Chocolate sorbet
Dark, dense and pure chocolate — no milk or cream, yet still creamy.
A water-based sorbet lets chocolate shine more than ice cream does — there is no milk fat to mute the flavour. Cocoa and chocolate bring fibre, starch and cocoa butter, which thicken the mix once it has been boiled. The result is surprisingly creamy, and vegan if you use milk-free chocolate.
Type: Sorbet · Servings: 8 · Difficulty: Moderate
Equipment
Ingredients
- 620 g water
- 210 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
- 30 g dextrose (glucose powder)
- 45 g cocoa powder (10–12 % fat) (Dutch-process (alkalised) cocoa is milder)
- 1 g salt (a pinch)
- 55 g dark chocolate 70 % (chopped; milk-free if you want a vegan sorbet)
- 3 g vanilla extract
Making the mix
- In a saucepan, mix the sugar, dextrose, cocoa and salt so the cocoa doesn’t form lumps.
- Gradually pour in the water, whisking. Bring to the boil and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Take off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and vanilla and stir until the chocolate has melted. Briefly blitz the mix with a stick blender.
- Leave to cool, then refrigerate overnight (at least 4 hours) — the mix will thicken.
Method — Compressor ice cream maker
- Switch the ice cream maker on 5–10 minutes ahead so the bowl can pre-chill.
- Pour in the chilled mix (no higher than the fill line) and churn for 25–35 minutes until the sorbet is thick, glossy and holds its shape on a spoon.
- Transfer to a chilled container, cover the surface with cling film and leave to harden in the freezer for 1–2 hours.
Total time: 7 h 50 min
Method — Freezer-bowl ice cream maker
- Take the frozen bowl out of the freezer just before use, fit the paddle and switch the machine on.
- With the machine running, pour in the well-chilled mix — no more than two thirds of the bowl; freeze the rest in a second batch.
- Churn for 20–25 minutes until the sorbet thickens into a dense ice slush. Churning longer is pointless — the bowl has already warmed up.
- Transfer to a chilled container, cover the surface with cling film and leave to harden in the freezer for 3 hours.
Freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours ahead. The mix must be fridge-cold (5 °C or below) — a lukewarm mix warms the bowl before the sorbet can set.
Total time: 8 h 45 min
Method — Ninja CREAMi and similar machines
- Pour the chilled mix into the CREAMi tub up to the MAX line (any extra into a second tub), put the lid on and freeze level for 24 hours.
- Put the tub in the machine and run the Sorbet program.
- If the sorbet is crumbly or powdery, add 1–2 tablespoons of water or juice and run Re-spin. Serve straight away.
Programme: Sorbet
Smooth over whatever is left in the tub, put the lid on and return it to the freezer; before serving again, run the Sorbet program or Re-spin once more.
Total time: 29 h 25 min
Stages
- Preparation
- 10 min
- Cooking
- 10 min
- Cooling
- 1 h
- Ageing in the fridge
- 4 h
- Churning
- 30 min
- Hardening in the freezer
- 2 h
- Total time
- 7 h 50 min
Serving and storage
Serve with orange zest, raspberries or a spoonful of thick coconut cream. Let it stand for 10 minutes; it is denser than fruit sorbets.
Best within 1–2 weeks, kept in a closed container with cling film on the surface. After that the fruit flavour fades and the sorbet turns coarse. Do not refreeze once thawed.
Tips
- The quality of the cocoa and chocolate decides everything here — there is no other flavour to hide behind.
- A teaspoon of instant coffee or a pinch of cinnamon deepens the chocolate flavour.
- If the mix sets like a pudding once cooled, whizz it with a stick blender before freezing.
- It is only vegan with milk-free chocolate; check the ingredients and any "may contain milk" warning on the packet.
Why it works
Cocoa contains about 30 % fibre and a little starch. When boiled, they swell, bind water and act as a natural stabiliser. Cocoa butter from the chocolate adds about 3 % fat to the mix, making the sorbet smoother. Thanks to its higher total solids (around 35 %), chocolate sorbet is thicker and melts more slowly than fruit sorbets.