Cherry Sorbet

This cherry sorbet is the most delicious and refreshing treat on a hot summer day. It’s creamy, smooth, and bursting with fresh, natural cherry flavor. It is the perfect way to take advantage of cherry season.

We make ice cream, sorbet, or sherbet all summer long. I have a quart container or two in the freezer because it’s just so easy to make and I know exactly what ingredients go into it. No fillers, no high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives or artificial colors or flavors. Homemade sorbet is probably the easiest of all the frozen desserts since it’s just fruit, sugar, water and oh, yes, a little alcohol. We’ll get into why a little further down.

Ingredients for this cherry sorbet recipe

If fresh cherries are out of season, substitute frozen cherries. Tart or sour cherries will need additional sugar. 

• Fresh bing cherries. 
• sugar
• water
• lime juice (or lemon juice)
• Amaretto (almond liqueur) or cherry liqueur.

Why alcohol in sorbet?

While you can absolutely skip the alcohol when making this cherry sorbet, just a small amount helps slightly retard the ice crystals from forming, resulting in a creamy, smooth sorbet. Each quart yields about 8 servings which is just about 1 teaspoon of Amaretto per serving.

How to make the sorbet base

• Pit the cherries. This Cherry Pitter, (which also doubles as an olive pitter) pits six cherries at once!

• Combine sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Bring it to a boil and stir just until sugar dissolves. Allow simple syrup to cool to room temperature. The sugar syrup can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.
• In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend pitted cherries, simple syrup, lime juice, and amaretto until smooth, about 1 minute.

• Pour mixture into the base of your ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. This is the Ice Cream Maker  I own and love, because you don’t have to freeze the insert. But this Ice Cream Maker is reasonably priced and has a smaller profile.
• You can eat it as soon as it’s done, but the texture of the sorbet will be more like a soft-serve icee. Pack the sorbet in a Freezer-Safe Container and let cure overnight in the freezer for a firmer texture. 

Another way to serve cherry sorbet!

Of course you can serve it in a cone or dish, but try it with a splash of Prosecco for a refreshing alternative to a mimosa or Bellini! Place a scoop of sorbet in a Coupe Glass and fill with Prosecco or sparkling wine.

Looking for more frozen treats?

Mango Sorbet

Vanilla Ice Cream

Raspberry Sherbet

Peppermint Ice Cream

Toasted Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Bananas Fosters Ice Cream Sundaes

Tin Roof Ice Cream Sundaes