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A surprisingly delicious healthy treat, this mojito sorbet is low carb and low sugar, but not low on flavor. It’s easy to make, and refreshingly perfect for hot summer days.
Today’s recipe is one of my favorite summer sweet treats. It’s simple to make and no-guilt. Plus, it’s incredibly refreshing!
What’s especially great about it is that pretty much anybody can enjoy it!
On the candida diet? No problem!
Paleo? Yep!
GAPS friendly? Of course!
Vegan? 100%!
I developed this recipe when I was testing out the candida diet. For those who aren’t familiar with it, it completely cuts out all sugar sources, even fruit! I guess you could say it’s the sorbet version of the candida diet-safe shamrock shake that I shared here around St. Patrick’s Day.
Both really helped me get by when cutting out sugar!
Ingredients
This recipe only has 3 main ingredients: cucumber, spearmint, and lime (or lemon) juice. It can also be optionally sweetened with a sweetener like stevia (leaves or drops).
Cucumbers are a great choice as a base for this sorbet because they are a low-carb, candida diet-safe fruit (veggie). While they aren’t sweet, they can mimic other sweet fruits in taste and texture.
In fact, here in Spain, when someone tries a melon that isn’t particularly sweet, they say it tastes like a cucumber!
Limes and mints can fool your tastebuds into thinking things are sweeter than they really are.
You could optionally add in some frozen avocado to get a creamier “ice cream” texture. If you really want the real mojito experience, you could always add in a dash of rum, too, depending on your diet.
Procedure
This recipe is really quick and easy once you get the prep work done. I call it a 5-minute sorbet because the “making the sorbet” part really doesn’t take longer than that.
Obviously, if you are starting with fresh ingredients, the whole process will take longer than that. If you work ahead, though, and have frozen cucumbers waiting for you in your freezer, you can quickly whip up a healthy mojito sorbet whenever the urge strikes.
Preparation
Peel and cut the cucumbers into small cubes.
The smaller the cubes, the easier it will be on your food processor. If you have a powerful food processor, it won’t make much of a difference. The first time I made this, though, I cut the cubes slightly too big and my cheap food processor had a hard time processing the cucumber.
Spread the cucumber over a tray or silicone cake mold and place it in your freezer for several hours. I usually do this at least a day before I want to make my sorbet. Optionally freeze some clean spearmint leaves along with the cucumber. That way you have everything but the lime juice on hand and ready to go.
Processing the sorbet
When you want to make the mojito sorbet, place the frozen cucumber in your food processor and begin to process it with the spearmint leaves and the juice of a lime (or lemon).
If you have a small, less powerful food processor, consider processing the cubes until they are mostly broken down into a coarse icy texture before adding in liquids, or you may make a mess. (I found that out the hard way!)
Continue to process the mixture until everything has been broken down finely into a dry, slushy texture. If needed, add in a little more juice, the slightest bit of water, or wait a couple of minutes until it has slightly melted to achieve a smoother texture.
Taste the mixture and adjust as needed. (Add in more mint, lime, etc. to suit your taste.) You can also add a sweetener if you feel it needs one.
I was surprised to find that I don’t need to add much sweetener, if any at all. The spearmint fools your taste buds, and the mixture already has a natural sweetness to it. If you prefer a sweeter mojito sorbet, though, you can always add in a bit of stevia. I’ve tried with both fresh stevia leaves and stevia extract. Both worked well.
Similar recipes
If you love this sort of easy, quick sorbet or ice cream, check out some of my other similar recipes. While they all have slightly more sugar than this recipe, they are still quite guilt-free!
If you add some coconut milk to the watermelon sorbet, you end up with a creamier “watermelon ice cream“.
Video
5-Minute Refreshing Mojito Sorbet
Ingredients
- 2 small cucumbers or 1 large cucumber
- 1 handful spearmint fresh leaves
- 1 lime
- stevia optional- to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Peel and cut the cucumbers into tiny pieces.
- Spread the pieces over a tray or silicone cake pan and place in the freezer for several hours until frozen solid.
Making the sorbet
- When you are ready to make the sorbet, place the cucumber pieces in a food processor and process them with the spearmint leaves until the cubes are mostly broken down into a coarse icy texture.
- Juice the lime and add the juice to the cucumber. Continue to process the mixture until you have a fine, slushy texture.
- If needed, add in a little more juice, the slightest bit of water, or wait a couple of minutes until it has slightly melted to achieve a smoother texture.
Adjust for flavor
- Taste the mixture and adjust as needed. (Add in more mint, lime, etc. to suit your taste.)
- Next, adjust for sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter mojito sorbet, try adding in some stevia leaves or drops. (Or use another sweetener of choice.)
- Scoop into bowls and serve immediately!
Notes
This post was originally published on May 13, 2015. It was rewritten, adding new photos, better instructions, and video in June of 2021.
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Laura
We are going to make this in our Zoom Dinner Club. We have an abundance of Spearmint in our garden, the cucumbers are blossoming. It seems like a perfect segue recipe into summertime!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Definitely!
I’m thinking of making it again, to add video, etc. soon. I really loved this recipe.
Just be careful to use a powerful food processor as the cucumber has a lot of water and can freeze quite solidly. 😉
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits
This sorbet looks absolutely delicious, Tracy! What a great way to consume a mojito!
Tracy Ariza
Thanks so much, Lisa!
I was just checking out your blog, and your vodka infused melon balls look like a lot of fun!
I imagine freezing them and using them as “ice cubes” in sparkling water or something like that to give color and flavor to it; so pretty. 🙂