Silky Smooth Strawberry Mint Sorbet (Dairy-Free)

Fresh strawberries are one of those seasonal treats that you want to take advantage of any way you can. Eating them right away is always an option (sprinkled with brown sugar is my two daughters' favorite way to devour strawberries).

Strawberry Pie, Strawberry Jam, and even Strawberry Popsicles are great ways to cook with them. By comparison, making Strawberry Sorbet seems exotic and fun at the same time. But since homemade sorbet is so easy to make, why not give it a go?

What you need

Sorbet is essentially a frozen sweetened fruit purée. The ingredients for sorbet are few: fruit, sugar, and a little citrus (in this case, lemon juice). Some sorbet recipes just mix sugar into the fruit purée, but I like to use a simple syrup (that is, sugar dissolved in water) so that you don't run the risk of having a grainy texture from any undissolved sugar.

For this strawberry sorbet recipe, I'm adding a subtle taste of mint to add interest and complexity to the flavor profile. As a guide, one 1-ounce package of mint will yield about ½ cup (15 grams) of mint leaves. Feel free to increase it or leave it out, as you prefer. For a more pronounced mint flavor, use up to 1 cup (30 grams) of fresh mint leaves or ¼ teaspoon of mint extract.

Adding a small amount of vodka to the sorbet after churning keeps it from freezing into an ice-cube hard rock in the freezer. The alcohol lowers the freezing temperature of water, giving the sorbet a silky smooth texture that's easier to scoop. It's just a bit, and you won't taste any alcohol, but again you can leave it out if you'd rather not use it.

How to make a sorbet

Step 1: Make the base

Combine the water, sugar, and mint leaves to make a mint syrup. Bring the mixture to boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes (photo 1).

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Transfer the mint syrup to a small bowl and chill for 30 minutes (photo 2).

While the mint syrup is chilling, place the strawberries and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and purée until the mixture is smooth (photo 3).

Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the seeds and chunks, transferring the purée to a large bowl (photo 4).

When the mint syrup has cooled, stir it into the bowl with the seedless strawberry purée, straining out the mint leaves (photo 5). Taste the base for sweetness, adding sugar by 1 tablespoon increments as needed. Remember, cold dulls sweetness, so make it a little sweeter than you think it should be.

Chill the base in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. It should be about 55˚F before churning.

Step 2: Churn the sorbet

Pour the base into an ice cream maker and freeze per the manufacturer’s instructions. It will take about 25 to 30 minutes, and the volume of the base will increase as it freezes (photo 6).

Making sorbet without an ice cream maker requires you to stir the base every so often in the freezer for several hours, and the results can be a bit grainy. Using an ice cream maker produces a silky smooth texture more similar to sherbet or ice cream. The ice cream maker I'm using is a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Another good option is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

When finished, the sorbet will have a soft texture (photo 7).

Step 3: Ripen the sorbet

Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-safe container. Stir in the vodka, if using, then smooth the top using a small offset spatula (photo 8).

Freeze for 2 to 4 hours to allow sorbet to firm up, a process called ripening. Serve and enjoy!

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: Flavoring simple syrup

Infusing simple syrup can be a fun way to play with introducing flavors to your recipes. Mint is easy to work with because its fresh flavor complements many others, like chocolate and lemon. I use mint simple syrup in Double Chocolate Mint Chip Gelato and Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Ice Cream.

You don't have to stop at infusing simple syrups, either. My Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies have mint infused into melted butter to bring the flavor. And Limoncello liqueur starts with vodka infused with lemons. And the epitome of infusing is letting vanilla beans soak in cream to make all sorts of custards.

A beautiful and delicious dessert

Not only is the flavor of this Strawberry Mint Sorbet bright with an intense strawberry flavor, the color is a beautiful, vibrant red. I can see serving this as a finish to a Valentine's Day dinner!

Since sorbet is naturally dairy-free, it's perfect for those avoiding lactose or following a vegan diet. And Strawberry Mint Sorbet will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for a month or more.

There are many recipes for using strawberries. Strawberry Mint Sorbet is so easy and delicious, it definitely belongs in your repertoire as one of them!