Raspberry sorbet

This raspberry sorbet is as delicious to eat as it is pretty to look at. It's wonderfully smooth, the perfect level of sweet and with a vibrant raspberry flavor. Plus you need just three ingredients (including water) to make this delicious treat.

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My younger son has joined me in being a big fan of fruity sorbets. To me, they can be so much better for a really warm day as they are that bit more refreshing than an ice cream. Plus, they can be really delicious.

Mango is often a favorite, but this raspberry version is high up there, too. Even my elder son who is a little more of a sorbet-sceptic declared it really good and begs for more.

What's the difference between sorbet and ice cream?

There are lots of different frozen treats around, from ice cream to sorbet, gelato to frozen custard. For some, the differences are a little nuanced (and not everyone agrees).

However sorbet is a little easier, as the main difference between it and ice cream is sorbet does not contain dairy. It's essentially a sweetened water, with added flavorings. In many cases, the flavor comes from fruit - typically pureed fruit - but it doesn't have to. I've had some delicious herb-flavored sorbets, for example. But pretty much all are dairy free and vegan.

Now before you say, other frozen treats can be dairy-free as well, they do have differences. Granitas like coffee granita and lemon granita generally have a coarser texture. Then there's shaved ice, where a flavored syrup is poured over finely shaven ice, often with other toppings too. 

One of the great things about making sorbet at home is that the process is really easy compared to many other frozen treats. There's no making a custard or tempering to worry about. You essentially make a simple sugar syrup by dissolving sugar into water, make a fruit puree, then combine.

Now granted, using raspberries is slightly more involved than some due to the seeds, but it's still relatively easy. And well worth the effort of straining to get a wonderfully smooth sorbet. 

Ingredients in raspberry sorbet

All you need to make this is this short list of ingredients:

• Raspberries - be sure to use really ripe berries as they have a better flavor. If you can't get good fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries can work instead. I'd suggest defrosting them first to make them easier to strain. 
• Sugar - while raspberries are naturally sweet, all flavors are a little "dulled" when frozen, so the sugar helps bring out the flavor. While you can scale back the sugar to a point, the sugar also helps give a nice scoopable texture.
• Water - while raspberries have a good amount of natural liquid, you still want a bit of water to help get the right overall texture. 

You can, if you like, add a little lemon juice as well. It can help bring out the flavor in the berries and make it a little "brighter" (much as in a jam). However as long as your berries have a good flavor, it works well without, too.

How to make homemade raspberry sorbet

First, you make a simple syrup by warming the sugar and water together until the sugar dissolves. Then, make sure it cools completely - you can make it ahead if you like and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Separately, whizz up the raspberries with a food processor to break them up. Then strain to remove the seeds and leave a nice smooth raspberry puree. I know, it can seem tedious, but it does make a much better end texture. Make sure you scrape in all the fruit solids as it has lots of flavor, too. 

Do you need an ice cream maker?

It is possible to make this without an ice cream maker, using the method similar to granitas of freezing and mixing at regular intervals to break up the ice crystals. This can, however, leave it a little coarse. You can improve the texture by breaking it up with a food processor as it's getting close to being fully frozen. Then freeze a little longer to firm up.

However, if you have an ice cream maker, it's definitely easier and less to keep track off. You simply churn until it gets to a soft serve texture, then transfer to a container and freeze until completely frozen. The churn time will depend on your machine but typically takes around 20 minutes.

While you do need to give this a bit of time to firm up in the freezer (at least four hours), it does have a nice texture that's pretty easy to scoop. So you don't really need to let it sit out before you scoop into a bowl or cone of your choice and enjoy.

This homemade raspberry sorbet recipe makes a wonderfully bright, deliciously flavorful, scoopable dessert that's such a yummy, cooling treat. It's one we all love in our house, and I hope once you give it a try, you'll all be fans too. Enjoy!

Try these other frozen treats:

• Cherry ice cream (no churn)
• Concord grape sorbet
• Ginger ice cream (churned)
• No churn raspberry chocolate chip ice cream
• Plus get more dessert recipes and summer recipes in the archives.

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