Clementine Sorbet Recipe

Mild, easygoing clementines make this sorbet taste like a dairy-free creamsicle.

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Max Falkowitz

The cute size. The easy-peel rind. The discrete segments. All that and the delicately sweet flavor make clementines some of my favorite fruit. Sure, they're not the most exciting citrus, but you can eat them like popcorn and plow through a case without thinking about it. Which I do about once a week.

But even the most die hard winter clementine fans can get a little bored with eating the fruit straight, which is where this sorbet comes in. Unlike some other citrus sorbets, clementine juice churns up plenty creamy with minimal adulterations and not too much extra sugar. And when I say creamy, I mean sherbet creamy, as in, you're sure there's no dairy in this?

Another nice thing about the easygoing sweetness and low acidity of clementines: the filtered juice tastes like a melted creamsicle. Which means that when frozen it tastes a whole lot like a creamsicle, no vanilla required!

There's just one thing to keep in mind for this easy and rewarding sorbet: keep your clementines in the fridge before you start juicing. If you do, you can send the finished base right through the churn as soon as you're done. That means that about 45 minutes after you start peeling, you can have fresh sorbet in your bowl. Winter is rarely this kind.

Recipe Details

Clementine Sorbet Recipe

Active 45 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 8 servings
Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

  • 20 chilled clementines (about 1 case, or 3 3/4 pounds), peeled and broken into segments

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. In batches, purée clementine segments until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour purée through a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on solids with a spoon, into a large measuring cup until you have 4 cups of strained juice. Reserve remaining juice for another purpose and rinse out blender. If clementines were not chilled, chill juice in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours until very cold.

  2. Combine strained clementine juice and sugar in blender and blend on high speed until sugar is completely dissolved, about 30 seconds. Blend in salt to taste.

  3. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately as soft serve or transfer to an airtight container and chill in freezer for at least 4 hours for a firmer texture.

Special equipment

blender or food processor, ice cream maker

Make-Ahead and Storage

This sorbet tastes best the day it's made.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
184 Calories
0g Fat
47g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 184
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 41mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 42g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 90mg 451%
Calcium 56mg 4%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 328mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)