Easy three ingredient orange sorbet served in citrus shell cups. All you need is orange juice, sugar, and water!
It doesn’t get much easier than this. This orange sorbet can be processed in either an ice cream maker or a Ninja Creami machine.
Don’t have either machine? No problem. Use this orange sorbet recipe to make an orange granita! All you need is a freezer and fork to make granita.
Granita is an Italian semi-frozen dessert. It’s made with the same ingredients as sorbet. Except, it freezes to a coarse, flakey texture. Try strawberry granita or espresso granita. They’re just as refreshing as sorbet!
Ingredients
Three simple ingredients. Grab orange juice, sugar, and water. Homemade orange sorbet has a similar texture to ice cream and gelato without the dairy! Instead, sorbet is able to achieve the same creamy texture through sugar.
- Fresh squeezed orange works best, especially when its a little thick with orange pulp. Otherwise, high-quality store bought orange juice works just as well.
- Sugar prevents the sorbet from freezing into a solid block.
- Water is mixed with sugar to a make simple syrup.
Recipe Variations
Use this same recipe to make blood orange sorbet. You’ll end up with a striking vibrant deep orange, dark red sorbet!
Cucumber sorbet is another three ingredient summer staple!
Strawberry blackberry sorbet features summer’s fresh berries. Sweet strawberries paired with tangy blackberries is a well balanced delicious combination.
Blueberry sorbet freezes into a dramatic violet color that is a feast for the scents. It will wow guests visually and surprise with the vibrant flavor.
Sorbet in Fruit Shell
Orange sorbet served in an orange cups is such a fun and memorable way to present this refreshing treat. It turns fruit into such a sophisticated dessert! I used cara cara oranges for my vessels.
To prepare your fruit shell:
- Slice off the top third of the orange. This allows you to fill the orange with more sorbet.
- Use a knife or grapefruit spoon to scoop out the insides.
- Fill with sorbet. Freeze and serve!
You may also use lemons and grapefruits are fruit cups! Or, hallow out a pineapple for the ultimate family-size sorbet boat.
You can make ice cream whenever the craving strikes!
Expert Tips
Ice Cream Machine: Straight out of the ice cream maker, the sorbet will be rather soft and loose. You can enjoy it at this point, or let it firm up in the freezer for a couple hours. 90 minutes to 2 hours is the sweet spot in my freezer. At that point, the sorbet is creamy yet firm.
If you freeze the sorbet for longer, it will definitely be harder. You can also adjust the consistency of the sorbet by playing with the amount of sugar in the recipe.More simple syrup will result in a silkier, creamier sorbet. Less simple syrup will create an icier texture.
Ninja Creami Machine: Combine orange juice and simple syrup. Pour to the fill capacity of your Creami container. Keep in freezer until frozen. Process under sorbet setting. Texture will be scoop-able and ready to serve!
More Recipes with Orange Juice
Orange Sorbet
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker/Machine
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups fresh squeezed orange juice
- ⅓ cup simple syrup*
Instructions
- Mix together orange juice and simple syrup.
- Freeze mixture in ice cream maker according to your unit’s instructions. Once the mixture has reached a soft serve consistency, transfer mixture inside hollowed oranges or into a freezer safe container.
- Let chill in the freezer for 2 hours to firm up. At 2 hours the sorbet will be a soft consistency, perfect for scooping. Freezing the mixture overnight will result in an icier texture. Allow the orange sorbet to soften slightly before serving.
Notes
- Use either fresh squeezed orange juice or packaged 100% orange juice (not from concentrate, no sugar added)
- To make simple syrup: bring to a boil equal parts water and sugar. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Cool to room temperature and keep stored in the fridge until ready to use. Will keep in the fridge for several weeks.
- If you want a silkier sorbet, add additional simple syrup to the recipe. The higher the amount of the sugar, the creamier the sorbet will be. Less sugar will result in an icier texture.
- I use this compressor ice cream maker. It is more expensive than the more common ice cream machines because it does not require the pre-freezing of the mixing bowl.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This was so easy to make. Loved it.
Can I still make this if I don’t have an ice cream maker? Any tips? Thanks so much
So cute and I love the simplicity of the ingredients. Time to dust off the ol’ ice cream maker…!
So refreshing! I can’t wait to dig in right now! I love how simple this is and the presentation. That will be cute to serve for a dinner party!
Thank you! Yes, perfect for a dinner party :)
Mmmmmmm… this looks like the PERFECT summertime treat. Sitting by the pool with a cup of fresh sorbet sounds like heaven right now!
Thank you!