Easy Homemade Strawberry Sorbet

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Easy Homemade Strawberry Sorbet is so light and refreshing and only made with 5 ingredients. Seasonal fresh strawberries add the most delicious flavor, sweetened with simple syrup, lemon juice and a pinch of salt for an easy, delicious and dairy free frozen dessert!

A glass bowl of three scoops of sorbet and fresh mint.

Hot summer days spent by the pool with kids, means we are always in search for the perfect homemade treat and one that is made with fresh and seasonal ingredients. Summer fruits are so vibrant in color and flavor and add so much natural sweetness to make the most incredible frozen fruit sorbets, popsicles or smoothies. Creating Homemade Strawberry Sorbet is a super fun way to get creative in the kitchen with your kids and give them the opportunity to blend their favorite fruit flavors to make the perfect frozen treat or served in cocktail.

A freezer safe container filled with sorbet, next to waffle cones.

What Is Sorbet

Sorbet is different than ice cream, sherbet or gelato; it is a simple combination of fruit and sugar and it is naturally dairy free. Starting with fresh fruit and sweetened with simple syrup, and a dash of lemon juice, this will be the base of your sorbet. Seasonal fresh fruit is naturally sweet, so make sure the amount of simple syrup balances the sweetness of the fruit you choose. Once the fruit and simple syrup are blended, churn sorbet in a traditional ice cream machine to produce a smooth and creamy strawberry sorbet that can be enjoyed by the scoop or in your favorite waffle cone.

Ingredients

Strawberries-Fresh and seasonal strawberries are always the best option, but if you only have frozen on hand that will work as well

Simple Syrup-Made will only two ingredients, sugar and water, simple syrup is the sweetener for this sorbet

Lemon Juice-Adding a splash of lemon juice enhances the fresh fruit flavors and keeps the ruby red color of the strawberries vibrant

Salt- Add a pinch of salt to this strawberry sorbet to enhance the flavor

Step-by-Step Instructions

A blender filled with strawberries, next to a blender with pureed strawberries.

Prepare the Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and water to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove the syrup from the stove and allow it to cool to room temperature

Prepare the Strawberry Sorbet

Rinse the strawberries and slice them in half; place the strawberries, simple syrup, lemon juice and salt in the blender, blend on high speed until the ingredients are smooth and there are no fruit chunks remaining

A bowl of strawberry puree with a strainer next to an ice cream machine with strawberry puree inside.

Strain the strawberry puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds
Following the directions of your ice cream machine, freeze the sorbet until it looks like soft serve ice cream (this will take approximately 30 minutes but the sorbet will still be very soft)
Pour the sorbet into a freezer safe container and freeze until firm (approximately 6-8 hours or overnight)

Expert Tips and FAQS

If you don't have access to fresh strawberries, frozen strawberries are a perfect replacement
If you like a little texture in your sorbet it is fine to remove the straining process and freeze the puree with the seeds!
If you don't have an ice cream machine you can skip the ice cream machine step and pour the strawberry puree into a freezer safe container and freeze but the sorbet will come out an icy texture instead of creamy

What is the difference between sorbet and ice cream?

Sorbet is a non dairy frozen treat that is made with fresh fruit and simple syrup, while traditional ice cream is made with heavy cream and eggs.

Why does sorbet get super icy sometimes and not creamy?

There is a balance of making sure that sorbet is not overly sweet, but the simple syrup will keep the sorbet creamy instead of icy. So if your sorbet comes out icy you might need to adjust the simple syrup next time.

Can you add alcohol to sorbet?

It is fun to add alcohol to frozen treats and sorbet is a great way to be creative and add in a few shots of alcohol into your recipe. St. Germain Liqueur would be a great addition to the Strawberry Sorbet.

Can I use this recipe with a different fruit?

Yes! This is a great recipe to try different fruit flavors but you might need to adjust the simple syrup depending on how sweet the fruit is. Remember that the puree will taste sweeter than the actual frozen sorbet.

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