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Home » Ice Cream & Sorbet » Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet

Published: Apr 17, 2023 by Mara · This post may contain affiliate links - as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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!

An ice cream glass with scoops of raspberry lemonade sorbet with fresh raspberries on a stone background. It's surrounded by 2 full lemons and fresh raspberries.

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.

An ice cream glass with scoops of raspberry lemonade sorbet with fresh raspberries on a stone table with a white background. It's surrounded by 2 full lemons and fresh raspberries. There's a spoon hovering above the sorbet.

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

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet ingredients on a stone background. Each ingredient is labeled with a white rectangle box with black font in all caps.

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

Frozen raspberries in a blender body on a stone background. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '1' in the center.
  1. In a high powered blender or food processor, add your frozen raspberries. Set aside for raspberries to defrost at room temperature.
A small sauce pan with simple syrup on the burner. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '2' in the center.
  1. In a medium saucepan, add water and sugar. Heat over high heat and stir or whisk occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.
A sauce pan with lemon simply syrup on a mini copper wire trivet on a stone background. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '3' in the center.
  1. Set aside simple syrup, whisk in fresh lemon juice and zest and allow to cool (30 minutes).
Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet Base in a blender body on a stone background. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '4' in the center.
  1. 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).
An ice cream maker on a stone background with Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet churning in the ice cream machine. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '5' in the center.
  1. Follow the instructions included with your ice cream maker and churn sorbet. 
Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet in a metal tin on a stone background. A metal ice cream scoop is scooping sorbet. In the upper left corner is a dark red square with a white '6' in the center.
  1. 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.

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet in lemons on a stone background surrounded by more lemons filled with sorbet and fresh raspberries.

Recipe FAQ

What's the difference between ice cream, sorbet, gelato and sherbet?

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.

Can I use fresh raspberries instead? Why do you use frozen raspberries in this recipe?

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.

Why do you use vodka in your sorbet?

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.

An ice cream glass with scoops of raspberry lemonade sorbet with fresh raspberries on a stone background. It's surrounded by 2 full lemons and fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet

Mara
Sweet, tart, fruity and delicious! Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet is perfect all year round using frozen raspberries.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
8 hrs
Total Time 9 hrs 20 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 5 cups
Calories 233 kcal

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!

Notes

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.
  Nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. Please calculate your own nutritional information if you want it exact to what you make and use my calculations as a guide only.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 46IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram @makewithmara or hashtag #makewithmara
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Hi, I’m Mara! The home baker and cook behind Make With Mara. This is where I share my love of recipe testing, plating, and all things tasty. Let’s crEATe something delicious together! More about me →

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