This Strawberry Mint Sorbet combines sweet strawberries with mint-infused simple syrup for a refreshing twist on classic strawberry sorbet. The strawberries remain the star while the mint adds a subtle cooling note that enhances the fruit without overpowering it. Naturally dairy-free and easy to make, it's a frozen dessert that's as elegant as it is delicious!
Jump to:
- Quick Recipe Summary ✨
- Why this recipe works
- Sorbet vs sherbet vs strawberry ice cream
- Recipe Ingredients
- How to flavor simple syrup with fresh mint
- The secret to smooth sorbet
- How to make strawberry sorbet with mint
- Storage instructions
- Sorbet troubleshooting tips
- Questions asked and answered
- More frozen treat and topping recipes to try
- Recipe
- Comments
Quick Recipe Summary ✨
Strawberry Mint Sorbet: Features ripe strawberries blended into a vibrant fruit purée and flavored with fresh mint-infused simple syrup for a refreshing frozen dessert.
Bright fruit flavor: The strawberries remain the star while the mint adds a subtle cooling note that enhances rather than overwhelms the berries.
Naturally dairy-free: No milk, cream, or eggs needed. Just fruit, simple ingredients, and an ice cream maker for a smooth sorbet texture.
Active Time: About 15 minutes • Chilling Time: about 7 hours • Total Time: About 7¼ hours (mostly hands-off!)
Difficulty Level: ⭐ Easy. If you can make simple syrup and blend strawberries, you're well on your way to homemade sorbet.
Yield: About 1 quart • Freezer-friendly: Up to 1 month • Make-ahead: Best made a day ahead and frozen until serving.
👉 Follow the detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips below to make smooth, refreshing strawberry mint sorbet with bright berry flavor and just the right hint of fresh mint.
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Why this recipe works
- Mint is infused into the simple syrup, giving clean flavor without leafy bits in the finished sorbet
- Lemon juice brightens the strawberries and keeps the flavor tasting fresh
- The simple syrup helps create a smoother texture and reduces iciness
- The balance of fruit and mint lets the strawberries stay front and center
- The recipe works beautifully as a lighter alternative to ice cream
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). There's always preserving that fresh taste with a small batch berry jam, and I love to use them in Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream.
Another great use of fresh strawberries is in homemade strawberry sorbet. It's one of the easiest frozen desserts you can make, with bright fruit flavor that's hard to match in store-bought versions.
Not only is the flavor of this Strawberry Mint Sorbet bright with an intense strawberry flavor, the color is a beautiful, vibrant red. Its vibrant color and bright flavor make it feel right at home for everything from everyday dessert to special occasions.
Since a frozen fruit sorbet is naturally dairy-free, it's perfect for those avoiding lactose or following a vegan diet.
Sorbet vs sherbet vs strawberry ice cream
If you're wondering how strawberry mint sorbet differs from sherbet or ice cream, the main difference comes down to dairy. Sorbet is made from fruit purée, sugar, and water, allowing the fruit flavor to take center stage, like with this Mango Sorbet. Sherbet contains a small amount of dairy for a creamier texture, while ice cream relies on milk and cream for richness.
If you've made my Lemon Sherbet, you'll notice that the added dairy gives sherbet a smoother, creamier mouthfeel than sorbet.
Sorbet vs sherbet
| Sorbet | Sherbet |
| Dairy-free | Contains milk or cream |
| Bright, fruit-forward flavor | Creamier, richer flavor |
| Light texture | Slightly creamy texture |
| Often vegan | Usually not vegan |
| Made with fruit, sugar, and water | Made with fruit, sugar, and dairy |
Strawberry mint sorbet vs strawberry ice cream
Both desserts showcase fresh strawberries, but they create very different eating experiences.
If you're looking for the purest expression of fresh strawberries, sorbet is the better choice. If you want a richer, creamier frozen dessert, try my Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream instead.
| Strawberry Mint Sorbet | Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream |
| Dairy-free | Made with milk and cream |
| Intense strawberry flavor | Rich, creamy strawberry flavor |
| Light and refreshing | Smooth and indulgent |
| Mint adds a cooling finish | Dairy softens and rounds out the fruit |
| Great as a palate cleanser | Great as a rich dessert |
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this strawberry sorbet recipe:
Ingredient Notes
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).
Strawberry pureé: Since you're creating a cold purée as it is, your strawberries can be fresh or frozen. Frozen strawberries work well when fresh berries aren't in season (thaw them before puréeing). Just keep in mind that peak-season fresh strawberries usually provide the best flavor.
Fresh Mint: For this strawberry sorbet recipe, I'm adding a subtle taste of mint to add interest and complexity to the flavor profile. But blending mint directly into sorbet can create a grassy flavor and dull color. Instead, I'm infusing mint into a simple syrup which extracts the mint oils while keeping the finished sorbet smooth and brightly flavored.
As a guide, one 1-ounce package of fresh 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.
Simple syrup: 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.
Lemon juice: Besides adding a tart counterpoint to the fruit's sweetness, lemon juice helps to thicken the sorbet base, much like pectin does when making homemade jam.
Vodka: 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.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to flavor simple syrup with fresh mint
Infusing simple syrup can be a fun way to play with introducing mint to your recipes. It's easy to work with because its fresh flavor complements many others, like chocolate and lemon. I use mint simple syrup in Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato and Chocolate 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 the infusion technique isn't limited to just mint - 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.
This infusing method can be applied many different ways for different flavor additions. Get creative with it!
The secret to smooth sorbet
The secret to smooth sorbet is balancing fruit, sugar, and freezing temperature:
- Use fully ripe strawberries for the sorbet: They provide the best flavor and natural sweetness, reducing the need for additional sugar.
- Homemade sorbet gets its texture from the balance of fruit and sugar: Too little sugar and the sorbet freezes hard and icy. Too much sugar and it won't freeze properly.
- Chill the base thoroughly before churning: This helps the sorbet freeze faster, creating smaller ice crystals and a smoother texture.
How to make strawberry sorbet with mint
Step 1: Make the mint simple syrup
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).
Transfer the mint syrup to a small bowl and chill for 30 minutes (photo 2).
Step 2: Make the base
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).
Chill the base in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. It should be about 55˚F before churning.
Adjust the taste before chilling
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.
Step 3: 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).
Why use an ice cream maker?
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.
When finished, the sorbet will have a soft texture (photo 7).
Ice cream makers
There are plenty of inexpensive ice cream makers on the market to choose from. The one I'm using is a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment for a KitchenAid Stand Mixer - I keep the bowl chilled in the freezer so that I can use it at a moment's notice. Another good option is a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. There are other versions available that you don't have to pre-chill, but they are more pricey.
Step 4: 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!
Why do we use vodka?
The vodka is included so that the sorbet doesn't freeze into an ice-cube hard rock after being churned. The alcohol lowers the freezing temperature of water, giving this sorbet a silky smooth texture that's easier to scoop. It's a small amount, and you won't taste any alcohol, but you can leave it out if you'd rather not use it.
Storage instructions
This strawberry mint sorbet will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for a month or more.
Sorbet troubleshooting tips
Here are some issues you might encounter when making strawberry sorbet:
- My sorbet is icy: The mixture may not have chilled thoroughly before churning. Make sure the freezer bowl is completely frozen, and use fully ripe strawberries for the best texture.
- My sorbet is too hard to scoop: Let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Homemade sorbet freezes firmer because it doesn't contain stabilizers, but adding a 1 to 2 tablespoons of vodka before freezing will help to keep it smooth and scoopable.
- My sorbet didn't freeze properly: Check that your ice cream maker bowl was fully frozen. Warm ingredients can also prevent proper churning, so make sure the base is chilled to 55˚F before churning.
- The mint flavor is too weak: Let the mint steep a little longer in the syrup. Use fresh mint rather than dried.
- The mint flavor is too strong: Reduce the steeping time, or use fewer mint leaves next time.
- My sorbet tastes bland: The strawberries likely weren't fully ripe. A small splash of extra lemon juice can brighten the flavor.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Sugar does more than sweeten sorbet. It lowers the freezing point of the mixture, helping create a smoother texture that's easier to scoop. Reducing the sugar too much can make homemade sorbet icy and hard.
Straining removes the seeds and creates a smoother finished sorbet. If you don't mind a more rustic texture, you can skip this step, but the sorbet won't be quite as silky.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More frozen treat and topping recipes to try
Recipe
Strawberry Mint Sorbet (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 2-quart heavy saucepan
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh mint, see Recipe Notes
- 1 pound strawberries, fresh or frozen, quartered, about 2¾ cups, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vodka, optional, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Make the base: In a 2-quart saucepan, combine 1 cup water, ¾ cup sugar, and ⅓ cup fresh mint. Bring the mixture to boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the mint syrup to a small bowl and chill for 30 minutes.
- While the mint syrup is chilling, place 1 pound strawberries and ¼ cup lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor and purée until the mixture is smooth. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the seeds and chunks, transferring the purée to a large bowl.
- When the mint syrup has cooled, stir it into the bowl with the seedless strawberry purée, straining out the mint leaves. 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 40 °F before churning.
- 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. When finished, the sorbet will have a soft texture.
- Ripen the sorbet: Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-safe container. Stir in the 1 to 2 tablespoons vodka, if using, then smooth the top using a small offset spatula. Freeze for 2 to 4 hours to allow sorbet to firm up, a process called ripening.
- When you're ready to serve, allow the sorbet to sit on the counter for a few minutes to make scooping easier.
- Storage instructions: Strawberry Mint Sorbet will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for a month or more.
Janet says
Can you turn this recipe into a sherbet simply by adding milk/cream? How much would you add?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Janet, thanks for the question! I think you're on the right track. While I haven't made sherbet with this recipe, my recipe for Lemon Sherbet uses 2½ cups milk and ½ cup heavy cream for about ¾ to 1 cup fresh lemon juice (the strawberry-mint base here might be a little more). I'd start with these amounts and adjust as needed. Good luck, and please let me know how it goes! 🙂