A classic of British summertime, a good blackcurrant sorbet is fresh, sharp, and bursting with vibrant flavour. My version is soft, smooth, and scoopable straight from the freezer. It’s pure, frozen refreshment.
If you prefer something creamier, give my Blackcurrant Ice Cream a try instead.
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Why I love this sorbet
- Vibrantly bright and gloriously colourful.
- Silky-smooth and delightfully soft.
- Perfectly tart – refreshingly so.
- With a subtle, creamy indulgence that lingers.
Contrary to how I take my ice cream (rock hard), I love a soft and yielding sorbet. One that is scoopable straight from the freezer and doesn’t remotely resist a spoon falling into it. That is exactly how my blackcurrant sorbet is. If this sounds like your idea of cool refreshment, this recipe will be right up your street.
If you enjoy sorbet take a look at my recipe for limoncello lemon sorbet with mint. And if you are in the market for more blackcurrant recipes don’t miss my recipes for apple and blackcurrant crumble, deep-filled blackcurrant pies, blackcurrant cake or blackcurrant cheesecake.
Ingredients notes
Blackcurrants: The star ingredient, bursting with rich, tart, and tangy flavour – it’s classic British summertime. Fresh or frozen both work perfectly.
Sugar: Essential to balance the fruit’s sourness and create the sorbet’s soft, creamy texture. Both white granulated and caster sugar are suitable.
Egg White: Optional but highly recommended. It lightens and stabilises the sorbet by trapping air during churning, keeping it soft and scoopable instead of freezing solid.
Step by step instructions
It’s not difficult to make this sorbet . It’s as easy as cooking the fruit with water and sugar, straining the cooked fruit and then churning. The hardest part is waiting for it to firm up in the freezer. Here are the full instructions:
- Step 1: Put the blackcurrants, sugar and water into a medium-sized heavy-based pan and heat moderately to dissolve the sugar.
- Step 2: Turn up the heat, bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes, until the fruit is soft and can easily be crushed with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Step 3: Allow to cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, using a metal spoon to press the fruit and extract the juice and soft pulp. Continue until only dry pulp remains. Wipe the back of the sieve to collect any remaining purée, then stir the contents of the bowl (it should resemble a thick syrup). Discard the pulp.
- Step 4: Once fully cooled, cover the syrup and chill in the fridge for 3–4 hours. Then churn in an ice cream maker (or see below for how to churn without a machine).
- Step 5: When the sorbet is beginning to hold it’s shaping whisk the egg white until nicely frothy and pour into the mix. Continue to churn until firm.
- Step 6: Decant into a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours.
Churning Sorbet without a Machine
- Pour the syrup into a freezerproof bowl and place it directly in the freezer.
- After 1 hour, remove it and use handheld beaters to mix until smooth, breaking down ice crystals.
- Return to the freezer for another hour, then repeat the beating process.
- Continue this freeze-and-beat cycle every hour until the sorbet starts to firm up – usually around the fourth or fifth time.
- At this point, fold in the whisked egg white and continue beating every hour for 2 or 3 more rounds, until the sorbet reaches a smooth, scoopable consistency.
Storage instructions
Loosely cover the sorbet with parchment to prevent freezer burn, and always store it in the coldest part of your freezer. In an upright freezer, this is usually at the top back, away from the door. In a chest freezer, aim for the compressor step or the bottom of the freezer. This sorbet is soft scoop, so it can be served straight from the freezer without needing to soften first.
Frequently asked questions
Since it’s made with fresh ingredients and no preservatives, this homemade blackcurrant sorbet has a shorter shelf life than store-bought versions. For the best flavour, it’s ideal to enjoy it within two weeks, as the taste may start to fade after that.
You can absolutely leave out the egg white. Doing so will turn it into vegan blackcurrant sorbet. Just note that the sorbet will be a little firmer, as the egg white helps keep it soft and scoopable straight from the freezer. You can add a tablespoon of gin instead of using the egg white as alcohol also helps keep sorbet soft by lowering the freezing point. Just don’t overdo it, as too much alcohol can stop the sorbet from setting altogether.
Sometimes, even when you follow a fruity sorbet recipe exactly, things can go wrong. That’s because the natural sugar content in fruit varies from batch to batch, and it’s nearly impossible to measure precisely. If there’s not enough sugar, the sorbet will freeze too hard; too much sugar, and it won’t freeze at all. Fortunately, if your sorbet isn’t setting, you can rescue it by adding a bit of water to the mixture and churning it again.
This can happen if the sugar content is too low or if the mixture isn’t churned properly. Don’t cut back on the sugar in this recipe and ensure you churn your sorbet sufficiently.
Yes, straining is recommended to remove skins and seeds, giving your sorbet a smoother texture.
More fruity frozen treats
Have you made this recipe for blackcurrant sorbet? Please let me know if you enjoyed it by leaving a review. I love to hear from my readres.
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📖 Recipe
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Blackcurrant Sorbet
Ingredients
- 375 g Blackcurrants fresh or frozen
- 300 ml Water
- 225 g White sugar granulated or caster
- 1 Egg white
Instructions
Make the Sorbet Base
- Put the blackcurrants, sugar and water into a medium-sized heavy-based pan and cook over a moderate heat to dissolve the sugar
- Allow to cool then pass through a fine-meshed metal sieve suspended over a large bowl to extract the liquid and soft flesh but leave behind the skin & pips. Use a metal spoon to crush and push the fruit through the sieve. Keep on turning and pushing until a thick residue of pulp remains in the sieve but very little liquid
- When finished, wipe the back of the sieve with the spoon, to dislodge the final bits of puree and give the contents of the bowl a good stir. It will look like a thick syrup (or a very thin puree)
- Discard the pulp
- Once completely cool, cover the syrup and chill for 3-4 hours in the fridge
Churning Using a Machine
- When ready to churn, follow the instructions for your ice cream maker
- When the sorbet is beginning to hold it’s shaping whisk the egg white until nicely frothy and pour into the mix then continue to churn until firm
- Decant into a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours
Churning By Hand (see notes)
- Pour the syrup into a freezerproof bowl and place directly into your freezer
- After 1 hour, take it out of the freezer and use handheld beaters to mix the sorbet until smooth. This helps break down ice crystals
- Return to the freezer for a further hour then repeat the above process
- Keep on repeating every hour until the sorbet begins to firm up (around the fourth or fifth beating), then mix in the whisked egg white and return to the freezer
- Repeat the freeze and beat process at hourly intervals 1 or 2 more times or until the sorbet reaches a good, scoopable consistency
- Transfer to a suitable freezer container, cover with parchment and freeze until required
Notes
Alternative Method
There is another method of churning without a machine. It’s quite an easy, hands-off approach and not one I particularly like to use since the other methods listed here give superior results. However, for anybody short on time but desperate for sorbet:- Pour the syrup into a lined swiss roll tin or similar (check it fits into your freezer) and freeze until firm
- Break up the sorbet and blitz in a blender until smooth
- Return to the freezer until solid again then blitz in the blender one more time
- Mix in the whisked egg white, pour into a suitable container, cover with parchment and return to the freezer for 3-4 hours to firm up
Jeremy
Discard the pulp? Not me. I mix it with some yoghurt and make ice lollies with it. A tasty summer treat.
Jane Coupland
Well I can’t argue with that, Jeremy – far better than throwing it out. I’ll be giving it a go myself next time I make this ice cream.
Jeremy Taylor
Delicious sorbet but I didn’t throw the pulp away. I mixed it with yoghurt and made ice lollies with it.
Jane Coupland
Well I can’t argue with your resourcefulness – great idea. And I’m pleased you enjoyed the sorbet too.
Teresa
Absolutely beautiful . Would this recipe will work with blackberries ?
Jane Saunders
So pleased you like the recipe, Teresa! Blackcurrants are especially sour, more so than blackberries, so I’d expect to need less sugar for a blackberry sorbet. Guessing you could start with around 175g sugar for 375g berries and be on the right lines.
Kate
This recipe was brilliant! Thanks so much, it worked perfectly and tasted divine. I usually make jam with our blackcurrants, but we had so many this year. A perfect treat.
Jane Saunders
Thanks for taking the time to feedback Kate – so pleased you enjoyed it. I’ve spent the morning making blackcurrant jam after picking a pile yesterday1
Taryn
My whole family loved this sorbet! Will make again!
Jane Saunders
excellent – thanks for the feedback
Beth
My kids love this recipe! It’s perfect for a summer treat and hot summer days! I can’t wait to make this again!
Jane Saunders
Sweet – happy days.
Ashley
I love this sorbet. The flavor is so good and a gorgeous color too.
Jane Saunders
🙂 thanks