Blueberry Ginger Sorbet Recipe

This blueberry sorbet is all about fresh berries at their peak. It's silky smooth with a bit of sweet crunch from blueberry seeds.

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Photograph: Max Falkowitz

Most of the classic American blueberry desserts—pie, coffee cake, muffins, and the like—are all about the dark, baked side of blueberries. You know, with butter and cinnamon and vanilla and caramelization from hot roasting in the oven. But it's ice cream season now, and a grossly hot one at that (seriously, I just got back from a week in Southeast Asia, and that was a cakewalk by comparison). So right now I don't have much interest in cooking anything, let alone blueberries that taste so good raw.

Enter blueberry sorbet, a silky smooth scoop that's all about fresh berries at their peak, with the sweet crunch of blueberry seeds. As for the ginger, okay, I may be missing Southeast Asian food a bit. But it adds a clean, slightly spicy bite for depth, and it jives with the lemon juice to restore the berries' brightness beneath all the cold and extra sugar.

Recipe Details

Blueberry Ginger Sorbet Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Active 40 mins
Churning/Freezing Time 4 hrs 30 mins
Total 4 hrs 35 mins
Makes 3 1/2 cups
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups blueberries, washed (about 1 1/4 pounds)

  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Purée blueberries and ginger in a blender or food processor until smooth. 4 cups whole bluebrries should yield 3 cups of purée. Add sugar and blend for 30 seconds. Add lemon and salt, blend to incorporate, and adjust to taste.

  2. Strain purée and transfer to refrigerator; chill for 2 to 3 hours until very cold. Churn sorbet in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to freezer to firm up for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

Special equipment

blender or food processor, ice cream maker

Notes

Blueberry seeds are finicky, and even careful pouring through a high quality strainer can leave a few errant crunchy bits in your purée. But consider them a textural blessing; little pieces of skin and seeds are the chocolate chips of the berry world. You'll be happy to have them there.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
931 Calories
2g Fat
239g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 931
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 326mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 239g 87%
Dietary Fiber 15g 52%
Total Sugars 209g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 60mg 298%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 527mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)