The watermelon sorbet is a fresh, light, and very simple summer dessert to prepare at home. With only two main ingredients plus water, you can make a refreshing and genuine spoon dessert, perfect for combating the summer heat.
This recipe works perfectly even without an ice cream maker: just blend the watermelon with sugar and water, and then place the mixture in the freezer, stirring it every 30 minutes for 3 or 4 times, until achieving the perfect consistency. If you have an ice cream maker, you’ll get a creamy and perfectly churned sorbet in just 30 minutes, just like in a gelateria.
Over time, I have tried many flavors of homemade fruit sorbets — strawberry, lemon, melon, peach, green apple — and each time they have been a success. But the watermelon one remains one of my favorites, for its natural sweetness and the ability to provide a refreshing break without being heavy.
Try it: watermelon sorbet is a delicious and healthy way to cool down on the hottest days, with all the flavor of summer in just one spoonful!
You may also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 5 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 133.60 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.05 (g) of which sugars 35.05 (g)
- Proteins 0.40 (g)
- Fat 0.00 (g) of which saturated 0.00 (g)of which unsaturated 0.00 (g)
- Fibers 0.20 (g)
- Sodium 4.90 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 170 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 5 cups of watermelon sorbet
- 1.1 lbs watermelon (peeled and seeded)
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 7/8 cup water
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Ice Cream Maker
- 1 Saucepan
Watermelon Sorbet Recipe with Only 2 Ingredients
To prepare the watermelon sorbet, whether you use an ice cream maker or stir it by hand, the preliminary steps are the same: put water and sugar in a saucepan and place the saucepan on the heat. Let it warm until the sugar is completely dissolved (1). It doesn’t need to boil. Let it cool completely first at room temperature and then in the fridge. Remove the rind and seeds from the watermelon (2) and weigh 500 g (1.1 lbs) of pulp. Put it in a blender or a mixer and add the water and sugar mixture (3).
Blend well until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture (4). Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. The resting time in the fridge is crucial especially if you prepare the watermelon sorbet using a non-refrigerant ice cream maker, meaning one with a bowl that needs to be kept in the freezer the night before. This is because if you pour a liquid that’s not perfectly cold into the bowl, you might melt the cooling liquid and compromise the dessert.
If you have an ice cream maker, after chilling the mixture in the fridge for 2-3 hours, pour it into the bowl (5) and run the ice cream maker for about 30 minutes. When the sorbet reaches a firmer consistency and sticks to the blades, it’s ready to enjoy (6).
To prepare the watermelon sorbet without an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a shallow and wide container, preferably steel, cover it, and place it in the freezer. After about 30 minutes, take it out and stir it with a spoon. Repeat the operation 3 or 4 more times, stirring well to break the ice crystals and try to incorporate air into the sorbet. When it reaches a creamy consistency, it’s ready.
Serve the watermelon sorbet as a dessert at the end of the meal or for a refreshing snack. If you like, you can decorate it with chocolate chips to simulate watermelon seeds.
Storage
You can store the watermelon sorbet in the freezer for several weeks. Over time, it tends to freeze completely, but just take it out of the freezer about 15 minutes before enjoying it to make sure it softens.
Tips and Variations
If you are making the watermelon sorbet without an ice cream maker and you find the mixture has frozen into a single block, you can recover it as follows: let it soften slightly at room temperature, just enough to take it out of the container and cut it into large pieces. Put the pieces in the blender and blend first with short pulses, then longer, to regain a creamy consistency.
