Homemade cantaloupe sorbet is a refreshing dessert to be served after a meal or on hot summer afternoons, to enjoy a delicious and light ice cream. With its beautiful orange color and delicate taste, cantaloupe sorbet can be an excellent snack – healthy and, if desired, even with a little sugar – for your children.
You can prepare cantaloupe sorbet both with an ice cream maker and without an ice cream maker: I will show you both methods and the result is very similar. Consider that before buying the ice cream maker I always prepared it by hand (the recipe dates back to 2013) and it always turned out very well. Of course, it is more practical and quicker to prepare fruit sorbet with an ice cream maker, but it can also be done by hand without problems. If you don’t like cantaloupe you can prepare this sorbet using regular melon.
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Ingredients for about 4 cups of cantaloupe sorbet
- Power 247,00 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 64,49 (g) of which sugars 64,04 (g)
- Proteins 1,26 (g)
- Fat 0,29 (g) of which saturated 0,08 (g)of which unsaturated 0,13 (g)
- Fibers 1,35 (g)
- Sodium 26,86 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 230 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
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How to prepare homemade cantaloupe sorbet
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Cantaloupe sorbet recipe without an ice cream maker (preparation + rest: about 6 hours)
To prepare the cantaloupe sorbet, the preliminary operations are the same, whether you use an ice cream maker or prepare it by hand: mix the water with the sugar in a saucepan and place it over low heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Let the syrup thus obtained cool completely; to speed up you can immerse the saucepan in very cold water.
Put it in the fridge for about an hour. Peel the melon and remove all the seeds. Cut the pulp and put it in a mixer or blender.
Blend for a couple of minutes, until a homogeneous puree is obtained. Make sure it is well blended, otherwise the pieces of fruit left whole will freeze forming unpleasant lumps.
Put it in the refrigerator to cool well, at least half an hour, then add the syrup. Mix thoroughly and pour the mixture into a low, wide bowl.
Cover it with cling film and put it in the freezer. After half an hour, remove the tray from the freezer and mix thoroughly with a spoon.
The cantaloupe sorbet will still be very runny. Put it back in the freezer and repeat the mixing operation another 5-6 times, half an hour apart from each other. Gradually the melon sorbet will start to freeze and you will have to break the ice crystals well using a spoon or a fork.
In the end you will have to obtain a soft and creamy mixture. When you have obtained this consistency, let it rest in the freezer for about two hours.
Cantaloupe sorbet recipe with ice cream maker (preparation + rest: 1 hour and 40 minutes)
To prepare the cantaloupe sorbet with the ice cream maker, follow the same operations described above, until you mix the pureed cantaloupe with the water and sugar syrup. Then pour the mix into the ice cream maker and set a duration of at least 30 minutes.
Depending on the ice cream maker models, it may take a little longer or a little less. When your melon sorbet has taken on a creamy consistency (it often happens that the paddles stop turning when it is ready) switch off the ice cream maker.
You can enjoy your melon sorbet immediately or, if it seems too soft, let it rest in the freezer for an hour.
How to store homemade fruit sorbet
The cantaloupe sorbet will keep in the freezer for 2 weeks. As with homemade ice cream, it tends to harden, but it is sufficient to leave it at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips and variations
If you use a very sweet cantaloupe you can reduce the amount of sugar, even reaching 1/2 cup. In the recipe without an ice cream maker, if by mistake your melon sorbet turns out to be completely frozen in one of the mixing stages, don’t despair! Leave it at room temperature just enough to detach it from the pan, then cut it into pieces and blend it in the mixer. Put it back in the pan and keep stirring it every 30 minutes!
With the same recipe you can prepare a homemade sorbet with the fruit you prefer, as long as it has a firm and ripe pulp (watermelon, peach, strawberries, kiwi…).
Varied doses for servings