Sorbet is one of those amazing desserts that seems to break all of the rules. It provides the same satisfaction as ice cream, yet somehow manages to remain dairy-free. It’s a sweet treat that is nonetheless often served in the middle of larger meals as a palate cleanser. It’s low-fat, it’s (generally) vegan, and it is absolutely delicious.
But did you know that it’s also fairly easy to make? By combining a few ingredients in a Blendtec blender, you can quickly create a number of fantastic sorbet recipes on par with anything you’d be able to get in the best restaurants. Here are five of our favorite homemade sorbet recipes from around the web.
1. Pineapple Sorbet
For those who love pineapple, there are few fruits with a better overall punch. Pineapples taste great, offer a juicy, almost-citrusy texture, and are as visually appealing as they are tasty. Pineapples also provide a variety of health benefits, including decreasing the risk of age-related macular degeneration, helping fight asthma, regulating blood-pressure, and improving digestion. Given these advantages, it’s no surprise that pineapple makes a great sorbet. Here’s an easy recipe courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Ingredients
½ organic pineapple
4–8 tablespoons of sugar (depending upon the ripeness of the pineapple)
½ cup water
1 small squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Directions
- Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, and then cut the flesh of ½ of the pineapple into cubes. Remove the flesh from the shell using a melon-baller. Set the shells aside.
- Place the ½ organic pineapple flesh in a Blendtec blender. Add the sugar, water, and optional lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
- Place the mixture in the freezer, and allow it to freeze for 1–2 hours.
- Once the mixture is fully frozen, return it to the blender. Blend again until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture back into the ½ pineapple shell, and then place the shell back into the freezer.
- Allow it to freeze for at least five hours before serving.
2. Spicy Cayenne Mango
Mango covered in chili, lime-juice, and salt is a staple of street-fair vendors, and offers one of the most unique (and amazing) taste combinations you’re likely to experience. This mango sorbet (one of our own designs) plays with the sweet-sour-spicy flavor of the fairgrounds’ favorite, and adds a few interesting tastes of its own.
Ingredients
1½ cups frozen mango
1 banana
½ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup lemon juice
Cayenne powder (to taste)
Directions
- Combine the mango, banana, syrup, and lemon juice together in a Blendtec blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add a dash of cayenne pepper. Reblend and taste. Add more cayenne pepper to taste, and reblend.
- Place mixture in the freezer and allow to freeze fully before serving.
3. Coconut sorbet
For a real taste of the islands, there are few treats as authentic as coconut sorbet. This particular recipe uses coconut milk, cream of coconut, and shaved coconut to ensure that the coconut flavor that gives it its name remains strong and sweet. This sorbet is perfect for sunny summer days, or anytime that you want something that tastes tropical and refreshing. This recipe comes to us from Goya.com.
Ingredients
2 cans (13.5 oz each) coconut milk
1 can (15 oz) cream of coconut
1½ cups water
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 pinch coconut flakes for garnish (optional)
Directions
- In a Blendtec blender, blend the coconut milk and the cream of coconut until fully mixed.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the water and the ½ cup coconut flakes to the bowl. Mix together. Place the mixture in the freezer for about 45 minutes, or until it is very cold (but not quite frozen).
- Transfer mixture back into blender. Blend until smooth.
- Place the mixture in a freezer, and allow it to freeze for several hours, or until it is firm.
- Garnish with coconut flakes, and serve.
4. Grapefruit-Mint Sorbet
The great thing about making your own sorbet, is that you can experiment with flavors that you probably wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. Take this grapefruit and mint sorbet, for example. It somehow manages to combine two flavors that—at first glance—don’t seem very complimentary. But once this lusciously refreshing combination of citrus and cold-burning mint touches your tongue, you’ll wonder why grapefruit-mint isn’t one of the basic candy flavors. This recipe comes to us from Food.com.
Ingredients
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup grapefruit juice (white or pink)
½ cup fresh mint leaves (stems included)
1 fresh sprig of mint (optional, for garnish)
Directions
- In a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, and mint leaves. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once sugar is completely dissolved, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour mixture into a Blendtec blender and add grapefruit juice. Blend on high until smooth.
- Pour blended mixture into freezer-safe container. Cover and place in freezer. Wait until mixture is frozen solid (this could take approximately six hours).
- Place frozen mixture in Blendtec blender, and blend until smooth.
- Return mixture to freezer-safe container. Replace container in freezer, and allow to sit until completely frozen.
- Serve garnished with a sprig of mint.
5. Chocolate Blackberry Sorbet
Look, just because these sorbets are all fruit-based, it doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy a little bit of decadence along with them; here’s one that we came up with on our own. This recipe for a chocolate blackberry sorbet mixes the tartness of ripe blackberries, with the beloved deliciousness of everyone’s favorite sweet. This sorbet is one that no-one, child or adult, will be able to resist.
Ingredients
1⅔ cups white sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar (packed)
3 cups water
2 cups cocoa powder
1 lb frozen blackberries (unsweetened)
Directions
- Combine white sugar, brown sugar, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugars. Whisk in cocoa powder. Allow to cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Whisk to ensure an even mixture.
- Transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container, and refrigerate until chilled (2–3 hours)
- Transfer chilled mixture into a Blendtec blender. Add frozen blackberries. Puree until smooth.
- Transfer mixture back into a freezer-safe container, and place it in the freezer. Allow it to freeze until solid.
- Transfer mixture back into the blender, and pulse blend until the mixture reaches a sorbet-like consistency. Serve.