Description
This Rhubarb Sorbet is an easy and quick frozen dessert with simple ingredients and the best tart sweet flavor. It’s healthy enough for a light treat and bright enough for a holiday, brunch, potluck or party. Fresh rhubarb cooks into a rosy syrup then blends smooth and freezes into a refreshing scoop. It’s one of my favorite ideas when I want dessert without turning on the oven.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound fresh red rhubarb stalks
- 3/4 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Instructions
- Set the saucepan over medium-low heat at about 4 on a 10-dial and add sliced fresh red rhubarb stalks, filtered water, granulated cane sugar and fine sea salt. Stir with a slow scraping motion for 2 minutes so the sugar begins to dissolve around the rhubarb. Keep it at 200°F to 205°F for 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll see the rhubarb turn soft and rosy and the liquid will look cloudy pink. Go past 12 minutes and the flavor gets dull and stewed.
- Lower the heat to 190°F and cook for 5 to 7 minutes while pressing the softened fresh red rhubarb stalks against the side of the saucepan in short strokes. Stir from the outer edge toward the center so the thicker pieces break down evenly. The mixture should look loose and jammy with a deep pink color and a few stringy bits. Stop when it coats the spoon lightly. Miss this window and too much water cooks off so the sorbet freezes hard. (My first batch cooked for 15 minutes and turned almost paste-like, so I don’t push it now.)
- Cool the rhubarb base to 120°F for 10 minutes, then add fresh lemon juice and light corn syrup. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds and pulse twice at the end so the texture turns smooth but not foamy. The puree should look glossy and pourable with tiny darker flecks. If you blend while it’s boiling hot, steam can force the lid up and the texture can taste cooked instead of fresh.
- Pour the puree into a shallow metal pan and chill at 38°F for 2 to 3 hours. Drag a spatula through the center once after 1 hour so the cooler edges mix back into the warmer middle. The base should look thicker and a little darker when cold. Skip this chill and the churn takes too long, which makes large ice crystals form.
- Churn the chilled base at 18°F to 22°F for 18 to 22 minutes. Let the frozen mixture fold over itself in slow waves and stop when it mounds softly instead of splashing. You’ll see the color turn lighter and the texture change from glossy liquid to soft pink ribbons. Go too long and the blade smears the sorbet against the sides so it turns dense.
- Pack the soft sorbet into a freezer-safe container and press it into uneven layers. Freeze at 0°F for 3 to 4 hours, then let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping. Scoop with firm curved strokes so the surface curls instead of crumbling. The finished sorbet should hold soft ridges and melt at the edges. Serve too soon and it slumps into a puddle.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Don’t peel rhubarb unless the stalks are very stringy because the skin gives the sorbet its pretty color.
- Taste the chilled base before churning because frozen desserts taste less sweet once frozen.
- A splash more fresh lemon juice helps if your rhubarb tastes flat or overly sweet.
- Let the sorbet soften for 5 minutes before scooping so it curls instead of cracking.
Storage: Store Rhubarb Sorbet in a freezer-safe container with parchment pressed directly on the surface. Keep it at 0°F and use it within 2 weeks for the smoothest texture. Let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping. For a dessert spread, serve it after Easy Lemon Cream Pie or next to Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins at brunch.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (of 4)
- Calories: 186
- Sugar: 44g
- Sodium: 9770mg
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 1g