Name: Rhubarb Sorbet
Prep time: 12 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 12 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups rhubarb, cleaned (leaves removed), chopped into 1-inch pieces; 1/3 cup sugar; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger; Juice of one orange; 1 teaspoon orange zest

This homemade rhubarb sorbet is made without milk, cream, or eggs, so has fewer calories than ice cream.

Rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb season has kept me busy.

I’ve made chutney, a cake, compote, salsa and jam.

And now a sorbet. I like rhubarb season because its; the first plant of spring and it’s delicious!

I love a scoop of good sorbet or ice cream. It’s my favorite dessert. Really.

But there’s one thing I never do to my scoop. I wonder if you do it.

Before we get to that, let’s talk ingredients.

cut into similar pieces

How to freeze rhubarb

The good news about rhubarb is that it freezes well. Pack clean rhubarb in freezer-safe containers or bags. If packing in bags, remove as much air as possible and freeze up to a year.

You can enjoy the tangy, tart, pink spring-time fruit all year long. More good news is that rhubarb freezes well…in ice cream, or in this case, sorbet.

Where’s bert?

Sorbet, sherbet (note, there is no ‘bert’ in sherbet), or sorbetto, the only difference is if you’re ordering in French, English, or Italian. It’s all the same – a frozen concoction that is generally made without milk, cream, or eggs, so has fewer calories than ice cream.

Because the ingredient list doesn’t contain fat, the mixture freezes hard. Just take it out about 10 minutes before serving to give it time to soften.

NEVER do this to ice cream

Never. ever. put ice cream in the microwave to soften.

Here’s why. One of the best features of ice cream is the smooth, silky texture. That texture is the result of really small ice crystals. Large ice crystals give ice cream a coarse, icy texture.

You’re feeling it now, aren’t you? Remembering some not-so-perfect ice cream.

How to make homemade ice cream

The faster ice cream freezes, the smaller the ice crystals. The size of the ice crystals depends on ingredients and preparation. That includes the amount of fat in the recipe, how the ice cream mix freezes, how quickly the finished ice cream freezes, and how it is stored.

If your ice cream lasts for a few weeks, you may notice a grainy texture that you feel on your tongue. This is typically due to the repeated thawing and freezings, whether from your freezer cycling on and off (that’s the automatic defrost), removing ice cream from the freezer to serve it, or warming it in the microwave to scoop it more easily. As the temperature rises just a little bit, the small ice crystals melt. When they refreeze, they do so in larger crystals.

So, I don’t microwave ice cream because I don’t like grainy ice cream.

If ice cream is difficult to scoop, maybe some weight training is in store so you can dish up sorbet all summer long!

The most important thing to do when making ice cream

One of the most important things to successful ice cream making is to have everything cold. The ice cream or sorbet base needs to be well chilled.

I also freeze my ice cream storage container which is a rectangular Tupperware container. When the mixture is finished churning, pack it in the freezer container, cover with a tight-fitting lid and get it in the freezer ASAP.

I use a fairly inexpensive ice cream maker that has a freezable insert. Mine is so old, that it’s no longer made, but this Cuisinart is similar.

Pin it for later!

Rhubarb Sorbet recipe

This is an easy sorbet recipe to get you going. Rhubarb and ginger are a classic combination, but if you don’t like ginger, just omit it. If you’d like, add a splash of wine, red or white, to the mixture as it cooks.

Think you can’t eat rhubarb without strawberries? Replace part of the rhubarb in the recipe with sliced strawberries. This recipe is about as flexible as you can be. But what you don’t want to do is cook in aluminum. The acid from the rhubarb may react with the metal.

bring fruit to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes or so

Cook fruit and sugar in a saucepan for about 15 minutes to soften fruit. Cool thoroughly before making ice cream or sorbet.

With all that, you’re ready to cook. And savor the tastes of spring.

rhubarb sorbet scoop

P.S. If you like this recipe, you may want more nutrish and delish ones to help you with a healthy diet. Sign up for my newsletter here.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay but helps fund the website.

Rhubarb Sorbet

Fresh or frozen rhubarb can be used in this recipe.

Author: Judy Barbe
Prep Time: 12 hours
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: stove
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

4 cups rhubarb, cleaned (leaves removed), chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger
Juice of one orange
1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in heavy-bottomed, stainless steel sauce pan over medium heat. Stir to distribute sugar. Bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally, cook until rhubarb is tender, about 15 minutes.
Allow to cool. Refrigerate until mixture is thoroughly chilled. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm. Remove sorbet from freezer 10 minutes before serving.

Notes