Frozen raspberries, fresh lemons, water, sugar and a bit of vodka makes a delicious and vibrant colored Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet. It's sweet, tart, and the best way to beat the summer heat!
With summer almost here, we're making a refreshing and delicious Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet that can be enjoyed year round. It's the perfect balance of tartness from the lemons and sweetness from a bit of sugar and fruity from the frozen raspberries. Enjoy a scoop by the pool, to cool you down on a hot day or make it into a boozy brunch drink by scooping some sorbet into a glass and topping it with champagne or Rosé.
I've been adding a ton of ice cream, sorbet and popsicle recipes to enjoy this summer including my Mixed Berry Sorbet, No Churn Peanut Butter Ice Cream, and Blackberry Popsicles.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Perfectly Balanced - This sorbet is a delicious balance of sweet and tart!
Only Five Ingredients - water, sugar, frozen raspberries, lemons and vodka. That's it!
Delightful and Refreshing - This frozen treat is amazing on a hot summer day or to cleanse the palate in between meals.
Ingredients Notes
Vodka - I just use a small amount of vodka. Because alcohol doesn't freeze, it ensures our sorbet doesn't completely freeze solid so it'll be easier to scoop later.
Frozen Raspberries - I prefer using frozen raspberries in this recipes because they are frozen at peak season so they are much more flavorful and you can take the guess work out of using fresh berries.
Water - heated with sugar to create our simple syrup
Lemon - Fresh lemon is the way to go. We use both the lemon juice and zest for maximum lemon flavor.
Granulated Sugar - while raspberries are definitely sweet on their own, a simple syrup made with the sugar, lemon and water really is needed in this sorbet recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a high powered blender or food processor, add your frozen raspberries. Set aside for raspberries to defrost at room temperature.
- In a medium saucepan, add water and sugar. Heat over high heat and stir or whisk occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Set aside simple syrup, whisk in fresh lemon juice and zest and allow to cool (30 minutes).
- Add cooled simple syrup to the blender. Blend until completely smooth. (30 seconds at low speed, 30 seconds at medium speed and 1 -2 minutes at high speed).
- Follow the instructions included with your ice cream maker and churn sorbet.
- Pour sorbet into your ice cream container, press a piece of parchment paper on top and freeze for 6-8 hours to overnight. Before serving, let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes, scoop and enjoy!
Expert Tips
A little bit of alcohol goes a long way! - Because alcohol doesn't freeze, just adding a tablespoon (or two) to our sorbet base means our sorbet doesn't freeze completely solid.
Use for a boozy brunch cocktail - Scoop the sorbet into champagne flutes or coupe cocktail glasses and top it with Prosecco or champagne for a special brunch treat!
Discourage ice crystals - Ice crystals can form on the surface of ice cream and sorbet after its thawed. Placing a sheet of parchment paper (or wax paper) directly on the surface of the ice cream can be used to help keep the ice crystal from forming and safe from other odors in the freezer.
Add flavor with herbs - Mint or basil are a couple of herbs that can be added to the simple syrup with the lemon juice and zest to add another depth of flavor. Just make sure to remove the herbs before adding to the blender.
To strain or not to strain - I didn't strain the blended sorbet base but you can if you want too. I didn't mind the slight texture from the raspberry seeds as my blender can really blend them up. If you don't have a high powered blender, you can strain the sorbet base after blending with a fine mesh strainer and use the back of a spoon to help push the liquid through.
Recipe FAQ
Ice cream is made from a custard made of milk, cream, sweetener, and egg yolks.
Sorbet is made from fruit puree or juice with some type of sweetener.
Gelato is a frozen Italian dessert made from milk, cream and sweetener.
Sherbet is made from fruit puree or juice, sweetener and a bit of milk.
If you want to read more about the differences check out this article.
I recommend frozen raspberries because they are frozen at peak season. But, you can use fresh raspberries instead. You will want to refrigerate the sorbet base in the fridge overnight before churning it.
Water can freeze but vodka can't. When you think of that in terms of sorbet, adding a bit of vodka helps prevent large ice crystals from forming in the sorbet and results in a softer and smoother sorbet texture.
Storage
After churning sorbet, store your sorbet in an airtight container in the back of the freezer.
Press parchment paper on top of the sorbet and that will help with any freezer burn.
Enjoy sorbet for 1 week to 1 month.
If you plan on making a LOT of homemade ice cream, sorbet and sherbet maybe invest in a reusable ice cream container (like this one).
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PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page? I always appreciate feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds frozen raspberries (24 ounces)
- 1 cup water
- .9375 cup granulated sugar (¾ cup + 3 tablespoons)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice + lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons vodka optional
Instructions
- In a high powered blender or food processor, add your frozen raspberries. Set aside for raspberries to defrost at room temperature.
- In a medium saucepan, add water and sugar. Heat over high heat and stir or whisk occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Set aside simple syrup, whisk in fresh lemon juice and zest and allow to cool (30 minutes).
- Add cooled simple syrup to the blender. Blend until completely smooth. (30 seconds at low speed, 30 seconds at medium speed and 1 -2 minutes at high speed).
- Follow the instructions included with your ice cream maker and churn sorbet.
- Pour sorbet into your ice cream container, press a piece of parchment paper on top and freeze for 6-8 hours to overnight. Before serving, let it sit out at room temperature for a few minutes, scoop and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!