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Lemon Sorbet

Lemon sorbet is a homemade, bright Italian-American-style frozen dessert made by cooking a quick simple syrup and chilling until very cold. Churned until thick and slushy, it freezes into a pale, intensely tart sorbet with a clean, icy texture.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 230
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Lemon sorbet base
  • 1.5 cup fresh lemon juice About 8–10 lemons, strained if needed to remove pulp.
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest Finely zested, avoiding bitter white pith.
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 egg white Optional for a creamier texture; use pasteurized if desired.
  • 0.25 tsp salt A pinch, to sharpen the citrus flavor.

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the simple syrup
  1. Combine granulated sugar and water in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring, until the sugar fully dissolves. It should look clear with no grains, about 4–5 minutes.
Chill the citrus mixture
  1. Cool the syrup completely before using, so the sorbet mixture is cold from the start. Refrigerate if needed until fully chilled.
  2. Stir the cooled simple syrup into fresh lemon juice along with lemon zest and salt, mixing until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours.
Optional egg-white for creamier texture
  1. If using egg white, whip it to soft peaks and then gently fold it into the cold lemon mixture. Stop folding as soon as streaks disappear so the mixture stays airy.
Churn and freeze
  1. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker until thick and slushy, about 20–25 minutes. The texture should mound slightly and look like pourable soft sorbet.
  2. Transfer the churned sorbet to a container and freeze at least 2 hours until firm. Let it sit 2–3 minutes at room temperature for easier scooping.
Serve
  1. Serve the lemon sorbet in chilled bowls or scoop it into hollowed lemon halves. Top with lemon zest and mint if desired.

Notes

Pro tip: cooling the simple syrup completely and refrigerating the lemon mixture until very cold helps the ice crystals stay fine. Store covered in the freezer up to 2 weeks; for best scoopability, press parchment directly on the surface. Freezer yes—texture may soften slightly after long storage. Dietary swap: for dairy-free, this recipe is naturally dairy-free as written; for egg-free, omit the egg white for a more classic icy sorbet texture.