Raspberry Sorbet

Fresh or frozen raspberries, an ice cream maker, and less than an hour. Dairy-free, gluten-free, and good for a month.

Jennifer Ann Blair

May 30, 2026

Jennifer Ann Blair writes about food, wine, and the stories that live in recipe boxes.

Homemade raspberry sorbet in a freezer-safe container, deep pink and glossy, made with fresh raspberries and churned in an ice cream maker

Raspberries, fresh lemon juice, sugar, vanilla extract, sea salt. Five ingredients, less than an hour, and somehow the most refreshing thing you can make on a hot afternoon. No dairy, no gluten, lighter than ice cream, and made with fruit you already have in the freezer. Which, if you’re smart about it, you always do.

I keep frozen fruit stocked year-round. A bag of raspberries has gotten me out of more than one afternoon slump. Make a batch, store it for a month, or watch your family find it in twenty minutes and make another batch the next day. Either way, keep the freezer full.

This sorbet is part of a larger project. Last May, I made a whole collection of frozen things, part Helen Wissel Carnes, part Clara Weidman Baker, part me riffing on cocktail-driven versions of sorbet and ice cream alongside the ancestral recipes. This raspberry sorbet came out of that summer, out of a craving, and out of the fact that my mom and I cannot be in the same room as raspberries without eating them immediately. The full 2025 frozen collection is here.

Homemade raspberry sorbet, deep pink and glossy, made with fresh raspberries, spun in a food processor, with sugar, lemon juice, sea salt, vanilla extract, and churned in an ice cream maker

Notes

A simple syrup, equal parts sugar and water, heated until dissolved and cooled, would make the sorbet smoother. I skipped it to keep things simple. Both versions work. Your call.
Pressing out the seeds can be tedious. They don’t bother me, and I don’t want to take the time. However, if you’d like it free of seeds you can add the raspberries and water to a food processor, pulse until smooth, then push the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, one cup or less at a time. Use the back of a large spoon or a spatula to press the mixture through and retain the seeds. Repeat until all puree has been pressed through then discard the seeds. Pour the seed-free puree back into the food processor then add the sugar, lemon juice, sea salt and vanilla extract and process until completely incorporated.
The Tovolo Glide-a-Scoop Ice Cream Container, 1.5 qt, is a dream for storing sorbets and ice creams. Slides out cleanly, no digging.
A Chinois Fine-Mesh Cone Sieve makes pushing seeds and fibers through a puree considerably less miserable. The cone format lets you press thick puree through without wearing out your arm or your patience.
Serve with a sprig of mint and a Raspberry Ricky. Raspberry, citrus, soda or seltzer, or boozy with tequila or gin, or not at all.