During our big summer trip to Italy, I kept seeing cantaloupe sorbet (or sorbetto al melone) everywhere. I’m not usually a fan of cantaloupe, but on a whim, I decided to try it. To my surprise, it was absolutely mind-blowing! I loved it so much that I ordered it at every sorbet spot we visited, always as one of my chosen flavors. While some gelato shops were better than others, all of the ones that I tried phenomenal. This experience inspired me to try making it at home, since it’s prime cantaloupe season at our State Farmer’s Market.
We use our Ninja Creami to make all of our ice creams and sorbets, and I knew this would be an easy recipe to make. But here’s a tip: Have some extra Ninja Creami canisters on hand, because you can make around three batches with one cantaloupe. And the way my family was going through this sorbet, I’m glad we have the extras!
Here’s how to make this refreshing sorbet using your Ninja Creami:
Ingredients for Cantaloupe Sorbet:
- 1 large ripe cantaloupe – If you’re shopping at a local farmers market and you want to make the recipe today, ask for a cantaloupe that was picked yesterday. Or if it was picked today, leave it out on the counter overnight. The farmer who picked the melon for me said it ripens more if given a day to sit.
- Simple syrup – You can buy it pre-made or make it yourself from equal parts sugar and water. It’ll last a couple of weeks in the fridge. Don’t substitute honey, as it’s too overpowering.
- 1-2 lemons
How to Make Cantaloupe Sorbet
Prep the Cantaloupe: Blend up that fresh, super ripe cantaloupe until it’s smooth juice. One good-sized melon usually gets you about three pints of sorbet base.
Whip up Simple Syrup: Grab equal parts sugar and water, heat ’em ’til the sugar’s gone, then cool it. Stash any extra in the fridge.
Assemble Your Pint: For each Creami pint, pour in 1/3 cup of your simple syrup and the juice from half a lemon. Then fill ‘er up to the max line with that cantaloupe juice. The lemon gives it just the right tang.
Freeze and Churn: Freeze your pint overnight, then pop it in the Creami machine and hit “sorbet.” That’s it!
A quick note: The liquid mixture will always taste sweeter before it’s frozen, so don’t be alarmed if it seems very sweet initially.
Alternate Melons to Try
This recipe would also be amazing with other melons like honeydew, watermelon, or even canary melon (which is my personal favorite). Let me know how you like this one, and keep experimenting with different flavors!
More Recipes for the Ninja Creami
Golden Milk Ice Cream (Dairy-Free)
Two High-Protein Ice Creams for the Ninja CREAMi
3 Amazing Desserts for the Ninja CREAMi
Virgin Piña Colada Italian Ice in the Ninja CREAMi
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Ice Cream in the Ninja CREAMi (Dairy-Free)
Cantaloupe Sorbet in the Ninja Creami
Ingredients:
- 1 medium ripe cantaloupe, rind removed, fruit chopped into rough chunks
- 1/3 cup simple syrup per pint container (store-bought or recipe below)
- 1/2 medium lemon per pint container, juiced
Directions:
- Make Simple Syrup: Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool. You can store extra simple syrup in the fridge.
- Prepare the Cantaloupe: Blend the fresh cantaloupe in a blender until smooth to create a juice. For the best flavor, use very ripe cantaloupe.
- Assemble the Pint: For each Creami pint, add 1/3 cup of simple syrup and the juice of half a lemon. Fill the rest of the pint to the max fill line with the blended cantaloupe juice. The lemon juice adds a perfect touch of tartness.
- Freeze and Churn: Freeze the mixture overnight in your Creami pint. Once frozen, insert it into the Ninja Creami machine and select the u0022sorbetu0022 setting. Serve and enjoy the essence of summer in Tuscany.
TTrying this tonight — when I blended the cantaloupe, it got very foamy. I waited about an hour for it to settle, then added a little more and froze it. Is there something else I should have done to get a more juice-like consistency?
You can either skim off the foam with a spoon or strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of most of it. But it shouldn’t affect the end product too much if there’s some foam.
We’ll soon be overwhelmed with fresh cantaloupe from two plants in the garden. I make jam with some of it and found that we preferred lime juice rather than lemon. Now I want to research the Ninja Creami!