Lemon Ninja CREAMi Sorbet Recipe
- kcal
- 290
- protein
- 0g
- sugar
- 68g
- fat
- 0g
per pint, estimated
Lemon sorbet is the oldest trick in the freezer case — juice, sugar, water — and the CREAMi turns it out better than most gelato shops because the base is nothing but those three things. Fresh lemons are non-negotiable here: bottled juice makes the whole pint read flat and faintly bitter. The sugar does double duty, sweetening and lowering the freezing point so the spin lands frosty instead of rock-hard, which is why this is the one recipe where I ask you not to cut it. A pinch of salt keeps the citrus tasting like citrus. Scoop it fast — this one melts like it has somewhere to be. Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and gloriously sour-sweet.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | US | Metric | kcal | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granulated sugar | 1/3 cup | 67 g | 260 | 0g |
| Fresh lemon juice (about 3–4 lemons) | 1/2 cup | 120 ml | 30 | 0g |
| Water | 3/4 cup | 180 ml | 0 | 0g |
| Pinch of kosher salt | 1/8 tsp | 0.75 g | 0 | 0g |
Per-line macros are for the whole amount listed. Nutrition per pint is estimated — see the methodology on the About page.
Steps
Heat the water until steaming — a minute in the microwave works — then stir in the sugar and salt until no grains remain on the spoon. Undissolved sugar spins into grit.
Stir in the lemon juice, let the syrup cool to room temperature, then pour into the CREAMi pint up to the max-fill line.
Freeze upright on a level shelf for a full 24 hours.
- Spin: SORBET
Process on SORBET. The first pass will look chalky and cracked — lemon bases always do, there's no fat to soften the freeze.
- Spin: RE-SPIN
Add 1 tbsp cold water and RE-SPIN. It's done when the surface turns glossy and translucent and a spoon leaves a clean ridge. Serve immediately — lemon sorbet melts fast.
If it comes out crumbly: respin
If the first spin comes out chalky or cracked, add 1 tbsp cold water and RE-SPIN — lemon bases carry no fat and very little fiber, so they freeze harder than any dairy pint. It's ready the moment the surface turns glossy and translucent; more passes only melt it toward slush.
Still icy after the respin? The icy-fix guide has all seven fixes.
Scaling to your machine
For the 24 oz Deluxe tub (NC501), multiply every ingredient by 1.5 and process on the Deluxe SORBET setting. On the Scoop & Swirl (NC701), spin the same base on SORBET, then use SWIRL to fold through a spoonful of lemon zest for extra perfume.
FAQ
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
Technically yes, and the texture will be identical — but the flavor drops off sharply. Bottled juice is pasteurized and reads flat and faintly bitter next to fresh-squeezed. With only three ingredients doing all the work, this is the one recipe where the lemons matter most.
Can I make it less sweet or less tart?
Adjust in tablespoons, not cups. Less tart: pull the lemon juice back to 1/3 cup. Less sweet: drop to 1/4 cup sugar — but no lower, because the sugar also lowers the freezing point, and without enough of it the pint freezes into a block the CREAMi has to fight.
Why is my lemon sorbet rock-hard compared to other sorbets?
Because it is the leanest base in the catalog — no fat, no fiber, no fruit solids, just citrus syrup. Keep the pint level in the freezer, give it the full 24 hours, and let the RE-SPIN with a tablespoon of cold water do the softening. That's the entire fix.
Chasing protein? Peanut Butter Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Recipe packs 41g per pint.
More pints to spin next
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