Nothing beats the refreshing zing of lemon sorbet when the heat is on. This delightful dessert isn't just for eating with a spoon—it's also the star ingredient in a homemade Sgroppino.
Today, I'm excited to guide you through making your own lemon sorbet using the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker, plus a quick guide for making lemon sorbet without an ice cream maker. Both are a breeze to whip up and incredibly satisfying. Let's dive in and create this deliciously easy treat!
By the way, June is National Lemon Month, which makes this the perfect time to enjoy all things lemon.
🥘 Ingredients
- Lemons, organic: You’ll need whole lemons. Organic is best for a cleaner taste.
- Water: Use filtered water for the purest flavor.
- Sugar: Stick to white sugar for the right texture and color—brown sugar can alter both.
- Egg white: This helps create a smooth texture. Don’t toss the yolks—make some delicious cookies with them! I have a couple of great leftover egg yolk cookie recipes on my blog.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Wash the lemons in hot water, pat them dry, and squeeze out the juice. Set the juice aside, but keep the peels!
Step 2: Combine the water, sugar, and lemon peels in a small pan and bring to a boil. Let it infuse for 15 minutes off the heat, then remove the peels.
Step 3: Strain the lemon juice (to remove seeds and fibers) into the prepared syrup and allow the whole mixture to cool to room temperature.
Step 4: Separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites. Keep the yolks for other treats (they freeze well).
Step 5: Mix the whisked egg whites with the lemon syrup. Don’t worry about lumps; they’ll smooth out in the ice cream maker.
Step 6: Attach the frozen bowl to your KitchenAid, don’t forget the dasher, and pour in the mixture.
Step 7: Churn for 30-40 minutes, then transfer to a container and freeze.
Step 8: Let it soften before serving. Perfect for a Sgroppino or garnished with mint leaves, lemon twists, or dark chocolate sprinkles!
❄️ No Churn Lemon Sorbet
Making lemon sorbet without an ice cream maker is simple. Here's how:
- Prepare Ingredients: In a small pan, combine the juice of 3 lemons, 1 ¾ cups of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Add the lemon peels.
- Boil and Infuse: Bring to a boil, then let it infuse for 15 minutes off the heat. Remove the peels and let the syrup cool.
- Mix and Freeze: Pour the mixture into a shallow container and freeze. Every 30 minutes, stir the mixture with a fork to break up ice crystals until smooth (about 3-4 hours).
- Serve: Once fully frozen, scoop and serve.
This method creates a smooth texture similar to that of an ice cream maker.
🌡️ Storage
Homemade lemon sorbet can last in the freezer for up to one month. Store it in an airtight container to ensure it stays fresh and maintains its quality. Let it soften for a few minutes at room temperature for the best texture before serving.
🍽 Equipment
- Lemon squeezer
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon and tablespoon
- Strainer
- KitchenAid
- Whisk attachment
- Mixing bowl
- Ice cream maker attachment
- Ice cream container
🙋🏻 FAQ
For the best results, freeze the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker bowl for at least 15 hours. I recommend freezing it for at least 24 hours to ensure it’s fully frozen and ready to churn your ice cream perfectly. This way, you’ll avoid any issues with the ice cream not freezing properly during the churning process.
To store leftover egg yolks, place them in an airtight container and cover them with a small amount of water to keep them from drying out. Store them in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you need to keep them longer, you can freeze them by mixing them with a pinch of salt or sugar (depending on the future use) to prevent them from becoming too gelatinous. Frozen egg yolks can be stored for up to three months.
🍋 Other Recipes using Lemons
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/lemon-white-chocolate-cookies/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/no-bake-lemon-cheesecake/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/fresh-lemon-juice/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/gin-and-tonic-with-lemon/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/lemon-twist/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/lemon-punch/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/lavender-lemon-muffins/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/lemon-sugar-cookies/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/how-much-lemon-juice-is-in-one-lemon/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/raspberry-lemon-drop-martini-recipe/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/drinks-with-lemon/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/national-lemon-month/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/limoncello-vodka/
- https://combinegoodflavors.com/limoncello-martini-recipe/
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.
📖 Recipe
Delicious Homemade Lemon Sorbet {Ice cream maker}
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon and tablespoon
- KitchenAid
- Whisk attachment
- Ice cream maker attachment
- Ice cream container
Ingredients
- 3 Lemons organic
- 1 ¾ cups Water
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 Egg white
Instructions
- Wash the 3 Lemons in hot water, pat them dry, and squeeze out the juice. Set the juice aside, but keep the peels!3 Lemons
- Combine 1 ¾ cups Water, 1 cup Sugar, and lemon peels in a small pan and bring to a boil. Let it infuse for 15 minutes off the heat, then remove the peels.1 ¾ cups Water, 1 cup Sugar
- Strain the lemon juice (to remove seeds and fibers) into the prepared syrup and allow the whole mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Separate the egg and whisk 1 Egg white . Keep the yolk for other treats (they freeze well).1 Egg white
- Mix the whisked egg white with the lemon syrup. Don’t worry about lumps; they’ll smooth out in the ice cream maker.
- Attach the frozen bowl to your KitchenAid, don’t forget the dasher, and pour in the mixture.
- Churn for 30-40 minutes, then transfer to a container and freeze.
- Let it soften before serving. Perfect for a sgroppino or garnished with mint leaves, lemon twists, or dark chocolate sprinkles!
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
Colleen says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Nora says
You are very welcome, Colleen! Thank you for your comment!
AS says
Hello! Is it possible the size of my lemons were too big? Everything stayed super watery. Trying to sort out what could have gone wrong.
It’s not explicitly clear in the instructions but I’m also assuming that I mix the juice with the syrup to whisk, as I did that too?
Thank you!
Nora says
Hi, thanks for your message. I used medium-sized lemons.
Tips:
After you have whipped the egg whites, add the lemon syrup you made before and mix the whole mix together. It's really very runny but that doesn't matter.
The important thing is that you give it plenty of time to churn. I churned the sorbet for 35 minutes with the ice cream machine. It took that long to firm up well. So maybe try churning it longer with the ice cream machine? Let me know if that helped!
Krystle says
This has the perfect amount of lemon flavor. Perfect for this heat wave we are in.
Nora says
Yeah, totally! It's super refreshing and ideal for these crazy hot temperatures!
DK says
I love lemon sorbets and now thanks to this recipe, I can make them at home!
Nora says
Awesome! Thank you, DK!
Ve says
I made this even though the weather is not right for it here yet. I can't wait for it to get warmer now so I'll have an excuse to make it again!
Nora says
Then let's hope that the weather is getting better for more delicious lemon sorbet fun!
Hina says
Thank you for sharing this recipe
I don't understand when we are supposed to add the lemon juice we saved after squeezing the 3 lemons? Do we add that back into to recipe at any point?
Nora says
Hello Hina, thank you for your message! You add the lemon juice to the lemon syrup after you've removed the lemon peels. Sorry for the confusion! Happy sorbet making!