raspberry sorbet
The process is simple with frozen berries. In fact, I’d recommend you use them unless you’re totally sure that your fresh fruit is the most amazing, awesome and flavorful it can be. And even though we raise our own fruit here on our farm, I still opted for frozen raspberries because I stink at raising them. Mine are sad.
You’ll only need to dissolve some sugar and water together and puree the berries and strain them then mix everything together.
You can learn how to make raspberry sorbet without an ice cream maker but I can’t help but feel like we’re missing a bit of the texture when we take that shortcut. I bought a $40 Cuisinart electric churn that doesn’t need ice or salt so I could stop worrying about having that on hand and I really like it.
I also really like the experience of churning raspberry sorbet with my kids and family outside under a shade tree–but have you had anything like that lately? You churn it and scoop it out but it’s so soft still–soupy even–it really needs time to firm up unless you like to drink your raspberry sorbet through a straw. That’s why I say make it ahead and heck, join hands and sing kum ba yah while you scoop it. I don’t care.
It’s just going to be all around better if you will churn it and freeze it overnight.
Is it sad that I’m willing to sacrifice family time to make sure my food tastes good?
I need an intervention.
How to make raspberry sorbet
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup honey
- pinch table salt
- 4 cups frozen raspberries thawed
- juice from half a fresh lemon optional
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the honey and pinch of salt and stir until just dissolved, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender, puree the raspberries with the lemon juice until very smooth.
- Pour the berries through a mesh strainer and use a spoon to push the juice through, leaving the seeds behind. Throw away the seeds.
- Mix the sugar/water mixture and raspberries together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until very cold--about 2 to 4 hours.
- Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions--it was about 20 minutes for me. The sorbet will be soft.
- Transfer to a covered container and freeze until firmer and set. About another 2-4 hours or overnight of course.
My daughter (who is allergic to everything) just discovered sorbet and is in heaven! She would love this!
Awesome Melissa! I hope you make a big batch just for her. 🙂 It’s gone in just a few days here. –Rachel
Are you using a regular strainer or a special one since the seeds are tiny
Hey Patti, When I say strainer I mean what some people call a sieve, not a colander–that’s what you would use to drain your spaghetti. 😉 Know what I mean? I just use a standard “strainer/sieve” and the seeds don’t come through at all. Let me know if that’s confusing at all and I’ll start dropping in pictures or links to the right tool. –Rachel
Yum! I have never made sorbet and it’s 95 degrees in Seattle and I’m sure wishing I had some in my freezer!
This is such a smooth, fabulous recipe!
Thank you Rachel you are fantastic
You’re welcome Tony! And this blog would be nothing at all without you to help. I appreciate you so much! –Rachel