UBS Virtual Cooking Class: Sorbet from Scratch

NOTE: This event is for UBS employees only. Be sure to register using your ubs.com email address. One registration per employee please.

This event is optional and not firm-mandated.

How to Make Fruit Sorbet

At its core, sorbet is simply churned, frozen syrup. It is often made from fruit, but also from just plain sugar water syrup, or a syrup flavored with chocolate, coffee, tea, nuts, herbs, or spices. Today, we’re focusing on fruit sorbet, which is made by combining fruit juice or purée with a syrup.

Flavor

1: Start with Good Fruit

• Pick flavorful, ripe fruit. The better the fruit, the better the sorbet.
• Wash, peel, trim, and remove any seeds or pits as needed.
• Purée the fruit, then strain it for a smoother texture.
• Taste the fruit to determine its natural sweetness and tartness. Every batch will be slightly different, so always taste what you have to decide if you want to adjust the recipe’s added sweetness and acidity.

2. Sweeteners: Sugar & Alternatives

Sweetness comes from both the fruit and added sugar— but the sugar is not just for flavor: it helps make for a smooth and less icy texture. We will talk in more depth about the texture later, but keep it mind that the sugar plays an important role in both flavor and texture. Also note that sorbet is eaten cold, and cold temperatures mute flavor, so even sweet fruit usually needs a bit of help for sorbet.

• Granulated sugar is neutral, so it won’t interfere with fruit flavor, which is why is is the most common choice. It needs to be in a liquid state though, to avoid graininess. You can make a simple syrup (equal parts sugar & water), but too much water can make the sorbet icy. Instead, dissolve sugar in a small amount of water or in some of the fruit juice or purée.
• Corn syrup is another great option for a neutral sweetener, and it is even less sweet than sugar.
• You can use sweeteners with stronger flavors, like honey or maple syrup, if you desire those flavors.

3. Flavor Boosters

Since flavors are dulled when frozen, it’s important to amp them up:

• Add a pinch of salt to enhance overall taste.
• Add acid (like lemon or lime juice) for a little pop and brightness. Sometime fruit can be acidic on its own, so taste the fruit you are working with to see if it needs the boost.
• Use a touch of extracts (like vanilla or almond) or even a splash of alcohol (which helps texture too—details below).
• You can also cook fruit to deepen flavors (think roasted plum with ginger or cranberries simmered with orange with clove).

Texture: How to Get It Smooth, Not Icy

Sorbet is water-based, unlike fatty dairy-based ice cream, so it will behave different during the freezing process. Water turns into ice crystals; in ice cream, the fat and protein and sugar work together to prevent the ice crystals from forming, but in sorbet we only have sugar to help with this. Here is how to fight an icy texture:

1. Use Fruit with more fiber or pectin:

Pectin and fiber give fruit more thickness and body, and act like thickeners.

· Fruits high in pectin: Berries, stone fruit, grapes, apples (especially cider), pineapple, currants, guava

· Fruits high in fiber: Bananas, figs, mango, kiwi, guava, pears

Tip: If your purée is too thick and looks like a slushie instead of melted sorbet, add a bit of liquid—like juice, wine, or water—to loosen it up. This can happen with fruit like apples and pears.

2. Balance Sugar and Water

Sugar is critical— it prevents your sorbet from freezing into a solid block by lowering the freezing point and getting in the way of the ice crystals forming together.

How much sugar? The Ideal sugar concentration: 20–25%. You can use a refractometer to check the sugar content of your base. If you don’t have a refractometer, don’t worry, I don’t either! I use this general guideline: 4 cups fruit purée to 1 cup sugar (that’s about 2 – 3 lbs of fruit).

Using fruit juice instead of purée? You’ll need to add a stabilizer because juice lacks the fiber and pectin found in whole fruit. The best option for a stabilizer is clear / light corn syrup, which is thick enough to add body and only mildly sweet (½–⅓ as sweet as sugar), and widely available.

• • For juice-based sorbets: Sub in 50–100% of the sugar with corn syrup.
  • For thicker purées: Use just a little (1 Tbsp to ⅓ of the sugar) depending on the fruit’s consistency.

Corn syrup is more thick and effective than maple or agave, and much more neutrally flavored than honey or molasses.

3. Add a Little Alcohol

Alcohol also lowers the freezing point, helping keep sorbet scoopable.

• Use no more than ¼ cup per quart of purée.
• Usually just 1–3 teaspoons is enough.
• Choose based on flavor: wine, liqueurs, or vodka (for no added flavor).

Note: Alcohol doesn’t thicken the sorbet—just helps with softness. For thin fruit purées, combine with other methods.

4. Use Stabilizers (Optional)

If you want a sorbet that stays scoopable longer, consider adding small amounts of food gums:

• Xanthan gum, guar gum, or carrageenan
• These can sometimes make the texture too gummy, so use with caution.

5. Eat It Fresh!

Eventually, the water will ice up- do try to eat the sorbet within 1 week to get its best texture.

Lemon Sorbet

Max Falkowitz

Makes 1 quart

1 cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice, chilled (about 6 – 7 lemons)

1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 – 2 lemons)

1 ½ cups water, chilled

2 cups light (clear) corn syrup

1 tbsp vodka or gin, optional

Pinch kosher salt

1. Whisk all ingredients together until well combined; chill mixture until it is cooled to 38 F.

2. Churn in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and chill until firm, about 2 – 3 hours.

Fruit Puree Sorbet

Makes 1 quart

4 cups fruit puree

1 cup granulated sugar or corn syrup

Pinch salt

Squeeze of citrus juice, optional

1. If using granulated sugar, heat 1 cup of puree with sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat immediately and stir in remaining fruit puree. If using corn syrup, it would not need to be heated but instead be mixed directly into the fruit puree. Once puree is sweetened, cool in refrigerator until 38 F, 2 – 3 hours.

2. Once mixture is cooled, add a salt and citrus juice to taste. Churn in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and chill until firm, about 2 – 3 hours.