Watermelon Lime Sorbet
Nothing screams summer quite as loud as a fresh, juicy watermelon. Combined with bright lime juice and zest, this recipe for Watermelon Lime Sorbet is a refreshing treat I’ll be returning to every time the weather is warm. Be sure to read through the guide, How To Make Sorbet, for all the tips and tricks you need to know to make the best sorbet at home.
For the best sorbet, go seasonal
Sorbet is a simple food with few ingredients, so the final product is going to taste most strongly of whatever fruit you start with. With every season comes a bounty of peak produce waiting to be churned up into cold, scoopable pleasure. Summer’s offerings are undoubtedly abundant, but one fruit is perhaps the most quintessential symbol of summer: the watermelon.
Just like the other recipes from the “Frozen Treats” category on this website, I encourage you to use the ripest, juiciest, most in-season watermelon you can find to make this Watermelon Lime sorbet. I find, in the Northeastern United States at least, that the best watermelons come in mid-to-late August. They do become available earlier in the season, but the sweetest and ripest melons are available a few weeks after they first show up.
If you’re looking for some other fun sorbet recipes, try this Pineapple Mint Sorbet, or this Pear Cider Sorbet. Sorbet is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free without modification, so it has broad appeal for all kinds of eaters.
Punch it up with lime
In the first version of this recipe I tested, I wanted to see if I could get pure watermelon flavor without the addition of any other fruit. I used a very small amount of citric acid to acidify the base, which lends a sourness that isn’t complicated by any particular fruitiness. With some sugar and just a pinch of salt, this was a pure watermelon sorbet.
I liked this version, but my taste-testers remarked that the sorbet tasted grassy and almost too tart, like the portion of the watermelon closest to the rind. Wanting to balance sweetness with acidity, my second test and the version you see published below uses a classic combination of watermelon and lime. To add even more brightness and depth to the flavor, I included both lime zest and juice. This version is balanced, just tart enough, and still allows the melon’s flavor to shine through.
Want sorbet success? Read the guide!
Wondering how to make the best Watermelon Lime Sorbet? I have an entire guide on this site dedicated to making good sorbet at home! Gone are the days of icy, too-hard-to-scoop chunks of frozen fruit juice. Sugar concentration is an essential part of getting sorbet to churn to the proper texture, so read up on how to make sure you’ve got the right ratios for your particular fruit.
If you read no other part of the guide, I encourage you to check out this section on the egg test, which helps you nail the sugar concentration of your sorbet every time. The simple technique of floating a thoroughly cleaned egg in the liquid sorbet base will give you a great indication of whether your recipe needs more or less sugar to churn properly.
No ice cream maker?
As explained in the full guide, sorbet by definition is a churned product. Churning (or spinning) sorbet not only freezes it; the constant motion incorporates air into the mixture as it freezes, contributing to that final texture. If you don’t have one, you can make Watermelon Lime Granita as described in the instructions in the “note” section of the recipe below.
Watermelon Lime Sorbet
Ingredients
Instructions
- 24 hours before you want to make sorbet, put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer if needed.
- Blend the watermelon cubes, lime juice, and lime zest with an immersion blender, in a blender, or with a food processor until completely smooth. You should end up with about 4 cups of puree.
- Add about half of the sugar and stir well to dissolve. Reserve remaining sugar for step 4.
- Perform the egg test: wash and thoroughly dry an egg. Place the whole egg in the shell in the prepared sorbet base. If it floats, leaving about a quarter-sized portion visible, the sugar concentration is correct. If it sinks, add the remaining sugar. If it floats more than described, add a bit more liquid (more fruit puree or lime juice).
- Stir in the salt. Taste, and add more salt or lime juice if needed for flavor. (see note)
- Chill the base thoroughly, at least 2 hours but preferably overnight before churning in your ice cream maker. Sorbet base should be 40°F before churning.
- Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions, or follow the granita instructions in the note below.
- Transfer sorbet to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes:
Remember, sorbet base will taste more flavorful at room temperature when mixed than after it is frozen, so always err on the side of adding a bit more salt and lime than you think you need to really enhance the flavor before churning.
To make granita:
- Pour this base into a shallow baking dish such as a 9x13” pan, then place in the freezer, covered well.
- Set a timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape up any ice crystals that have started to form in your pan, then set back in the freezer.
- Repeat this 30-minute rest and scrape process 5-6 times over the next few hours, so that you are constantly disrupting the ice crystal formation. This is the key to forming small ice crystals versus big, sharp chunks.
- When granita is completely frozen through, use a fork to scrape the surface one more time, then serve. Granita will have an icier texture because there’s not nearly as much air incorporated into the base and the way that ice crystals form is different than sorbet, but it is still a delicious summer treat!