Ice Cream Maker Peach Sorbet

ben philips/E+/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Chill: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Sorbet is a delicious fruit-based ice treat that is often overshadowed by creamier counterparts like decadent ice cream and gelato. Made with fruit and sugar, sorbets come in hundreds of flavors and can easily be made at home with an ice cream maker. If you have a bounty of summer fruit and don't know what to do with it besides jams or pies, sorbet is your very tasty answer. For our easy recipe, we chose peaches, as their delicate flavor and texture make excellent sorbet and will provide a wonderful dessert after a heavy meal. The beauty of this recipe is that it uses very few and all-natural ingredients, without additives, preservatives, or thickeners. You need to invest 20 minutes of preparation and cooking, and then allow the ice cream maker to do the rest. Great on its own, the sorbet can be scooped into ice cream cones for a pretty presentation, or served in small bowls and topped with mint leaves for a contrast in color.

Peaches come in many varieties, but for our sorbet choose yellow and ripe when possible, as white peaches are more tart and have a firmer texture. This fruit also has freestone and clingstone characteristics, which means that the pit is either attached or detached from the flesh. Choose freestone, the best for cooking and baking. Peaches are a very nutritious food, low in calories and rich in fiber and vitamins. One medium peach has just 67 calories, 6 milligrams of vitamin C (ten percent of the RDI for the nutrient) and 2 grams of fiber.

When making sorbet, be mindful there are many recipes for a similar dessert called sherbet, but the latter has one to two percent of milk fat (ice cream has at least ten percent). So sorbet is just fruit and sugar, while sherbet is fruit, sugar, and milk. Sorbet is a vegetarian and vegan-friendly treat that's also suitable for other allergies and dietary needs, like gluten-free and peanut and nut allergies. Instead of making many different desserts for your next gathering, use this one recipe to cater to all your guests. Gluten-free cones are also available in most supermarkets. In a pinch, use frozen peaches to create a delicious sorbet, but if you plan to use frozen peaches or firmer, out-of-season fruit, increase the amount of sugar from 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 1/2 pounds peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Continue boiling the mixture for 4 minutes. Add the peaches to the boiling simple syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently 5 minutes for peaches of average ripeness, or 3 minutes for overly ripe fruit.

  3. Remove the peaches and sugar syrup from the heat, stir the lemon juice and zest, and allow it to cool at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Pureé the mixture until it is smooth with a food processor or immersion blender.

  4. Allow the peach puree to cool and then freeze it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

  5. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
121 Calories
0g Fat
31g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 121
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 29g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 12mg 59%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 276mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Article Sources
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  1. Peaches, Yellow, Raw. FoodData Central. United States Department of Agriculture.