Barley Free Zesty Lemon Sorbet
Bright, tangy, and impossibly refreshing, this lemon sorbet is the kind of frozen dessert that makes you close your eyes on the first bite. It's built from just a handful of pantry staples — sugar, water, fresh lemon juice, and a little zest — so there's nothing hidden or complicated going on. For anyone navigating grain sensitivities, frozen desserts can be a sneaky source of trouble, but this one is naturally free of any grain-based additives or thickeners from start to finish. The technique is straightforward: a quick simple syrup, a good chill, and a spin in the ice cream maker until the base turns pale, opaque, and perfectly scoopable. Pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface before the final freeze keeps the texture smooth and scoopable rather than icy. The result is clean, intensely lemony, and elegant enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to make on a weeknight whim.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sugar, water, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes. Do not let the syrup boil vigorously — remove it from the heat as soon as the sugar is clear.
- 2
Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or large measuring cup, pressing on the zest to extract its oils, then discard the zest. Stir in the lemon juice and salt.
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