This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.

Watermelon sorbet is a fast & easy summer dessert. All you need is a few ingredients, and about 5 minutes of time to make it! No ice cream maker required.

watermelon sorbet in glass dish

What is Sorbet?

Sorbet is a frozen dessert, typically made from sweetened and flavored water. Sorbet is dairy-free, so it’s less creamy than ice cream. Instead, it’s more like eating a flavorful and refreshing snow cone, or shaved ice.

Is Sorbet Healthier Than Ice Cream

Store-bought sorbet usually has more sugar than ice cream, but in this case, homemade watermelon sorbet is naturally-sweetened and dairy-free. You can even leave the sugar out entirely if you want to!

watermelon cubes on a pan

How to Make Watermelon Sorbet

To make Watermelon Sorbet, you’ll need to start with frozen watermelon. (Here’s how to freeze watermelon if you want a photo tutorial.) Starting with frozen fruit let’s you make this without an ice cream maker.

I like to freeze fresh watermelon, cut into cubes, on a sheet pan the night before I plan on making this, but you can freeze it even further in advance as long as you store it in an airtight container in your freezer.

frozen watermelon cubes in food processor

In the bowl of a large food processor, combine the frozen watermelon and lime juice, and process briefly to break it down.

Add maple syrup, one tablespoon at a time, and process again, until the watermelon sorbet tastes as sweet as you want it to.

blended watermelon sorbet in food processor

From there, you’ll just need to add water, one tablespoon at time, and blend until the sorbet reaches your desired serving consistency. It should be soft and scoop-able, so you can serve it right away.

watermelon scooped from food processor

If you need to make this in advance, I recommend making it no more than 1 to 2 hours before you need to serve it. If you freeze it for too long, it becomes rock-solid and is very difficult to scoop.

As an alternative, you can store the leftover sorbet in an ice pop mold, to make frozen popsicles for later!

scoop of watermelon sorbet

watermelon sorbet in glass dish

Watermelon Sorbet (only 3 ingredients!)

4.50 from 6 votes
Watermelon Sorbet is a fast & easy summer dessert, made with just 3 ingredients. All you need is 5 minutes to make it!
prep5 mins cook0 mins total5 mins
Servings:4

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 cups frozen watermelon chunks (561 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (15 grams)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup (22 to 44 grams)
  • 1 to 2 tabelspoons water , as needed to blend (16 to 32 grams)

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, add in the frozen watermelon and lime juice. Process briefly to break down the watermelon; it should look like shaved ice in the bowl.
  • Add maple syrup to taste, starting with just 1 tablespoon, and process again. Taste the watermelon mixture and if you want it to be sweeter, add another tablespoon. Process again.
  • To help make the watermelon sorbet scoopable, you may need to add some water to help it blend into a smoother consistency. Start with 1 tablespoon of water, process, and then add another tablespoon (or more) if needed, until the watermelon sorbet looks smooth enough to serve.
  • This frozen dessert has a great texture right away, so I like to serve it while it's soft an scoop-able. If you want to make it in advance you can transfer this mixture to a pan and freeze it for 1 to 2 hours. If you freeze it longer than that, it will become very hard and difficult to scoop, so keep that in mind.
  • Leftover sorbet can be transferred into ice pop molds for an easy frozen dessert later, too.

Notes

Watermelon sorbet will only be as flavorful as your watermelon, so be sure to freeze a very ripe one that tastes sweet while it's fresh. If you find your sorbet needs more flavor, you can continue to add more lime juice or maple syrup, instead of the water, until it reaches the taste and consistency that you are looking for.

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 865IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: watermelon sorbet
Nutrition is for 1 of 4 servings. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate not a guarantee.

spoonful of sorbet from glass

If you try this Watermelon Sorbet, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.

Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite summer treat?

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

Read More

You May Also LIke

Leave a Review!

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or review below. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked*.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. This is so easy and refreshing. And if the watermelons is really sweet you don’t even need to add any extra maple syrup.

  2. Made this over the weekend and it was really refreshing! I used the whole lime, which was about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Definitely a winner.

  3. Thank you so much for making a watermelon sorbet recipe that is free of added sugar! I cannot wait to make this!