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Watermelon Sorbet Recipe

Watermelon sorbet sweetened with honey instead of sugar for a more floral, complex sweetness. Blend, strain, and churn to get a smooth scoopable sorbet, then finish each serving with a pinch of flaky sea salt for sharper fruit flavor.
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Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
freeze 3 hours
Total Time 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 85
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Watermelon base
  • 6 cup fresh watermelon, cubed
  • 0.33 cup honey instead of sugar
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 0.25 salt pinch
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint
  • 1 pinch flaky sea salt for serving

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker

Method
 

Blend and strain
  1. Blend the cubed watermelon until smooth, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve for a silky base.
  2. Transfer the strained watermelon to a container and chill as directed (freeze step comes next) for a sorbet that churns cleanly.
Flavor and combine
  1. Combine the honey with the lime juice, lime zest, mint, and salt, then blend briefly until the mixture looks uniformly combined.
  2. Add the lime-honey mixture to the strained watermelon and blend briefly again so the flavor is evenly distributed.
Freeze and churn
  1. Chill the sorbet base for 1 hour, until cold throughout, so it freezes faster in the machine.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker for 20–25 min, until thickened and scoopable.
  3. If using the fork-scrape granita method instead, freeze until firm and fork-scrape every 30 minutes until it forms fluffy ice crystals.
Serve
  1. Scoop the sorbet into chilled glasses while it is at a soft, scoopable texture.
  2. Finish each scoop with a small pinch of flaky sea salt so the watermelon flavor pops.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, use very ripe watermelon and strain thoroughly—any pulp can make the sorbet icy. Store in a sealed container in the freezer up to 1 week; freeze no longer than that for best scoopability. Freezing is necessary for texture, but do not refreeze after serving more than once. Dietary swap: for a vegan version, use maple syrup in place of honey for sweetness and a similar floral note.