Easy Peach Sorbet Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes sorbet so creamy? ›

Without fat from dairy or eggs, it's the suspension of sugar within the fruit purée that allows the sorbet to churn into something with a creamy mouthfeel. You need 20-30% sugar in your sorbet, which will come from your fruit plus some added sugar.

It's also crucial for the sorbet's texture. Too little sugar and the sorbet becomes icy, too much and it can be slushy — hit the sugar level just right and the sorbet will taste creamy and melt evenly across your tongue.

But Italian sorbets, called sorbettos, have the same luxurious mouth-feel as an ice cream. I worked on many batches before discovering that through a combination of reducing down the simple syrup to concentrate it, and then adding some thickening via a bit of cornstarch, it could happen!

The optional egg white helps to stabilize, emulsify, and preserve the texture of the sorbet if you are going to keep it in your freezer for a few days.

Sorbet has less calories than ice cream and other frozen desserts, and no fat. It's fruit content also makes it rich in vitamin C. Any downsides? That fruit content also means it contains a fair bit of sugar, and if we're comparing it with ice cream and gelato, it has less calcium, vitamin A and iron.

Lemon Water

It may seem like an overwrought step but it really helps. It gives the sorbet even more lemon flavor and just a touch of bitterness which nicely balances the sweet and sour. There is so much flavor in lemon peel it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

A sugar concentration between 20% to 30% will generally produce a scoopable, creamy sorbet. * Add less and your sorbet is too icy to scoop; add more and it may never freeze.

Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet has no dairy. Sherbet (not “sherbert” as it's often mispronounced) incorporates a small amount of dairy, such as milk, cream or buttermilk, which give scoops a richer, creamier consistency as with this Raspberry Buttermilk Sherbet recipe (pictured above).

"Sorbet is made with fruit but no dairy (eggs or milk/cream) so it's generally vegan-friendly and suits those with egg or dairy allergies, too," she says.

What is the best canned fruit for sorbet? ›

Peaches and apricots are the most common, but you can also use pineapples, cherries, or pears. Freeze the can for 12 hours or longer. Freeze the can for a minimum of 12 hours to ensure it's completely solid.

1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur (this is for flavor, but it also prevents the sorbet from freezing solid. Alcohol won't freeze, so it is great insurance that you will have a soft sorbet. BUT, if you add too much sorbet won't freeze at all and you will basically have a margarita or daiquiri!)

Since alcohol doesn't freeze, the vodka helps add smoothness to the the crunchy, icy texture of the sorbet. I made mine with Heritage Distilling Company's vodka. Triple distilled with a smooth finish, it's the perfect addition to this refreshing dessert.

Using a little neutral alcohol will also affect the freezing (without actually affecting the flavour), will help fight the growth of the ice crystals and prevent the sorbet from freezing too hard. But it won't stop the air from abandoning the sorbet.

Sugar doesn't just sweeten sorbet—it's also responsible for sorbet's structure. In ice cream, a combination of fat, protein, and sugar all influences ice cream's texture, but in sorbet sugar is the big fish.

Ingredients: Gelatin, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, guar gum, milk whey protein concentrate & standardized with dextrose.

Pectin improves viscosity and like sugar, helps to decrease the size of ice crystals. Fruit is not a natural bedfellow for no-churn ice cream with all its water content.