Melon Sorbet

By Martha Rose Shulman

Updated Dec. 8, 2022

Melon Sorbet
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
10 minutes, plus 4 hours 30 minutes' freezing and refrigeration
Rating
4(70)
Comments
Read comments

I’ve learned a lot about making sorbets from Jacquy Pfeiffer, the founder and dean of student affairs at the French Pastry School in Chicago. He taught me to use a small amount of corn syrup – about 5 percent of the weight of the fruit – to prevent the sorbet from developing ice crystals. A very small amount of honey will also work. I asked him what the least sugar I could get away with is, and he said it depends on the fruit, but as a general rule he uses 15 to 20 percent sugar. I decided to factor the corn syrup and honey into that weight, and my sorbets were beautiful, with great texture. You can use yellow or green melon for this as long as it’s really ripe and sweet.

Featured in: Fruit by the Frozen Spoonful

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ¼cup water
  • 65grams (about ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon) sugar
  • 33grams (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) corn syrup
  • 680grams (1½ pounds) peeled diced ripe cantaloupe, honeydew or similar yellow or green-fleshed melons (about 1 medium melon)
  • 1tablespoon lime juice (optional)
  • Pinch of salt (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

97 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 47 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

  2. Step 2

    In a blender, purée the melon with the sugar solution and remaining ingredients until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

  3. Step 3

    Chill a container in the freezer. Blend the mixture for 30 seconds with an immersion blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to the chilled container and place in the freezer for 2 hours to pack. Allow to soften in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: This will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer, but it's best when freshly made.

Ratings

4 out of 5
70 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

SuAyres

Would Lyle's Golden Syrup work in place of corn syrup, please? My daughter is very allergic to any corn products, so I avoid it with just about anything I make. Oh, & Ms Shulman? I want to be like you when I grow up! You always offer the best recipes, so I always look forward to seeing new ones. Just a thought: my other daughter made the most divine blood-orange & ginger sorbet for an assignment in culinary school. We all loved it. So did the Chef/Professor who gave the assignment.

Sheri

Perfect way to use a melon that is a bit too ripe, when the flavor is full and vibrant but the texture is too soft. Made this with the last of my garden melons and it was superb.

E

This is a wonderful sorbet recipe. It needs a lot of churning but produces a lovely texture, although a little more slushy-like than a sticky-sweet sorbet. I never keep corn syrup in the house but have used both honey and agave as a substitute with good results. I did add 1 tbsp of vodka to prevent crystallizing. It lets the melon absolutely shine.

Mo

Substituted lemon juice for the lime ju

ED

Great flavor. For me, texture was slushy and icy

Olivia’s Palate

Just made this recipe exactly as written with the KitchenAid ice cream attachment. It was PERFECT. Tasted like it was made by a gourmet ice cream shop.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.