A refreshing and invigorating way to cool down this summer. This 3-ingredient cucumber sorbet is a definite summer staple!
If I could, I would go to the spa every morning. I’d get a massage, maybe a facial or a body wrap.
And then I would lounge for an hour or so listening to calming instrumentals while sipping on a giant glass of cucumber water and thumbing through food magazines. That sounds absolutely perfect to me.
While going to the spa every day is a luxuriously ridiculous and ludicrously expensive habit (especially given LA’s high prices), I will happily settle for an endless supply of cucumber sorbet.
With this sorbet in hand, I’ll be cool as a cucumber and happy as a clam all summer long.
3 ingredient cucumber sorbet
The beauty of this cucumber sorbet lies in its simplicity.
It only requires three ingredients: cucumber, lemon juice, and sugar.
If you can find seedless cucumbers, go for it. Otherwise, simply scoop out the seeds like in the photo above.
Don’t be alarmed by the amount of sugar in this recipe.
Sugar content is a key factor in sorbet making.
Too little sugar, you’ll end up with an icy sorbet that’s more like a granita. Too much sugar and the sorbet won’t freeze properly.
The role of sugar in sorbet
In culinary school, we used a refractometer to measure the sugar content in our purees for sorbets.
We were also taught the egg test in which you place a clean egg into the fruit puree to see how far the egg sinks into the liquid.
It’s all very technical and scientific as sorbets need a certain amount of sugar to freezer properly.
The amount of sugar determines the size of ice crystals that will form- meaning whether your sorbet will be coarse or creamy.
I had so much fun making this cucumber sorbet that I’ve decided to make an entire series of fruit sorbets this summer.
Best of all, I’ll be using the sorbets to make boozy floats.
Use this homemade cucumber sorbet to make these cucumber gin and tonic floats! Perfect for pool side lounging or happy hour with friends!
Storage and Leftovers
Keep cucumber sorbet in a freezer safe container. Ideally, the container should have a lid or a tight fitting cover.
If using plastic wrap, press directly onto the surface of the sorbet. This will prevent freezer burns and ward off any unwanted flavors from seeping in.
Store sorbet in the coldest part of the freezer, usually the very back. The sorbet should stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.
For more sorbet recipes check out: orange sorbet, blueberry sorbet, strawberry blackberry sorbet.
Cucumber Sorbet
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker/Machine
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds cucumbers* peeled and seeded
- 3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Peel cucumbers and remove seeds. Cut into 2 inch pieces and place in a food processor along with lemon juice and sugar. Process until mixture is smooth.
- Transfer to an airtight container and let chill in the fridge until cold (1-24 hours).
- Freeze mixture in ice cream maker according to your unit’s instructions. Process until the mixture has reached a soft serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and let rest in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping and serving. Garnish with fresh mint when serving.
Notes
- *1 1/2 pounds is the weight after peeling and seeding the cucumbers.
- I use this compressor ice cream machine.
i love how refreshing this sounds!! and i’m down for anything and everything that makes me feel zen-like and as if i’m at a spa.
Thanks Heather! It’ll definitely make you feel zen-like…especially in this HOT weather :)
How about we go to the spa AND have an endless supply of this cucumber sorbet?? :)
Cups and pounds? Can we have this in grown-up measurements please?
If you’re asking for this blogger to do the extra work of converting the measurements into metric because you for some reason can’t be bothered, you might have more success if you don’t imply that everyone in her country is not “grown-up”
Grownups can figure out how to do this for themselves. You’ve obviously not reached that stage.
FYI its three cups.
Could you tell me does this really taste like cucumbers? I have been searching for a way to give my FIL the taste of cucumbers. He doesn’t have teeth anymore and he loves cucumbers. My garden is loaded with them so I am going to experiment with ways to keep cucumber flavor but be soft. Thanks
Yes, it tastes like slightly sweetened cucumbers. I hope your FIL enjoys the recipe!
Thanks for this recipe! I was knee-deep in cucumbers this year and pulling my hair out about what to do with them — I made several batches of this and was super glad I did. My friends and I discovered that a scoop of this sorbet is fantastic in a high ball of gin. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’…
Sounds wonderful, but I don’t have an ice cream maker. Will it set up somewhat if I just put it in the processor then freeze it?
If you simply freeze the mixture, it turn out solid. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I suggest turning this into a granita. I have directions for making granita here: https://www.thelittleepicurean.com/strawberry-basil-granita/
What if you don’t have an ice cream machine?
This recipe requires use of an ice cream machine to achieve the texture of sorbet. If you don’t have the machine, I suggest making a granita instead like this recipe: https://www.thelittleepicurean.com/strawberry-basil-granita/
If you don’t have an actual ice cream maker could you do it the old-fashioned way with a coffee can, ice and salt. I used to make ice cream at school with my students … could you put the sorbet mixture into a plastic baggie then put the baggie inside the coffee can filled with ice and salt and basically we just rolled/threw/tossed our coffee cans until we had ice cream.
Do you think that would work? and if you have kids they could do it.
Thoughts?
Hi epicureans !
I tried this recipe using lime juice instead of lemon, and adding some fresh basil leaves.. delicious !
The sweetness is very well balanced, I just had to wait rather 15 minutes than 5 before being able to scoop it.
This looks so good! What a refreshing but not to sweet summer treat!
I was hoping their may be a sugar replacement like mink fruit stevia that would work close to what this does?
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
It will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Beyond that time, it starts to get freezer burn.
What about freezing the ice cream in ice cube trays then sealing the cubes with a Vacuum sealer. It should last longer and not get freezer burn. Just a thought. Without air, it shouldn’t burn.
I made this for my garden club ice cream social. It was a hit! Everyone asked for the recipe.
I want to use mint simple syrup I made. What would the ingredient ratio be?
Going to try and convert recipe and use my Ninja Cremi ( fingers crossed) . Sounds so good in a cocktail by the pool.
Yes! Please share your results. I’m interested in getting a Ninja Cremi!
I adopted this recipe for my Ninja Creami, and loved it. I basically cut the recipe in 1/2 (so 12 ounces pureed cucumbers (was about 2 cukes for me) 1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar). put that into my Creami cup (wasn’t quite to the max line) froze for 24 hours and used the sorbet function. EASY! I ended up mixing it into a cocktail (Sprite, Vodka and big scoop of the cucumber sorbet and quick squeeze of lime) Yummy, but next time I think I will use club soda because it was a tad sweet. Try it.. you won’t regret!
Long and narrow English or regular cucumbers?
any kind of cucumbers will work!
OMG – what a refreshingly delicious way to use up an excess of cukes in the garden. This one is a keeper!
I can’t wait to try cucumber sorbet.
this sounds amazing! for sure going to try it out!
Why does my batch taste like a sweet pickle? I added more lemon juice as it was in the ice cream machine but that didn’t fix it.
Did you taste the fresh cucumber by itself? It shouldn’t taste pickled unless you added salt or vinegar to the cucumbers.
Is it possible to make sorbet w/o an ice cream machine?
Oops, I see my question has been asked & answered already. I’m so excited to try this recipe.
The recipe works best using an ice cream machine. However, you can freeze the mixture and use a Ninja Creami to turn it into a sorbet, as well! Alternatively, you can use the mixture to make a granita like this one.
Could condensed milk be used instead of the granulated sugar?
It is possible to make sorbet using fruit and sweetened condensed milk. I have made with frozen mango. Unfortunately I have never tested it with cucumber.