POV: You’re eight years old, and you hear the unmistakable jingle of the ice cream truck steadily approaching your street. Instantly—much like your family dog when they hear the word “treat”—your taste buds start salivating. May I have one ice-cold red, white, and blue rocket-shaped popsicle, please? Your tongue proceeds to remain purple until school starts in September. Life is good.
One of our newly-discovered (code for “slightly more adult-friendly”) ways to enjoy an sweet summer treat? This recipe for two-ingredient strawberry lemonade sorbet—it’s equal parts delicious, easy, and pretty to look at. Ahead, find the simplest way to make homemade sorbet… batteries and colorful tongue not included.
How to make two-ingredient strawberry lemonade sorbet
Consider this two-ingredient dessert the perfect mashup of two summer staples: lemonade and ice cream. In a recent TikTok video by @crowdedkitchen, we learned that you can make homemade sorbet from the comfort of your home. Best part? There’s no need to invest in a fancy ice cream machine. Instead, all you need is one food processor, four lemons (or three-quarters cup of juice), five cups of frozen strawberries, one-third cup of agave or honey (optional), and only five minutes of your time. Easy enough, right?
@crowdedkitchen STRAWBERRY LEMONADE SORBET Just 3 ingredients & served up in the cutest lemon half for an easy summer treat that we can’t get enough of. #strawberry #pinklemonade #strawberrylemonade #lemontok #lemon ♬ original sound – Crowded Kitchen
First things first, start by cutting the lemons in half lengthwise, then squeeze the juice of the lemons and remove the seeds. (Note: Don’t toss the lemon halves!) Then, in a large food processor, combine the frozen strawberries, lemon juice, and the sweetener of your choice—if desired. Blend until thoroughly combined and the mixture resembles sorbet. Of course, you can serve it right away for a soft-serve dessert. However, if you’re feeling extra fancy schmancy and want to take things up a notch, listen up.
Remember the lemon halves we mentioned earlier you shouldn’t throw away? The creators behind Crowded Kitchen ingeniously reused them as molds (!) for the sorbet filling. Talk about a brilliant waste-free food hack. To make ‘em, they simply scoop away all of the fruit’s pulpy guts and fill each lemon shell up to the brim with the Barbie-pink strawberry lemonade sorbet. To ensure the filling has time to set and doesn’t fully melt in the process, place them on a small sheet pan and freeze them for a few hours before serving.
If you have any leftovers (unlikely, but just saying), feel free to add the remaining sorbet into a small loaf pan to freeze for an ice cream shop-style, scoopable tub of ice cream to nosh on throughout the week.
Another tasty flavor variations to try
Not a huge strawberry fan or lemon head? Crowded Kitchen shared a follow-up mango lime sorbet recipe that’s equally delicious.
@crowdedkitchen MANGO LIME SORBET
The difference this time is that here, you’ll carefully carve out the flesh of the mango (instead of a lemon) without damaging the peel to create a shell for the ice cream. Then, once successfully removing the mango meat, transfer the diced-up fruit onto a sheet pan to freeze. After it’s fully frozen, you’ll continue making the DIY sorbet by applying the same methods as the strawberry lemonade version.
As a refresher to the recipe, combine five cups of frozen mango, a quarter cup of freshly-squeezed lime juice, and a quarter cup of the sweetener of your choice (again, it’s optional). Blend until smooth and creamy. Finally, fill the mango boats with the homemade sorbet and freeze them until solidified.
Of course, mango lime and strawberry lemonade are superior flavor combinations. But the choice is ultimately yours, and the options for whipping together different variations are virtually endless—a few others come to mind: cantaloupe lime, pineapple coconut, or pomegranate lemon. Keep ‘em coming, we say!
Next on the menu? Dairy-free pineapple ginger Dole Whip: