Name: Watermelon-Strawberry Fruit Sorbet
Prep time: 7 min
Total time: 127 min
Ingredients: 8 cups watermelon (fresh, cut into small cubes); 4 cups strawberries (fresh, whole or sliced); 1/3 cup lemon juice (or lime juice); 1/3 cup raw honey; 1/2 cup water kefir (or Kombucha)

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Learn how to make fruit sorbet with this easy, probiotic watermelon strawberry sorbet recipe! Use fresh or frozen fruit, with or without an ice cream maker, and naturally sweeten with raw honey to taste. Refreshing and delicious!

I broke my ice cream machine with almond milk.

Apparently its creamy nature is deceptive. Almond milk is mostly water… not fatty like real milk.

So, the plastic paddle immediately froze to the side of my machine. When the poor thing tried to stir, it snapped in half.

I’ve been avoiding homemade ice cream and fruit sorbets ever since the tragedy. Okay, maybe it’s not so tragic, but we do love our ice cream around here!

Now I’ve discovered a way to make a delicious, healthy fruit sorbet. No ice cream machine necessary.

How To Make Sorbet

There are a few different ways to make fruit sorbet.

The traditional way is to combine fruit and sugar. Some fruits work better than others, but there are many possible combinations.

A lot of recipes call for a simple syrup, which is water and sugar cooked together. The recipe for simple syrup is half and half, so 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar.

Fruit Options

Fruit with lots of fiber (like pineapple) or seeds (like raspberries) are harder to work with. You can use them, but they’ll need strained first to make a fruit juice.

I also like adding a bit of lemon or lime juice to balance out the sweet flavors.

Here are some different fruit ideas to use in sorbet:

Mango
Strawberry
Raspberry
Watermelon
Pears
Plum
Apple
Peach
Nectarine
Cantaloupe
Honeydew melon
Orange
Banana
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lime

Fruit Sorbet Variations

There are a lot of options when it comes to combining fruit. TCS contributing writer Dawn shared this spiced honey pear sorbet recipe.

My recipe, below, calls for strawberries and watermelon. You can also try:

Raspberry lemon sorbet
Orange juice mango sorbet
Apple cinnamon sorbet
Strawberry lime sorbet
Strawberry pineapple sorbet
Lemon lime sorbet

Different Methods For Fruit Sorbet

As mentioned above, the traditional method is combining fruit with simple syrup.

However, some people prefer to skip the extra liquid and just use fruit and sugar. The ratio is about 4 cups of fruit to 1 cup sugar.

Since I don’t want refined sugar (or even lots of natural sugar) I’m doing it differently.

How To Make Fruit Sorbet Without An Ice Cream Maker

I don’t have an ice cream machine so this is the method I used. There are two ways to make fruit sorbet without an ice cream machine.

Add frozen fruit and sweetener to a blender or food processor, then process until smooth and eat immediately. Or…
Blend fresh fruit and sweetener together until liquid. Freeze in a freezer safe bowl, whisking every 30 to 60 minutes. Eat as soon as it reaches the desired consistency.

Probiotic Sorbet

Since most fruit sorbet recipes are sugar and fruit, they aren’t the healthiest. I’ve added water kefir to this recipe for a probiotic kick!

If you don’t have water kefir then you can also use kombucha. If you want more of a sherbet flavor, add yogurt or milk kefir instead.

Is Sorbet Healthy?

It has fruit, so in a way, yes. It’s also full of sugar, so no. 😉

This recipe has the best of both worlds. It uses fresh fruit, including the fiber, and it’s naturally sweetened.

Sugar Alternatives

Some people use corn syrup or agave in their sorbet, but in my opinion, that defeats the purpose. It should go without saying that corn syrup isn’t healthy, but neither is agave.

While agave is more natural, it’s also really high in fructose. Raw honey helps give this sorbet a soft consistency while adding sweet nutrition.

Coconut and date sugar should also work if you prefer those.

Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

Watermelon is on the sweeter side when it comes to fruit. Strawberries, depending on the type, can be a little more tart.

I love the way these two taste together and I find they balance each other out.

Ingredients To Make Fruit Sorbet

Since this doesn’t follow the traditional fruit and sugar recipe, we’re getting creative.

We still need enough sweetener so it doesn’t freeze rock solid. Too much, though, and it’s cloyingly sweet.

Then there’s water kefir for a probiotic boost.

Because I don’t like my sorbet too sweet, I also added some lemon juice.

In my first batch, the watermelon was deep red and sweet. The second watermelon though was pinker and a little more tart.

Depending on how ripe your fruit is you may need to play around with the ingredients. If it’s too sweet, add a little more lemon juice.

Too sour? Add more honey.

Keep in mind that once the mix freezes, some of the sweetness will go away. We want to make it just a touch too sweet before freezing.

If you’re using the method that blends already frozen fruit, then follow your taste buds.

two bowls of pink-colored sorbet garnished with fresh strawberries, with watermelon wedges stacked in the background

3.67 from 3 votes

Watermelon-Strawberry Fruit Sorbet

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 7 minutes

Freezing Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 7 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 114 kcal

Author Jamie Larrison

Ingredients

8 cups watermelon fresh, cut into small cubes
4 cups strawberries fresh, whole or sliced
1/3 cup lemon juice or lime juice
1/3 cup raw honey
1/2 cup water kefir or Kombucha

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You will probably need to work in batches.
Pour the mixture into a large, freezer-safe bowl.
Freeze for 1 hour and then stir with a whisk.
Continue to freeze until the desired consistency, whisking every 30 minutes. The exact time depends on how cold your freezer is and the size of your bowl.
Serve as soon as desired consistency is reached.

Recipe Notes

If the sorbet gets too hard in the freezer, let it sit out at room temperature for a bit. Once it’s a little softer, give it a good whisk or run it through the food processor.

To make fruit sorbet with an ice cream maker...

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You will probably need to work in batches.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

To make fruit sorbet with frozen fruit...

Use watermelon and strawberries that have been cut into small pieces and frozen.
Put the frozen fruit and rest of the ingredients into a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Watermelon-Strawberry Fruit Sorbet

Amount Per Serving

Calories 114 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 298mg9%

Carbohydrates 29g10%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 874IU17%

Vitamin C 59mg72%

Calcium 22mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for more pro-biotic rich treats?

…and don’t forget to check out more dairy free frozen treats from Traditional Cooking School!

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