Pear Sorbet

Pears are wonderful late summer and early fall fruits, so don’t miss out on making Pear Sorbet at the end of the summer season. It’s really easy and filled with flavor. 

Fresh Pear Sorbet is also a delicious non dairy dessert, perfect for vegans. It also takes only about 15 minutes to make!

You don’t need an ice cream maker to make this easy dessert; just a blender or food processor and freezer would do. However, an ice cream machine does the trick if you prefer a smooth sorbet.

Ingredients

Homemade Sorbet is fruit puree mixed with sugar and water or fruit juice mixed with sugar, without eggs, milk, or cream. It can contain a lot of sugar if you get it in ice cream shops or grocery stores, but when you make it at home, you can control the amount of sugar for a healthier version.

You make the best Pear Sorbet with the following:

Pears: Please use only fresh, ripe pears, in season is preferable. You’ll need about 4 or 5 pears for this recipe.

Sliced fresh pears: For garnish; optional.

Fresh Lemon juice: 1 tsp of lemon juice is all you’ll need – it adds a little zing.

Granulated sugar: You’ll need 2/3 cup sugar to sweeten the sorbet.

Water: Use 1¼ cup water to make the fruit puree.

Steps

It only takes a few simple steps for this great recipe:

1. Clean the fruit

Wash the pears thoroughly under running water. Peel and core them and then slice them into chunks.

2. Cook the pears

Put the chopped pears and 1/2 cup of the water into a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and the pears are tender, stirring occasionally! This takes about 15 minutes.

3. Make the puree

Pour hot pears with the liquid into a high-speed blender or food processor. Add the sugar, lemon juice and the rest of the water, and puree at medium speed for a few seconds until you get consistent and smooth pear puree.

4. Freeze (skip this step if you’re using an ice cream maker)

Transfer this pureed sorbet mixture into a freezer-safe container or a shallow loaf pan (and cover tightly with plastic wrap) and place it in the freezer for about 4 hours.

After it’s completely frozen, keep the sorbet at room temperature to partially thaw it. Transfer it to the food processor for a minute or two (for a light, fluffy texture). Transfer the sorbet back into its container and refreeze for at least 3 hours.

5. Chill and transfer to the ice cream maker (skip this step if you’re not using an ice cream maker)

Place the pureed mixture into a large bowl in the refrigerator until it is chilled. Transfer the mixture to the chilled container of your ice-cream maker and make the sorbet as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

You can start eating your sorbet immediately or keep it in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm it up.

Equipment

You’ll need a large saucepan, blender and an ice cream maker for this recipe!

The Ice Cream maker to use!

Tips

Here are some valuable tips to help you make the perfect sorbet that you can relish with those around you:

• When tasting the sorbet after freezing, add some sugar syrup if there’s too little sugar or add some water if there’s too much sugar, and refreeze the sorbet.
• Use any citrus juice of your preference – lemon, lime, or orange are all great choices.
• The sorbet will be ready to serve about 4-6 hours after placing it in the freezer the first time. If you’re freezing it for longer, keep it at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften it sufficiently for scooping.
• Stir 3 tablespoons of Poire Williams liquor into the final pureed mixture before freezing it. The alcohol prevents the sorbet from becoming solid ice and keeps it scoopable in the freezer. Skip the alcohol if you’ll be serving the sorbet to children.
• Some like to add pear juice instead or just water. If the pears are ripe, I find this unnecessary.

Variation ideas

Although a simple Pear Sorbet tastes great, you can add more flavors to make it extra special. Here are a few that go well with pear:

• Vanilla Bean: Vanilla adds a calming note to the pear sorbet.
• Ginger: Pear and ginger are a fabulous combination. When done right, the two flavors complement each other perfectly, resulting in a sorbet that is both refreshing and spicy!
• Poire Williams Eau-de-Vie or Sparkling Wine: Adding a little pear flavored schnapps will just enhance the pear flavor and make it a sophisticated dessert for adults only! Sparkling wine adds a light to it also in case you don’t have Poire WIlliams in the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

The cherry on top

Sorbets are a great alternative to ice cream during the blazing hot summer days. With the many benefits of pears, like a great Vitamin C source, low in sugar and calories, and a great source of folate and fiber, there’s all the more reason to try out this pear sorbet recipe.

You can also try different sorbet recipes using other fruits instead of pears. Watermelon, mango, and raspberry are refreshing summer fruits and make great sorbets with or without an ice cream maker. Take it up a notch and try fruit combinations!

Try a few of these other ice creams!

Here’s the Pear Sorbet recipe!