Making sorbet and ice cream with fruit purée: ratios that work
Ice-cream makers rely on fruit purée because sorbet is a balancing act: too little sugar and it freezes like ice, too much and it never sets. A purée with consistent fruit content makes the balance repeatable.
A simple sorbet base
For most fruits, start with:
- 1,000 g fruit purée
- 250–350 g sugar (less for sweet mango, more for tart raspberry or passion fruit)
- 200–300 ml water
- A squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavour
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, cool completely, mix with the purée, rest for a few hours in the fridge and churn.
Adjusting by fruit
| Purée | Sugar per kg | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mango | 220–260 g | Naturally sweet and creamy |
| Raspberry | 300–350 g | Bright acidity needs balance |
| Passion fruit | 320–380 g | Dilute with more water; very strong |
| Strawberry | 260–300 g | A little lemon lifts the colour |
Fruit ice cream
Swirl or blend 250–350 g purée into each kilo of a cooled vanilla or neutral base just before churning. Reduce the purée first if you want stronger flavour without extra water.
Texture tips
- Replace 10–20% of the sugar with glucose or dextrose for a smoother, less icy scoop.
- Churn the base cold, at about 4°C.
- Store sorbet at about -18°C and serve at about -12°C.
Common mistakes
- Adding warm syrup to cold purée: it dulls the flavour.
- Guessing quantities: always weigh.
- Refreezing melted sorbet: texture and safety both suffer.
For other uses of the same purées, see raspberry desserts and yoghurt and dairy.
