Coconut Free Zesty Lemon Sorbet
Bright, bracingly tart, and refreshingly simple, this lemon sorbet is the kind of frozen dessert that makes you close your eyes on the first spoonful. Many store-bought sorbets sneak in coconut water, coconut sugar, or coconut-derived emulsifiers, so making your own is genuinely the safest and most satisfying route. This version keeps things beautifully clean — just sugar, water, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt, nothing more. The technique of infusing the zest directly into the simple syrup and then straining it out is what gives the sorbet that deep, aromatic citrus flavor without any bitterness. Chilling the base thoroughly before churning is the secret to a smooth, scoopable texture that holds up beautifully after the final freeze. It's the kind of palate-cleansing, sunshine-in-a-bowl treat that works equally well as a light dessert after dinner or a midday pick-me-up on a warm afternoon.
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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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