I have been intermittently chipping away at this Ninja Creami lemon sorbet since the day I got my machine. I am a lemon sorbet aficionado and it is often my flavour of choice. With that in mind, I wanted to create a gelato shop worthy lemon sorbet rather than a ‘good enough’ version. Personally, I think I have nailed it.
This recipe uses caster sugar that is rubbed with the zest of a lemon for extra lemony flavour. The secret ingredient, which also contributes sweetness, is glucose syrup. Glucose syrup (which we will chat more about later) is a liquid sugar which dramatically improves the consistency of our lemon sorbet. Liquid sugars, as per Serious Eats, add body, stability and creaminess to a sorbet recipe. Of course, we need a liquid sugar that is flavourless for our lemon sorbet, which is why glucose syrup gets the call up instead of maple syrup or rice malt syrup.
How this recipe works
A quick note on how this recipe works so you understand how to change it up. I have developed this recipe so that the lemon juice can be added on a sliding scale. This is because lemons vary dramatically in their acidity from lemon to lemon. Your lemons might be sweeter, in which case you can add up to 100g lemon juice (or more to your tastes, but you will need to subtract some water).
Your lemons might also be very tart, in which case you can add less lemon juice.
The reason the recipe is designed this way is because sugar is a complex ingredient in Ninja Creami making. There is a finite amount of sugar you can add to a Ninja Creami recipe (or an ice cream recipe in general) before it fails to set. This is because sugar depresses the freezing point of a liquid. If there is too much sugar in a liquid, it cannot freeze. Of course, a mixture that cannot freeze cannot magically turn into sorbet. At best, you have yourself a lemon slushy. At worst, a very sweet lemon drink.
So, the only ingredients to be tinkered with in this recipe are the lemon and the water. I do not recommend any other sweeteners and I don’t recommend omitting the glucose syrup. It makes for a chewier textured ice cream with a great consistency. The versions I tested without glucose syrup had an icier consistency that was more akin to a gelato shop you’d leave a 1 star review for.
Interestingly, you can add more sweetener when using glucose syrup. Admittedly glucose syrup is not as sweet as white sugar, but this recipe uses 100g sugar and 50g glucose. In my tests of this recipe without glucose syrup, I was using 125g caster sugar and finding the mixture was too soft.
Tips for using glucose syrup
Glucose syrup can be an absolute pain to work with. It is super thick and super sticky. I recommend putting the bases of your container of glucose syrup in hot water before using them to loosen it up.
I would also recommend placing two spoons in boiling water 2-3 minutes before scooping. Dry off the spoons then use them (while hot) to scoop the glucose syrup into your pot.
Glucose syrup takes a few minutes to dissolve into your sorbet mixture. Be patient and ensure it has fully dissolved before pouring the mixture into the tub.
Glucose syrup is not necessarily interchangeable with other liquid sweeteners. I have tested light corn syrup from Karo and that’s it. I could only find the one that included vanilla but I couldn’t taste it in the sorbet. Personally, I think the glucose syrup version had a slightly more viscous texture and was my preferred option. In Australia, you can easily buy gluten free glucose syrup from the major supermarkets. In the USA, my understanding is that corn syrup is more common.
A side note: Karo light corn syrup doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup and it is not low fat, but light in colour (compared to their dark syrup which contains molasses). The dark syrup will contribute unwanted flavour and isn’t suitable here.
I cannot offer advice as to how to substitute beyond glucose syrup and light corn syrup in this recipe. You are welcome to experiment, but I can’t guarantee the result. Other syrups are also likely to change the flavour of your sorbet.
Substitution and ingredient notes
- As discussed, I have tested light corn syrup in this recipe. I used Karo brand which does not contain high fructose corn syrup. It worked well, but I think glucose syrup has a slight edge for creating a chewier consistency.
- I don’t recommend using Meyer lemons or another sweet variety of lemons here. They don’t have that classic lemon sorbet flavour and may ultimately contribute too much sweetness. If you add too much sugar from the fruit your sorbet will be unable to set.
- I daresay you could use this recipe for a Ninja Creami lime sorbet or grapefruit sorbet. Sweeter fruits like orange would likely need less sugar than this recipe. As I result, I do not recommend it unless you are happy to experiment.
- In my earlier tests, I was adding xanthan gum to this recipe. I don’t think the final result needs it, but you can experiment with adding some if you like. I recommend 1g whisked into the sugar before starting the recipe. Xanthan gum has a tendency to clump up when liquid is added but whisking it into the sugar first stops this from happening.
- I haven’t worked with guar gum in Ninja Creami recipes. I imagine it would work here but I can’t offer any advice.
More Ninja Creami recipes
- Ninja Creami raspberry sorbet
- Ninja Creami strawberry ice cream
- Ninja Creami frozen yoghurt
- Ninja Creami pistachio ice cream from my Ninja Creami recipe e-book
- Ninja Creami custard ice cream
Ninja Creami lemon sorbet
Equipment
- NC300 Ninja Creami machine with 470ml size tubs
Ingredients
- 100 g caster sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 50 g glucose syrup or light corn syrup see notes
- 100 g lemon juice see notes
- 300 g water
Instructions
- Add the caster sugar to a medium pot. Grate in the lemon zest, then massage it into the sugar with your hands.
- Add the remaining ingredients and place the pot over a low-medium heat. Cook for 2-4 minutes or just until the sugars have fully dissolved. Stir very regularly to ensure they dissolve rather than cooking onto the bottom of the pot.
- Once the sugars have dissolved, take the pot off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to a hand comfortable temperature before pouring into your 470ml Ninja Creami tub. It should come up to a little bit under the fill line.
- Place the tub in the freezer with the lid off for 24 hours. Leaving the lid off while the mixture freezes can help prevent a hump in the mixture which can damage the machine.
- When you are ready to eat, take the sorbet out of the freezer. It will have a glassy, slightly wet looking top but it should be fully frozen.
- Process the mixture using the sorbet function. I like to smooth it out and eat it after the first spin, but you can also respin it.
- Return leftovers to the freezer with the lid on. I recommend re-processing leftovers using the sorbet function to get the best consistency.
Notes
- Read the notes in the body of the post before starting. This will ensure you get the best of the recipe.
- You can use glucose syrup (available in Australian supermarkets) or light corn syrup (Karo brand). I prefer glucose syrup but both work.
- Lemons are a variable ingredient. If you are working with particularly sour lemons, use 75g lemon juice. Scale the lemon juice up or down within the 75-100g range to adjust the sorbet according to your preferences.
- If you are having trouble with icy sides, you can leave the sorbet on the bench for 5-10 minutes before processing.
- I recommend leaving some buffer room if you are serving this to guests. Process it 20-30 minutes before you need it so you can return it to the freezer to firm up if need be.
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