Kelsey Hilts is the founder of Itsy Bitsy Foodies, an…
Sorbet is a lower fat alternative to ice cream and makes a refreshing dessert or snack. It is very simple to make – all you need is fruit juice and a little bit of sugar.
This refreshing orange sorbet is the perfect way to cool down on a hot day. Made with fresh orange juice and a touch of sugar, it is both simple and delicious. Serve it in hollowed-out orange halves for a fun and festive presentation.
The nice thing about making sorbet at home is that you can control the amount of sugar added. I recommend always adding sugar “to taste” due to the fact that the sweetness of fruits vary so each batch may turn out different. For this recipe – after juicing the oranges – I didn’t want to just throw away the orange peels, so I hollowed them out to make little bowls.
Sorbet is best when eaten immediately but if you freeze it first just remember to let it thaw for 5-10 minutes before serving it to allow it to soften a bit.
How to Make Orange Sorbet
Extracting and Preparing the Juice
- Squeeze the Oranges:
- Juice the oranges to yield 2 cups of fresh orange juice. Using room temperature oranges helps extract the most juice.
- Dissolve the Sugar:
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1 tablespoon of water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Add more water if necessary.
- Sweeten the Juice:
- Once the sugar syrup is ready, add it to the orange juice. Adjust the sweetness to taste by adding more sugar syrup if needed.
- Chill the Mixture:
- Place the sweetened orange juice in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Making the Sorbet
- Churn the Sorbet:
- Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker to churn the chilled orange juice mixture into sorbet. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer-safe pan and freeze. Every 30 minutes, whisk the mixture with a fork to break up ice crystals until the sorbet is smooth and fully frozen.
- Prepare Orange Bowls:
- Scoop out the remaining pulp from four of the orange halves to create bowls for serving.
- Serve the Sorbet:
- Divide the sorbet into the four prepared orange halves and serve immediately. If not serving right away, place the filled orange halves in the freezer until completely frozen. Cover them with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container.
- Thaw Before Serving:
- When ready to serve, let the sorbet-filled orange halves sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly.
Recipe Notes
- Sweetness Level: Adjust the sugar to your preference based on the sweetness of your oranges.
- Storage: Store any leftover sorbet in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
How to Make Orange Sorbet
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4.8 from 14 reviews
- Author: Kelsey Hilts
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sorbet is a lower fat alternative to ice cream and makes a refreshing dessert or snack. It is very simple to make – all you need is fruit juice and a little bit of sugar. The nice thing about making it at home is that you can control the amount of sugar added.
Ingredients
- 2 cups orange juice (473 mL) (approximately 6 oranges at room temperature)
- 4–6 tablespoons sugar (47–72 g)
- 1–2 tablespoons water (15–30 mL)
Instructions
Extracting and Preparing the Juice
- Squeeze the Oranges:
- Juice the oranges to yield 2 cups of fresh orange juice. Using room temperature oranges helps extract the most juice.
- Dissolve the Sugar:
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1 tablespoon of water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Add more water if necessary.
- Sweeten the Juice:
- Once the sugar syrup is ready, add it to the orange juice. Adjust the sweetness to taste by adding more sugar syrup if needed.
- Chill the Mixture:
- Place the sweetened orange juice in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Making the Sorbet
- Churn the Sorbet:
- Follow the instructions for your ice cream maker to churn the chilled orange juice mixture into sorbet. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a freezer-safe pan and freeze. Every 30 minutes, whisk the mixture with a fork to break up ice crystals until the sorbet is smooth and fully frozen.
- Prepare Orange Bowls:
- Scoop out the remaining pulp from four of the orange halves to create bowls for serving.
- Serve the Sorbet:
- Divide the sorbet into the four prepared orange halves and serve immediately. If not serving right away, place the filled orange halves in the freezer until completely frozen. Cover them with plastic wrap or place in a sealed container.
- Thaw Before Serving:
- When ready to serve, let the sorbet-filled orange halves sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly.
Notes
- Sweetness Level: Adjust the sugar to your preference based on the sweetness of your oranges.
- Storage: Store any leftover sorbet in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
- Prep Time: 65 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 125 ml
- Calories: 80
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 0g
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0g
Kelsey Hilts is the founder of Itsy Bitsy Foodies, an online resource for families looking for ways to spend more time together enjoying food and exploring the world beyond the children’s menu.
Love this recipe, haven’t used water in sorbet before, but this was really really great.
Wow, I had no idea sorbet was so simple! Thank you for the great recipe and clear directions. Our orange sorbet, the first I’ve ever made, was fantastic! (^_^)
I thought sorbet was a hard recipe but thanks for your easy to understand recipe it was fun and enjoyable and very refreshing i have never made orange sorbet before so i’m glad i had your recipe! Genius idea to use the orange skins for the bowl!
This was a great recipe, huge success, and the presentation is so cute. Love it!
I am definitely trying this with lime. The orange version was perfection, texture and flavors on point. So easy too!
This is DELISH! Holy guac, such an amazing summer recipe. Perfect!
Was actually really good. I am going to do this with lemons
Yum!
It is great
Yes, love this. So much more refreshing than ice cream, and with the sweetness of oranges right now, I only ended up using three spoons of sugar. But still, did add sugar – it’s a dessert of after all!
Super refreshing and really deliciuos!
Wow, really awesome, so refreshing and absolutely delicious
This sorbet is so refreshing! Perfect for summer afternoons. Loved serving it in orange halves!
Really refreshing. I think I under-froze it though, so need to try again. Taste was awesome!
So refreshing, super delicious and very easy. Sorbet rules!