Lemon Ginger Sorbet

This easy lemon ginger sorbet is nothing if not refreshing! Learn how to make this delicious summer treat with just five ingredients, no ice cream machine necessary.

You know the way a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade just hits different in the summer? That’s this sorbet.

It’s smooth, it’s creamy, it’s scrunch up your whole face tart until that little bit of sweetness reaches your taste buds and you relax into the most refreshing sorbet of the summer.

If there’s one thing you want hanging out in your freezer on those hot days, it’s THIS.

Here’s how to make this sorbet

First, make the sugar syrup.

In a saucepan, whisk together the water and granulated sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and, stirring occasionally, cook until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear (a few minutes).

Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the grated ginger or ginger paste. Allow to cool to about room temperature.

Second, add the remaining ingredients.

Once the syrup has cooled, add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Transfer to a freezer safe container.

I personally like to use a round 9″ cake pan for this step as it will allow the sorbet base to spread out. This will keep the sorbet relatively shallow helping it to freeze more quickly. You can always transfer it to another container later.

Finally, freeze the sorbet.

Place the sorbet in the freezer. Because this recipe doesn’t use an ice cream machine, you’ll want to use a fork or spoon to stir the sorbet every hour or two to keep ice crystal from forming and to help it freeze evenly.

To do this, simply pull the sorbet from the outer edges of the container into the center.

Once the sorbet is frozen (about 4-5 hours), you can transfer it to another freezer-safe container like an ice cream carton.

Expert tips

• Estimating lemon juice: If you’re freshly squeezing the lemons (highly recommended), this will take about 6 large lemons. If you’d prefer to buy the juice, most of those little lemon shaped bottles hold about 2/3 cup so you’ll about three.
• Using ginger paste: If you’d like to substitute the freshly grated ginger with ginger paste, a full batch of this sorbet will require about two tablespoons.
• Storage: This sorbet will keep for approximately 2-4 months in the freezer.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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If you liked this recipe, you might also like…

• No churn pineapple upside down cake ice cream
• Lemon meringue cookies
• Lemon poppy seed cake

Update Notes: This post was originally published in January of 2016 but was republished with step-by-step photos and tips in July of 2022.