I recently published a DELICIOUS recipe for Ninja Creami lemon sorbet. You may notice that I have been dabbling in sugar free recipes for those who need them. I thought lemon sorbet would be the perfect candidate to test my skills. So! Today we are making this sugar free lemon sorbet in the Ninja Creami machine.
The recipe uses pure powdered allulose and powdered stevia. These are separate ingredients that work together to create the perfect level of sweetness as well as a sorbet texture.
The sweeteners are rubbed with the zest of two lemons before being mixed with the water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. The mixture is cooked to dissolve the sugars before being poured into the Ninja Creami tub. Easy, zesty and delicious.
Why this recipe works
Having worked with allulose in ice cream for a while now, I have learnt quite a bit about the way it behaves. Allulose is my sweetener of choice in ice cream recipes because it lowers the freezing point of a mixture – just like sugar does. This enables us to create a mixture that freezes solid but can also be processed into sorbet.
Because allulose lowers the freezing point of our sorbet, we can’t just add as much as we like. If too much allulose is added, the mixture will never freeze. This is why this recipe relies on both allulose and stevia.
To this point: we need to buy these as separate entities. I know that there are some sugar substitute blends on the market but I haven’t tested any and I can’t vouch for them. More on this later.
Unlike allulose, stevia has no impact on the freezing point of an ice cream. So while we are limited as to how much allulose we can add, stevia has no such limitation.
In my testing, I found that 80-100g allulose was the maximum this sorbet can take. Beyond that, it becomes more of a slushie consistency and can’t freeze firmly even if you return it to the freezer after processing. Stevia helps bump up the missing sweetness to achieve that delicious sweet and sour flavour.
Adjusting the sweetness according to your tastes
Adjusting the sweetness of an ice cream is not as simple as adding more sweetener. As we have discussed, both sugar and allulose lower the freezing point of your mixture. Adding too much sweetener results in a mixture that can’t set.
We have a few mechanisms in this recipe for adjusting the flavour. Firstly, scale the lemon down to 75g. This makes the sorbet taste slightly less sour and thus slightly more sweet. Next, we can add more stevia. 0.5-1g is the maximum I would go personally, but you might be different.
Finally, you can experiment with slightly more allulose. I would recommend no more than 100g, but you can experiment if you like. You will also need to account for further freezing time after processing the mixture as it will be soft.
Personally, I recommend some stevia no matter how much allulose you add. The versions I tried without the stevia didn’t have that sweet and sour pop that regular lemon sorbet has.
Ingredient notes
- Allulose and stevia are added separately here, bought as two separate ingredients. Sugar substitute blends are not formulated with this recipe in mind and I would be hesitant to even suggest trying it.
- In my experience, this recipe lacks that sugary zing without the stevia. It ‘works’ in theory, but it doesn’t taste like lemon sorbet. Just 0.5g powdered stevia delivers that classic sweet and sour lemon sorbet flavour. I promise it is worth buying an extra ingredient!
- I recommend classic sour lemons here – not Meyer lemons or lemonades. Those don’t have that clean acidity that a lemon sorbet requires and will likely throw off the sweetness.
- I have tested adding xanthan gum to this recipe and I personally didn’t love it. Allulose has a sort of fluffy texture once processed and I find xanthan gum exacerbates this in an unpleasant way. You can experiment if you feel confident – I recommend 0.5g whisked into the allulose before starting the recipe. This ensures it doesn’t clump up in the mixture. You may also be able to experiment with guar gum. I haven’t worked with this before so I can’t guarantee the result.
More sugar free Ninja Creami recipes
- Sugar free chocolate ice cream (Ninja Creami)
- Ninja Creami sugar free vanilla ice cream
- Ninja Creami sugar free strawberry ice cream
- More to come
Sugar free Ninja Creami lemon sorbet
Equipment
- NC300 Ninja Creami machine with 470ml size tubs
Ingredients
- 80-100 g pure allulose (important: read body of post before you start)
- 0.5-1 g stevia powder (important: read body of post before you start)
- Zest of two lemons
- 325 g water
- Pinch of fine salt
- 75-100 g lemon juice (see notes)
Instructions
- Measure the allulose powder and stevia into a medium saucepan. Zest in the lemons and rub the zest into the allulose using your hands.
- Add the water and salt then the lemon juice to your tastes. Start with 75g lemon juice and scale up to 100g as needed.
- Cook the mixture for 1-3 minutes or just until the allulose is dissolved. Allow to cool slightly before pouring into the 470ml Ninja Creami tub.
- Place the mixture in the freezer with the lid off. Leaving the lid off as it cools can help avoid the hump in the centre of the mixture which can damage your machine.
- After 24 hours, process the mixture using the sorbet function. I find I need to res-pin it once. I don't recommend using the sorbet function twice as it may make the mixture too soft.
- Return any leftovers to the freezer with the lid on. I recommend processing leftovers again before eating to restore them to their glory.
Notes
- Read the notes in the body of the post before starting. I didn’t write them for fun and they will help you get the best out of this recipe.
- There is no substitute for allulose and stevia here. You are welcome to experiment but other sweeteners don’t lower the freezing point of a mixture like allulose does.
- Speaking of, you cannot simply add more sugar to a mixture for a sweeter result. Too much sugar results in a sorbet that cannot set which means it won’t be firm enough for sorbet. See the notes on adjusting the sweetness according to your preferences.
- The more allulose you use, the softer your sorbet will be. If you are having trouble with texture, drop the allulose back and increase the stevia.
- I recommend budgeting some re-chilling time after processing a Creami that contains more allulose. It will naturally come out softer, so allow at least 30-60 minutes to return it to the freezer if need be.
- I recommend using common sour lemons instead of Meyer or Lemonade lemons. The common sour variety have that clean acidity that lemon sorbet is known for. I tested Meyer lemons in my non-sugar free Ninja Creami lemon sorbet and they added a bitter note. It also just didn’t taste like lemon sorbet.
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