Sorbet
Fruit, water and sugar, no milk. Fresh, intense and naturally vegan.
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from fruit, water and sugar, with no milk or cream. Sometimes wine or a liqueur is added. It is churned while freezing like ice cream, so it is smooth and can be scooped with a spoon — which sets it apart from granita, with its deliberately coarse ice crystals. It differs from sherbet in containing no milk at all.
Since sorbet contains no fat or milk proteins, sugar does all the work: it sweetens, keeps the mix soft and makes up almost all of the solids. That is why getting the amount of sugar right matters most with sorbet.
Origin and history
The word “sorbet” came into European languages via the Italian “sorbetto” from the Persian “sharbat” and an Arabic word meaning “to drink”. Originally, then, it was a chilled sweet drink. Recipes for sorbetti were printed in 1694 in a book by the Italian author Latini. The French chef Auguste Escoffier described sorbet as a very light, barely set ice.
Typical composition
| Parameter | Value | Source and note |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | 0 % (up to 3 % with cocoa or nuts) | zmrzka target 0–3 % |
| Fruit | at least 25 %, in Italy commonly 25–60 % | SK and CZ law; Italian source |
| Sugars (sweeteners) | around 25–33 % | Goff; zmrzka target 20–32 % |
| Brix (dissolved sugars) | roughly 25–32 °Bx | calculated from Goff’s formula |
| Total solids | at least 12 % (CZ), in practice 28–35 % | zmrzka target 24–38 % |
| Stabiliser | 0.3–0.4 % | Goff |
| Overrun | low, exact figures not verified | zmrzka target 15–30 % |
| Serving temperature | roughly −12 to −15 °C | zmrzka target −14 to −10 °C |
Goff’s industrial formula contains 24 % sucrose, 6–9 % solids from syrup, 0.3–0.4 % stabiliser and citric acid added only just before freezing. Fruit makes up about a quarter. With the fruit added, the sugars come to around 28 %.
°Bx (Brix) is the share of dissolved solids as a percentage of weight. It is measured with a refractometer at 20 °C (or with a device that has automatic temperature compensation). The refractometer is calibrated for sucrose; other sugars and acids skew it slightly. The guide range of 25–32 °Bx is derived from verified formulas, not a direct recommendation from a standard.
Tip
For sorbets, the app also shows the Brix, calculated from all the sugars in the mix, including those from the fruit. If you have a refractometer, measure your purée — ripe fruit can contain far more sugar than the tables say. More in the article How composition is calculated.
What the law says
In Slovakia
Slovak Decree No. 82/2018 defines sorbet as a mixture of water and sugars with fruit, wine or alcohol. It must contain at least 25 % fruit, at least 15 % for citrus and sour or exotic fruit, and at least 5 % for nuts. Fat may only come from the ingredients (for example from nuts).
In Czechia
Under Czech Decree No. 397/2016, sorbet must contain at least 12 % total solids and at least 25 % fruit (or at least 7 % nuts). A “fruit” frozen dessert (ovocný mražený krém) is a different category with at least 15 % fruit.
In the US, sorbet corresponds to the category “water ices” (21 CFR § 135.160): like sherbet, but without milk or dairy ingredients.
How to make it at home
- Syrup. Dissolve the sugar (and possibly dextrose or glucose syrup) in warm water. If the recipe uses a stabiliser, mix it with the dry sugar first.
- Fruit. Blend into a purée; for raspberries and currants, strain out the seeds.
- Combining. Mix the cooled syrup with the purée and lemon juice. Add the acid only at the end.
- Chilling. 1–2 hours in the fridge. Long ageing as with dairy ice cream is not needed.
- Churning in the machine and hardening for 2–3 hours.
Equipment: a compressor ice cream maker, a freezer-bowl machine, a Ninja CREAMi (well suited to sorbets), a high-speed blender for quick sorbet from frozen fruit, or the no-machine method with regular stirring.
Recipes: lemon, raspberry, mango and lime and quick sorbet from frozen fruit.
The most common mistakes
- Too little sugar — the sorbet is hard, icy and flavourless. Sugar can only be reduced slightly.
- Too much sugar — it will not freeze and stays slushy and sticky.
- Sour fruit without adjustment — lemons, currants or rhubarb need more sugar or dilution with water.
- Too much alcohol — alcohol and honey soften sorbet. A small amount helps; a large amount stops it freezing.
- Long storage — without fat and protein, crystals grow quickly. Sorbet is best within a few days.
- Inaccurate fruit — the sugar in fruit varies with variety and ripeness. For banana, the Czech database gives 19 g of sugars per 100 g, the American one only 12 g.
Did you know?
In Slovakia, frozen desserts that have thawed and been refrozen must not be sold. At home the same applies to quality: once melted, the small crystals disappear and large ones grow when it refreezes.
How to recognise good sorbet
- The colour matches the fruit — lemon is pale, raspberry deep pink, not neon.
- It is smooth, without ice needles, and dissolves cleanly on the tongue.
- It tastes strongly of fruit, and the sweetness does not mask the acidity.
How long it takes at home
| Stage | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Making the syrup and purée | 15–20 min | active |
| Chilling | 1–2 h | |
| Ageing | optional, up to 4 h | |
| Churning in the machine | 20–30 min | |
| Hardening | 2–3 h |
Total: about 30 minutes of active work, 4–7 hours in all. With a blender and frozen fruit, sorbet is ready in a few minutes.
Equipment
Recipes (17)
Lemon sorbet
Fresh, tangy and smooth — the basic recipe that teaches you how sugar turns frozen water into sorbet.
Raspberry sorbet
Intensely raspberry, deep red and seedless. Works with frozen raspberries too.
Strawberry sorbet
A no-cook summer classic made from fresh strawberries — it tastes like strawberries straight from the garden.
Mango sorbet with lime
Thick, creamy and fragrant — mango has so much flesh that the sorbet is almost like ice cream.
Chocolate sorbet
Dark, dense and pure chocolate — no milk or cream, yet still creamy.
Apricot (or peach) sorbet
A velvety sorbet made from briefly poached apricots. Peaches work the same way.
Blackcurrant sorbet
A deep purple, distinctly tart and fragrant sorbet made from a favourite garden fruit.
Watermelon sorbet with mint
A light pink watermelon sorbet with mint and lime. Summer in a glass.
Elderflower sorbet
A floral sorbet made from elderflower syrup with lemon — the taste of Slovak and Czech gardens in May.
Rhubarb sorbet
A spring sorbet made from rhubarb — tangy, pink and surprisingly creamy.
Sour cherry sorbet
A dark red sour cherry sorbet with a pleasant tartness. Works with frozen or bottled sour cherries too.
Pear sorbet with calvados
A delicate autumn sorbet made from poached pears; for adults, with a spoonful of calvados or pear brandy.
Pineapple sorbet with basil and lime
A tropical sorbet made from fresh pineapple with green basil and lime. Sweet, tart and herbal all at once.
Quick frozen fruit sorbet
Ready in 10 minutes from frozen strawberries and mango in a high-speed blender — no ice cream maker, no waiting.
Banana nice cream
A creamy “ice cream” dessert made from nothing but frozen overripe bananas and two dates — no added sugar, no milk and no ice cream maker.
Chocolate banana nice cream
Chocolate nice cream made from frozen bananas, cocoa and dates. It tastes like chocolate ice cream but has a fraction of the fat.
Mango sorbet with no added sugar
A sorbet made only from fruit: ripe mango, overripe banana, dates and lime. The fruit itself provides the sweetness and smoothness.