Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet

Recipe from Local

Adapted by Amanda Hesser

Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(254)
Comments
Read comments

A bite of this refreshing sorbet is like stepping into a cold shower on a hot summer day. Thanks to the juice and zest of an entire lemon, this four-ingredient frozen treat has plenty of zing, but the creaminess of the buttermilk and the earthiness of the vanilla mellow it all out so you're not left with an unpleasant pucker. A quick note: The zest and the vanilla seeds can clump a bit during the churning process. Just stir it into the sorbet before serving (for soft serve) or freezing (for a firmer sorbet). —Amanda Hesser

Featured in: Improving on Nature: The Small Miracle of Sorbet

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:about 3½ cups
  • ½cup sugar
  • 2cups low-fat buttermilk
  • 1inch-long piece vanilla bean, scraped
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

155 calories; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 182 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small saucepan, combine sugar with ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let syrup cool. Chill in refrigerator.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, syrup, vanilla bean and scraping, lemon juice and zest. Taste and adjust sweetness or acid. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
254 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Michelle McClintock

Leave out the dairy, then. That’s the thing to do if you can’t tolerate it.

Renata

I'm sure this would have been delicious as is, but I also roasted some strawberries with a little sugar, put them through a sieve, and mixed them into this. The results were amazing lemony berry, tangy goodness.

John

Note if you don't have an ice cream maker, you can simply put the mix into a baking pan (big enough that the mix is fairly shallow) in the freezer and mix/break apart every 30 minutes until it sets. It won't be as smooth, but I still found it very good. (I also left out the vanilla and added more lemon juice, but I really like the tart taste)

Sanskriti

I made it as stated mostly but misread the amount of vanilla bean and ended putting in about a tsp of vanilla bean paste. At that point figured I might as well taste it and adjust it accordingly. So I also added some more lemon juice (~ half another lemon) because it wasn’t sour enough. It was delicious and reminded me of the jenis buttermilk frozen yogurt. Want to try again and mix in some frozen berries.

Leanne

This did not freeze in my ice cream maker, did not thicken at all. Followed recipe exactly. Welcome any help here.

magnamosa

absolutely delish! my friend and I ate the whole thing in one sitting! Didn't have vanilla bean so just added some pure vanilla and all was great.... loved it!

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from Local

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.