Sweet, tart and perfectly smooth, this Easy Lemon Sorbet recipe is the perfect summer palate cleanser. Enjoy it on its own or with a shot of vodka to kick off happy hour!
No ice cream maker needed for today’s recipe. If you’re looking for a creamier frozen treat, try our homemade vanilla ice cream or Chocolate Ice Cream.
What is Sorbet
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made with frozen sweetened fruit juice or flavored syrup. It’s ice cold and sweet like sherbet and ice cream, but contains no dairy.
Some sorbets contain alcohol or liqueur for a softer, more drinkable consistency. You can enjoy them as a light dessert, an afternoon refreshment or even a palate cleanser between courses of a large meal!
I love all kinds of sorbets, but my favorite are the ones on the tarter side. This easy Lemon Sorbet is pure delight for fans of cold, fruity desserts.
- It’s sweetened just enough with the perfect lemon pucker!
- Delicious with or without vodka.
- Only 4 ingredients.
- No special equipment necessary!
Be sure to try this strawberry sorbet recipe next, for a unique twist!
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar. It’s dissolved in water to form a simple syrup.
- Lemon peel. Check out my tips and tricks for how to zest a lemon.
- Lemon juice. You need a full cup of fresh squeezed juice for this lemon sorbet recipe!
- Vodka. An optional addition for the grown ups!
Tips and Tricks
- For the simple syrup: Mix together to sugar and water in a saucepan. Boil for one minute before adding the lemon peel.
- Let the syrup cool before adding lemon juice to the mixture.
- Freeze the sorbet mixture for at least 4 hours, or until firm.
I love this scooped into a fancy glass for serving! Add a shot of vodka and it doubles as a fancy frozen cocktail too.
Recipe FAQs
Lemon sorbet is not necessarily a health food but it is a better-for-you-option than many frozen desserts. It’s naturally fat free and lower in calories than ice cream, with a hefty dose of Vitamin C from the fresh lemon juice.
Make this sorbet sugar free by making it with your preferred sugar substitute instead of granulated sugar. Granulated monk fruit or stevia would both work.
Any clear liquor would taste good in this sorbet. Try it with a shot of gin or white rum instead of vodka for a fun twist!
After the sorbet is frozen completely, transfer it to a freezer safe airtight container with a lid. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Yes, this sorbet recipe is easy to double with great results!
Yes, limes are a delicious option for this sorbet recipe. Or use half and half for a super citrusy treat!
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Easy Lemon Sorbet
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup grated lemon peel fresh
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- vodka if desired, for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil for one minute, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in freshly grated lemon peel and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Once cooled add in fresh lemon juice. Pour into a freezer safe container, such as a bowl or metal bread pan. Freeze for about 4 hours, or until firm
- When ready to serve, scoop into a bowl (or fancy glass). Add a shot of vodka, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Cool off with this tangy, sweet easy lemon sorbet. Easy to make with or without vodka!
would I be able to keep it in a icecream bucket until ready for use?
mine was super tart and sour and was more like lemon slush, is there a way to make it not so tart?
Try less lemon. I would go with less lemon zest then add lemon juice to taste. Sorbet is normally between a slush and ice cream consistency so it shouldn’t be a big problem, if it is super slush-like, I recommend freezing it at a cooler temperature and for longer. I hope this helps!
Can you use limencello in this recipe?
Turned out perfectly…nice and tart with just enough sweetness! I couldn’t get quite 1/4 cuo of grated lemon rind because my lemons weren’t super fresh and the rind was kind of soft and I grated my knuckle 😳 so i gave up but got enough for the flavor to be right! I also added half a shot of vodka to the mixture before I froze it which prevented it from getting too hard. The consistency is perfect! 😋Thanks for this recipe. I live in Nicaragua part of the year so lemons are hard to find but limes are plentiful so I’m going to try this recipe with lines too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Turned out absolutely delicious. I used Meyer lemons for the recipe since, I have a tree in my backyard. I thought it would be super had since I left in in the freezer overnight. Very easy to scoop and I used a rubbermaid container to freeze it in. Thinking of making this again and adding a very little bit of lavender.
Love. love. love!
Hi! I haven’t tried it yet, but when I put it in the freezable pan, it was a very thin layer. Is this recipe supposed to be doubled? It looks really small right now I’m starting to second guess if I did something wrong.
hmm when I did it it had a perfectly thick layer…weird
Wow! Nice and Interesting Blog!. I loved your Lemon Sorbet recipe. Simple and healthy recipe. I loved this!. Thanks a lot for sharing!. I am definitely gonna try this recipe today itself.
Does it not get really hard like ice cube?