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Quickly whip up this easy watermelon sorbet in under 5 minutes. Perfect for summer, this sweet, refreshing treat is actually healthy, paleo, and vegan.
With the heat of summer come my cravings for something icy and cold. I also crave more fruits and vegetables, smoothies, salads, and yogurt.
Watermelon has always been one of my favorite fruits, and seeing it in season makes me happy. I like to eat it plain, but I also like to incorporate it into my frozen treats.
While watermelon sorbet has always been one of my favorites, this easy watermelon sorbet is even better!
Traditional sorbets
Most watermelon sorbets are made by freezing a watermelon pureé that is sweetened with a simple sugar syrup. While making the sugar syrup is easy enough, it takes some time to make and cool and then incorporate the syrup into your watermelon puree.
Most of the time I follow a relatively low sugar diet, so I’m used to eating desserts with less sugar. I find those traditional sorbets too sweet.
I used to make an unsweetened watermelon pureé and freeze it. During the freezing process, I periodically mixed it up with a fork to keep the texture light.
The problem with making a sorbet that way is that if you forget to periodically break up the ice crystals durting the freezing process, you end up with a solid block of watermelon ice.
Even when done right, it’s not easy to get it from a slushy texture to the more solid texture of a smooth, scoopable sorbet.
After seeing people online whipping up one-ingredient banana “ice cream” (also known these days as “nice cream”) by blending up frozen banana chunks, I wanted to try it out with other fruits.
When I first posted this recipe, in the summer of 2014, making sorbets with other fruits in a food processor wasn’t really “a thing” yet. I was really excited when I gave it a try and ended up with the perfect, smooth, yet scoopable sorbet.
Made in 5-minutes?
The term “5-minute watermelon sorbet” may be a bit misleading because you do need to freeze your chunks of watermelon first before making this sorbet.
Once you have frozen watermelon cubes ready, though, you can quickly mix up a batch of this sorbet in under 5 minutes! (So, I suggest always having some frozen watermelon chunks ready!)
Ingredients
This recipe couldn’t be any simpler! All you really need is two ingredients: watermelon and lime juice. (Lemon juice will also work well!)
If you want a sweeter sorbet, you can also add a sweetener to it. I’ll give you some options below in the section about customizing the recipe. (Some are healthier than others.) ?
Preparation
Before you begin, you’ll need to prepare the watermelon by cutting it into cubes and freezing it. I used 1/4 of a small watermelon. The piece weighed just over 1kg and the watermelon cubes, once removed from the rind, weighed just over 600g.
While you could just throw the bowl of watermelon into the freezer, they may freeze into a block that is difficult to separate. To avoid that, either separate the chunks periodically throughout the freezing process or freeze them in a single layer on a tray.
Once your watermelon is frozen, the rest is quick and easy!
Add the watermelon chunks to the bowl of a food processor, and add a little bit of lime juice. I normally start out with the juice from half of a lime.
Begin to process the watermelon with the lime, checkin on the texture as you go.
Getting the right texture
To get the texture right, I find it’s best to add the liquid, little by little. My food processor has the ability to blend watermelon chunks pretty smoothly even without adding any liquid. That said, the addition of a liquid helps move the process along more smoothly and can help improve the final texture of the sorbet.
If the mixture is dry, add some more lime juice and continue to process it. The lime juice will also add a mild acidity that balances the sweetness of the watermelon. So, periodically tasting the sorbet as you make it will help you determine if you want to add more juice at any given point.
Blender vs. Food Processor
While this may be possible to make with a powerful blender, making this sort of sorbet is generally easier with a food processor. Food processors have a wider container, making the process much simpler.
I have a Thermomix food processor. It looks like a wide blender, but it’s actually a great multipurpose food processor. They are very popular here in Europe. Any decent food processor should work well, though. Some powerful blenders, especially those with wider containers, may also work.
If your only choice is a blender, you may need to add more liquid to get the mixture to fall down to the blades. Keep in mind that adding too much liquid will result in more of a slushy texture.
Customizing the recipe
While I prefer the fresh flavor of using only watermelon and lime juice, some people have complained that this recipe isn’t sweet enough for them.
The sweetness, of course, will depend on the sweetness of the watermelon used. Don’t expect to use a not-so-great watermelon and end up with a perfect sorbet.
Adding a sweetener
That said, you can add some sweetener if you are looking for a sweeter dessert (or have used a not-so-sweet watermelon). You can add just about any sweetener that you enjoy or feel comfortable using. Maple syrup and stevia work well in these sorts of desserts.
If using a crystalized sweetener (like granulated sugar), it’s best to first either dissolve it in the lime juice or make a syrup with it. Using a simple sugar syrup makes a more traditional type watermelon sorbet.
Sweetening with a simple sugar syrup
A sugar syrup can be made from equal parts of sugar and water. (You can measure by weight or volume. It doesn’t have to be precise.)
Cook them in a small saucepan and stir them together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then, remove from the heat and cool thoroughly.
Drizzle the cooled syrup in with the lime juice while blending the watermelon chunks.
More like ice cream
If you prefer a creamier watermelon treat, try exchanging the lime juice for a bit of coconut milk (or even fresh cream if dairy isn’t an issue for you). The result is more of a watermelon ice cream! This sorbet used to be my favorite, until I tried that one!
Video
5 Minute, Easy Watermelon Sorbet
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon Cubed
- 1/2 lime Juiced
Instructions
- Dice your watermelon, and place the pieces in the freezer overnight. After several hours in the freezer, you can proceed, but if the watermelon isn’t completely frozen, the sorbet will have more of a slushy texture rather than be a solid sorbet.
- Place your diced, frozen watermelon into the food processor and add some lime juice. I used 2-3 cups of watermelon for each half lime, but it’s a good idea to just add a little at the beginning and add more, to taste, later on. Don’t add too much liquid at the beginning or it will tend to fly out of your food processor. (Don’t ask me how I know that!) Start with just a few drops, and slowly add in more as you process your sorbet.
- Continue to process your watermelon and lime juice in your food processor until you get a sorbet-like texture. You can add a little more lime juice as needed for taste and texture.
- If you want a sweeter sorbet, you can add in a little honey or another sweetener of your choice. I usually just leave it plain as I prefer it without. I have tried adding honey, and it works OK, but there were a few places where the honey froze up into small drops within the sorbet. It didn’t really bother me, but it’s something to consider before adding it because it does change the texture somewhat. Adding liquid stevia extract doesn’t usually change the texture, but I don’t like the flavor as much.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Making a Watermelon “Slushy”
If you prefer something to sip on, rather than to eat with a spoon, all you have to do is to let the sorbet melt a little. Here in Spain, slushes are called “granizados.”
You could even add a little vodka or rum to it. I won’t judge. 😉
I like to serve my slushies with reusable stainless steel or glass straws.
Other quick and easy frozen treats!
Another similar creamy treat for pineapple lovers is my 5-minute pineapple ice cream. It’s amazingly creamy and refreshing and makes you dream of a tropical escape.
Quick and Easy Pineapple Ice Cream
If you are on a low carb diet, you could also try my easy mojito sorbet. Because it doesn’t have any sugar sources, not even fruit like these recipes, it can even be eaten on the strict candida diet!
5-Minute Refreshing Mojito Sorbet
Homemade Waffle Cones and Bowls
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Britt Feitz
I used this recipe to use up a very ripe watermelon. That said, lime overpowered even a very ripe melon. I wanted it to taste more watermelon-y. I might try cream next time.
Tracy Ariza, DDS
I don’t use much lime when making this, so perhaps you added more than I do and it ended up being too much for your taste. I find the acidic flavor quite mild and that it really only tastes like watermelon with a touch of acidity. You could mix the lime juice with some water or only use water, though, if you prefer. That said, it’s very good with cream. I made a vegan watermelon ice cream using coconut milk and that’s delicious too.
Lori Hoetker
In the food processor use the shredding disk. Makes it a truly 5 minute step
Jessie Costa
I don’t even know why this is so good but it absolutely is so good! Thank you for this I will make it over and over!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Haha, right, Jessie?
Whole foods are actually delicious and sometimes adding things to them to make them better just makes them worse. (Not that everybody would agree with that!)
I’m glad you enjoyed it too! 🙂
Bruce
You could use monk fruit as a a sugar substitute that is low in carbs.
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Bruce,
I’ve never worked with monk fruit as it isn’t very popular here in Spain yet, but I can’t see why not! Maybe just try mixing in a small amount to part of the sorbet to see how you like it before incorporating it into your whole batch, just in case. 😉
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Sorry- just re-read that and realized it wasn’t a question. hahahaha
I’m batch answering a lot of questions at once and just went into autopilot, I guess. 😉
Yes, that’s a great idea and I’m sure it would work great!
Alex
Awesome, I looooove the taste. Nothing can make it better. Except a pizza… (that gives me an idea!).
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hahaha
I’m not sure about pizza sorbet, but pizza followed by a fruit sorbet does sound wonderful! Thank you!
All Smiles
I altered the recipe by adding lemon instead of lime (out of necessity) and raspberries with honey (out of preference). I wouldn’t recommend the raspberry addition because of all the seeds but everything else was delicious. Definitely recommend.
Tracy Ariza, DDS
I use lemon sometimes too! (But I have a lime tree that gives abundant limes, so I usually have more of those on hand than lemons.) ?
The other addition sounds good, but the part about the seeds makes sense. I probably wouldn’t mind, but love the smoothness of other fruits. (Try pineapple and mango- they’re absolutely delicious like this!)
Stephanie
Wow! it´s looks delicious, so i can replace the watermelon to mango or strawberry tpp… i´ll try it
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Definitely, Stephanie!
Mango makes an especially creamy sorbet. It’s delicious and is almost like ice cream. (It may be my new favorite.)
Pineapple is delicious too!
Jodi
Oh my goodness, so easy and oh so tasty, I added a bit more lime juice that suggested and we LOVED it!!!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!!!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Yay! I’m so happy to hear it, Jodi!
Thank you.