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Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Intensely lemony, this crisp Meyer lemon sorbet is like making lemonade with a detour through the ice cream maker.

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

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Elise Bauer
Updated February 08, 2021
Elise Bauer
meyer lemon sorbet
Elise Bauer

Making lemon sorbet is like making lemonade with a detour through the ice cream maker. Easy!

We pulled down several Meyer lemons last week to avoid the freeze that hit here in California and I've been thinking up things to do with them. As a major lemonade fan, lemon sorbet was a logical choice.

Lemon sorbet is pretty intense — sweet and acidic. I can see why it is often used as a palate cleanser between meal courses. It is best eaten in small amounts.

An added benefit of having some around in the freezer is that if you happen to be in the mood for lemonade, you can take a few scoops and mix it in with some water, and voilà, instant lemonade.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 0 mins
Lemon mixture chilling 60 mins
Total Time 105 mins
Yields 2 1/2 cups
This sorbet can get rather icy if frozen for more than a day or two. If you want a softer, less icy sorbet, try adding 2 teaspoons of limoncello or vodka to the mixture before it goes into the ice cream maker.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed juice from meyer lemons (about 3-4 lemons)

Method

  1. Make simple syrup, let cool:

    In a small saucepan on medium high heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar, lemon zest, and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat, let cool, strain out the lemon zest.

  2. Add lemon juice, then chill:

    Mix in the lemon juice. Chill, either in the refrigerator, or by placing in a metal bowl over an ice bath.

  3. Process in your ice cream maker:

    Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

    If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze in your freezer until semi-solid. Then take a fork and fluff it up, returning it the the freezer to freeze firm. Then put in a food-processor or blender to process until smooth.

    Place sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

  4. Serve:

    Scoop out preferably with a melon-baller. Garnish with mint.