I Made DIY Sorbet And Ended Up With 3 Simple And Sweet Desserts

• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cutting board and knife
• Spatula
• Mixing bowl
• Containers (for freezing)
• Blender/hand blender

I started off with my bowl of strawberries, knife, spatula, and cutting board. I washed the strawberries in warm water, then cut off the green leafy bit (or calyx, which I had to look up — new word alert!).

Next, I popped the washed and de-calyxed strawberries into my blender. I decided to go with the big blender rather than the hand blender because I was hoping it would get the job done quickly. I went with the puree setting and kept it going until the strawberries were broken down to an almost jam-like consistency.

I then used the spatula to transfer my pureed strawberries from the blender to a container. The fruit was so fragrant as I was sealing the container that my mouth began to water. Before giving in to deliciousness and eating up the jammy goodness, I quickly popped it into the freezer to solidify overnight.

The next morning, I was eager to check out the results of my strawberry sorbet. After I cracked open the lid, I was immediately hit with a slightly dulled — yet still amazing — smell of strawberries. The sorbet was frozen pretty solid, so dipping a spoon in right away was out of the question — unless you’re in the mood to be diligently chipping away while drooling profusely. Instead, I broke up the sorbet with my knife and put it in my blender to loosen up the dessert. The result had the consistency of shaved ice, which reminded me of a snow cone at the park, but one that was healthier and more adult-like.

To make my raspberry sorbet, I needed a blender (I ended up using both my big blender and my hand blender), strainer, spatula, container, and A LOT of raspberries.

First things first, I washed the raspberries well in the strainer and placed them in my blender.

I pureed the raspberries until they were a nice, smooth consistency. The raspberries were perfectly ripe, so the smell was incredibly fragrant. I used my spatula to scrape every last drop of the mixture into my container, then popped it into the freezer to harden overnight.

In the morning, I took out the sorbet to see how it had turned out. I gave it a spoon test (not a taste test) and found that it hadn't frozen as solid as the strawberry sorbet, so I used the hand blender instead of the big blender to see if I could make the texture a little smoother.

The result of using the hand blender on my sorbet was amazing! The texture was almost silky and was a lot like store-bought sorbet. And because the raspberries had been so ripe, the smell was fantastically sweet.

To get things rolling for my banana sorbet, I simply needed the bananas themselves. You don’t need to blend this fruit before freezing — that step comes a little later.

I already had a couple of bananas that I had frozen when they were a few days past their prime (which will soon become delicious banana bread), but I figured that I’d still freeze a few ripe bananas to make sure that I was following the exact same steps as the other two kinds of fruit that I was trying out.

Since the bananas come with their own handy-dandy protective cover, I simply put them in the freezer as they were. The next morning, I took the bananas out and put them in some warm water. The water helps to slightly soften the banana peel, making it easier to take off.

When the (now-nasty-looking) peel had warmed up, I was easily able to remove it. I then broke up the (still-yummy-looking) banana and placed it into a mixing bowl. I used the hand blender again to get a really smooth texture.

I was thrilled with how the banana sorbet turned out! The creaminess that was created by using the hand blender gave it a gelato-like texture, and the bananas I had used were “muffin ripe,” which gave it a strong scent that was absolutely lovely.

The strawberry sorbet came out with a fun and nostalgic snow cone texture and was refreshingly light. The taste was pleasant but a little tart. I think that if I could get my hands on strawberries that were a little more in season, then the sorbet would have been sweeter thanks to the natural sugars of the fruit. I definitely enjoyed it, but next time I might add a little bit of sugar (perhaps honey?) to cut the tartness, or I could reblend the sorbet with some sweeter berries so that I don’t waste the deliciousness.

The raspberry sorbet was not only beautifully smooth but also incredibly fragrant. Because I used perfectly ripened raspberries, the end result was amazingly sweet and honestly tasted like summer.

The banana version was ridiculously easy to make, and I was blown away by how creamy and silky the sorbet was. The end result was sweet and smooth, and the overripened banana helped to enhance the taste.

I had so much fun making DIY sorbet and can’t wait to try a few other fruits. Watch out, watermelon; I’m coming for you!