Healthy Watermelon Sugar Free Sorbet (No Churn)
Jun 26, 2019 • Updated Apr 24, 2024
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A healthy, refreshing, and vegan watermelon sorbet that requires NO churning! Made from 3 simple ingredients, this delicious sugar free sorbet will keep you cool on a hot day all summer long!
What Makes This Recipe Great
It’s summertime, and all I want to eat is watermelon! This healthy, sugar-free sorbet recipe is the perfect treat for the hotter temps, made with good-for-you ingredients that are easy to find at traditional grocery stores that will actually keep you hydrated! The texture is smooth, a little creamy–something in between an Italian ice and ice cream. It’s a simple recipe for a creamy dessert using whole foods and only natural sugars that’s a great option for a hot summer day.
The best part is this creamy sorbet super easy to make, requires no churning (or ice cream maker) whatsoever, and is super duper allergy friendly! It has less sugar than traditional sorbet and is a great option if you’re craving frozen desserts but don’t have access to an ice cream machine but will give you similar results.
This delicious dessert is also vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, whole food, plant-based, dairy-free, nut-free, paleo, raw vegan, fruitarian, and fat-free. That’s a lot of things, huh?
Ingredient Notes
- Watermelon: Cubed and frozen
- Banana: For the creaminess and sweetness, we’re adding a little banana (but not too much, so you won’t really taste it!)
- Lime juice: I always love to pair my watermelon with lime. You can also use lemon juice if you’d like.
- Maple syrup (optional): If you prefer a little extra sweetener, you can add a touch of maple syrup or even monk fruit sweetener. Personally, I find it to be unnecessary to add any additional sweetener as long as my fruit is ripe to start with.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Slice and freeze fruit (excluding lime) to prep. Cutting into smaller chunks will make blending easier.
- In a high-power blender, add frozen watermelon and banana and juice of half a lime. Blend, using the tamper to help break down the chunks. Do not add additional liquid. You should achieve a smooth texture, no chunks (refer to the video coming soon for reference!).
- Transfer your mixture to a freezer-safe container. Tupperware, loaf pan, or cake pan will work.
- Freeze overnight, or for about 3-4 hours, until solid.
- Allow to thaw for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- More delicious add-in suggestions: mint, basil, ginger, or other frozen fruit of choice. Fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries would work. As well as mangoes or pineapple for a tropical twist. If you use fresh fruit, be sure to freeze it first! Any type of homemade fruit sorbets are always a hit in my household.
- If you prefer a creamier texture and don’t mind a banana flavour, you can add more bananas.
- My top tip is making this in a high-speed, high-power blender because we will freeze the fruit beforehand. I use this high-speed blender, which also has a large enough pitcher to make it all in one shot. Using a tamper helps to push down the frozen chunks to blend easily. You can also try using a food processor if you don’t have a blender.
- Feel free to divide or multiply the recipe as needed because I guarantee this sugar free sorbet won’t last long in the freezer once you try it!
- A note on texture. Since we are not adding any fat to this recipe, it might feel a little icier than conventional sorbet at first. My best tip for good texture is to use the exact ratio of banana to watermelon, blend the fruit in its frozen state, and enjoy it just as it reaches frozen if you can.
- Before eating, give it a few minutes to thaw out a little so you can scoop it with an ice cream scoop!
- If you don’t mind a banana flavour, then adding more banana than the recipe calls for is a great way to add an extra creamy texture. I prefer not to exceed the listed amount because the banana flavor can overtake the watermelon if too much is added.
Serving Tips
- After freezing to set, let the sorbet sit out for a few minutes before serving it into cones or bowls.
- Enjoy topped with additional berries or by itself.
Storage Tips
- Store in an airtight container in the freezer
- You can also pour into large ice cube trays and pop them out for individual servings!
Recipe FAQs
Some sorbets might have too much sugar, depending on which brand you buy. This homemade sorbet version does not! The only sugar in this recipe is from the fruit, which is natural. If you want extra sweetness, you can add a natural sweetener like maple syrup, but it’s unnecessary if you’re using ripe fruit.
Yes! This recipe contains only 3 vegan ingredients (watermelon, lime juice, and banana), making it completely vegan!
More Refreshing Sweet Treats!
Cantaloupe Granita with Lime & Mint
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a star rating and comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Healthy Sugar Free Watermelon Sorbet (No Churn)
Ingredients
- 6 cups watermelon cubed and frozen
- 1.5 cups banana sliced and frozen*
- 1/2 a lime juiced
- optional
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Slice and freeze fruit (excluding lime) to prep. Cutting into smaller chunks will make blending easier.
- In a high powered blender use a tamper to help break down the chunks. Do not add additional liquid. You should achieve a smooth texture, no chunks (refer to video coming soon for reference!).
- Transfer your mixture to into a freezer safe container. Tupperware, or cake pan will work.
- Freeze overnight or for about 3-4 hours, until solid.
- Allow to thaw for a few minutes before serving, and enjoy.
Notes
Expert Tips
- More delicious add-in suggestions: mint, basil, ginger, or other frozen fruit of choice. Fresh raspberries, fresh strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries would work. As well as mangoes or pineapple for a tropical twist. If you use fresh fruit, be sure to freeze it first!
- If you prefer a creamier texture and don’t mind a banana flavour, you can add more bananas.
- I recommend making this in a high-speed, high-power blender because we will freeze the fruit beforehand. I use this blender, which also has a large enough pitcher to make it all in one shot. Using a tamper helps to push down the frozen chunks to blend easily. You can also try using a food processor if you don’t have a blender.
- Feel free to divide or multiply the recipe as needed because I guarantee this sugar free sorbet won’t last long in the freezer once you try it!
- A note on texture. Since we are not adding any fat to this recipe, it might feel a little icier at first. My best tip for good texture is to use the exact ratio of banana to watermelon, blend the fruit in its frozen state, and enjoy it just as it reaches frozen if you can.
- Before eating, give it a few minutes to thaw out a little so you can scoop it with an ice cream scoop!
- If you don’t mind a banana flavour, then add more banana than the recipe calls for, which will create an extra creamy texture. I prefer not to exceed the listed amount because the banana flavor can overtake the watermelon if too much is added.
Serving Tips
- After freezing to set, let the sorbet sit out for a few minutes before serving it into cones or bowls.
- Enjoy topped with additional berries or by itself.
Storage Tips
- Store this sugar free sorbet in the freezer for up to 5 days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love & summer fruit,
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