If you love lemonade, you will surely love this lemonade sorbet. It brings lemonade a step higher to an icy cool treat that is perfect for a hot summer day!
This lemonade sorbet is literally lemonade in a frozen form.
Sorbets are water-based frozen treats. They are often made with a combination of fruits and sugar. Water is sometimes added but sorbets do not typically contain any cream or milk.
In the case of this lemonade sorbet, since lemon juice can be too tart to be consumed on its own, I diluted it with water. This formed the fruit base of my sorbet. I then sweetened this solution with sugar for a perfectly sweet and tangy lemonade. In making the lemonade for sorbet, it is important to note that the taste of the lemonade in frozen form can be less intense compared to when it is consumed as a drink. Hence, when making the lemonade solution for the sorbet, it would help to make it slightly more concentrated.
Table of contents
How to ensure the sorbet is perfect and suits your taste buds
There is no hard and fast rule on the exact amount of lemon juice, sugar, and water that should be mixed to make the lemonade sorbet. The only consideration is to make sure it suits your taste buds.
Some like the lemonade to be more tart, while others prefer it sweeter. Also, some prefer the lemonade to be more concentrated while others prefer it to be more diluted. It is all a matter of preference and the best way to achieve the taste you want is by tasting the lemonade solution before freezing it into sorbet. That way, you can make the necessary adjustments to the amount of lemon juice, sugar, and water in the sorbet until you get your perfect taste, before freezing it.
The recipe I have on this page is not an overly concentrated lemonade solution, but it is strong enough to give the sorbet a perfect taste of lemonade in frozen form.
For a perfectly smooth and icy texture, this sorbet is best made in an ice cream maker. But if you do not have one, don't worry. I have tips on how to make a smooth lemonade sorbet without one!
How to Make
Ingredients
- Lemon juice (squeezed from fresh lemons)
- Sugar
- Drinking water
Making the lemonade
- Start by measuring water into a measuring jug. Pour half of it into a medium-sized pot.
- Add sugar into the pot.
- Heat up the solution and stir until the sugar is all dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and pour in the remaining water. Mix well and set aside.
- Wash and cut the lemons for juicing. For effective juicing, roll the lemons on your kitchen table or countertop with your palm, applying pressure as you do it. This helps soften the lemon skin and loosen the pulp inside, making juicing easier. Cut the lemons and squeeze out the juice. Strain it to remove any pulp seeds. Measure the quantity as provided in the recipe card below. Mix the juice into the sugar syrup.
- Stir well.
Method 1 - with an ice cream machine
- Cool the lemonade solution in the fridge before putting it into your ice cream machine to churn.
- Follow the instructions as provided in your ice cream machine manual.
- Once churned, the lemonade sorbet can be served. Depending on your ice cream machine, if the sorbet appears a little too soft, freeze it for a couple of hours before consuming.
- If you wish to consume it later, transfer the lemonade sorbet into a container. Keep it frozen until ready to serve.
- To serve, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the sorbet into a serving bowl. If the sorbet is too hard, leave it at room temperature for a minute or two before scooping. The sorbet is best kept frozen at minus 13 degrees Celsius.
Method 2 - without an ice cream machine
- Once the lemonade solution is ready, pour it into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for at least 6 hours. At this stage, the sorbet should have frozen.
- Remove the sorbet from the fridge and use a spoon to scrape or break it into chunks. Transfer the frozen sorbet chunks into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Return the sorbet into its container and freeze for another 3 to 4 hours.
- Let the lemonade sorbet continue to freeze until ready to serve.
- To serve, use an ice cream scoop to scrape and scoop the sorbet into a dessert bowl. If the sorbet is too hard, leave it at room temperature for a minute or two before scooping. The sorbet is best kept frozen at minus 13 degrees Celsius.
Notes
How to juice lemons?
- To effectively juice the lemons, roll them on your kitchen counter a few times before cutting. Use the palms of your hand to roll the lemons like you would a rolling pin. This will help soften the skin of the lemon and the pulp inside.
- Only then cut the lemons and extract the juice. Juicing can be done by squeezing the cut lemons by hand or a handheld juicer, but I find it a lot easier to juice lemons with a citrus juicer.
Can you use bottled lemonade?
- Yes, you can.
Use drinking water
- The water and sugar need only be heated up lightly, to help the sugar dissolve faster. This often does not require long heating up. Sugar would typically dissolve with just a little heat.
- In fact, heating up the solution too much means you would have to wait longer for the solution to cool down to make your sorbet.
- Hence, since the water will not be sufficiently boiled in making the syrup, it is best that you use drinking water to make the syrup.
Can you substitute lemon juice with lime juice?
- Yes, you can, and if you do, this would not be a lemonade sorbet but rather a lime sorbet.
- Also, do take note that the amount of lime juice required will vary as compared to lemon juice as lime juice tends to be more tart. My recipe below is for lemonade sorbet and the measurements indicated would need to be adjusted if lemons are substituted for limes.
How long should the sugar syrup be heated up and does it have to be boiled?
- The only purpose of heating up the water and sugar is to help the sugar dissolve faster. Therefore, when heating up this solution, use low heat, and stir the sugar as much as you can. That way, the sugar will dissolve faster and you need not heat up the solution longer than necessary.
- There is no need to boil the syrup.
- The hotter the syrup, the longer you would need to wait for it to cool down in making your sorbet.
How long does the sorbet last?
- This sorbet can last for a good two to three months though I would recommend to consume it within one month. Keep it covered in the freezer.
Like this easy recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
- Lime Popsicles - Refreshing Cool Treats
- Orange Popsicles - Refreshing Homemade Treats
- Lemonade Popsicles
- Lime Pound Cake with Easy Lime Glaze
- Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemonade Recipe - 3 Easy Methods
- Brown Sugar Lemonade - Flavorful & Refreshing
- Frozen Lemonade Concentrate - A Homemade Recipe
- Pretty in Pink Blueberry Lemonade
Recipe (Printable)
Here is the full printable version of my lemonade sorbet recipe.
📖Recipe
Lemonade Sorbet
For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.
Instructions
- Measure sugar into a medium-sized pot. Add half of the water. Turn on the heat to low and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and add the remaining water. Set aside to cool down.
- Roll lemons on your kitchen counter to soften the pulp inside. Cut each lemon into 2 and squeeze the juice. Strain to remove pulps and seeds. Measure the required amount of juice.
- Add the lemon juice into the sugar syrup solution and mix well.
Option 1: Churning with an Ice Cream Maker
- Chill the lemonade and churn in an ice cream maker accordingly to your ice cream machine manual or instructions.
Option 2: No-Churn Lemonade Sorbet
- Pour the prepared lemonade solution into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 5 to 6 hours, until the sorbet is frozen.
- Remove the container from the freezer. Scrape or break the frozen sorbet into chunks with a spoon. Transfer the chunks into a blender. Blender for about 15 to 20 seconds.
- Pour the blended sorbet back into the freezer-safe container. Freeze for at least 4 hours before consuming.
Nutrition
And that's my easy lemonade sorbet recipe for you.
Enjoy!
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