Cranberry Orange Sorbet
Cranberry orange sorbet: a light and refreshing dessert for fall and winter. Â Make this seasonal frozen treat this holiday! Â
Back in my pastry chef days, the caterer I worked for used to serve a scoop of sorbet to guests before the main course came out. Â It was meant to cleanse the palate, and they called it “intermezzo.” Â I thought it was just about the fanciest and most delightful thing I had ever seen.
I guess I am kind of a fancy person, or at least a lover of fancy things. Â And I still love this. Â Even if it’s not served between courses. Â Even if it’s just served alongside the turkey and gravy and stuffing.
Cranberry sauce is so necessary at the Thanksgiving table. Â Everything is just so rich and savory, and I really love the tart, fruity, slightly bitter contrast that cranberry provides.
If you live in a warmer climate, or just happen to be having an unseasonably warm fall, I think this cranberry orange sorbet would be such a great (and different!) way to get your cranberry on. Â The hint of citrus from the orange brightens everything up beautifully and adds a little more sweetness.
It would make a really nice light and refreshing dessert too!
Hold on to this simple, three ingredient cranberry orange sorbet recipe throughout the holiday season. Â It’s just as perfect for Christmas and New Years as it is for Thanksgiving.
Cranberry Orange Sorbet
Ingredients
- 6 cups (600 g) cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (372 ml) orange juice
Instructions
- Freeze the bowl of an ice cream maker overnight.
- Place the cranberries, sugar, and orange juice in a medium pot, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until most of the berries have burst.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
- Chill overnight.
- Process the cranberry mixture in the prepared ice cream maker for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until it's the consistency of soft-serve.
- Transfer the sorbet to a loaf pan, and freeze overnight, or until hard.
Lots more wintry treats on my “Seasonal Recipes: Fall & Winter” Pinterest board!
This post contains affiliate sales links.
I initially made this to recipe but knew my kids wouldn’t like how tart it was so I added about 1/3 cup of sugar (usually I reduce the sugar in recipes, ha!). I poured it into popsicle molds, but I think because of how much cranberries gel, half the sticks pulled out of the mixture because the mixture couldn’t fully freeze. Next time I think I’ll make a popsicle recipe with half cranberries (for the gelling texture that makes the popsicle smoother and less icy) and half something else for a firmer texture. I was impressed with the recipe overall and would love to try it as a sorbet sometime – I forgot how cranberries gel and how that would make for such a smooth, soft texture.
Yes- cranberries have a ton of pectin in them so they’re perfect for these kinds of recipes. Sorry your popsicles didn’t all come out! But that sounds like a great idea. Good luck and thanks for reading Amy!
This sorbet is gorgeous! Love the color of it. I recently posted a recipe for a Mulled Cranberry-Orange soda with some of the same flavors you chose! Great minds think alike huh? I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Take care!
I hope you did too! Thank you so much- cranberry and orange make such a perfect pairing, especially at this time of year!
Love these flavors together. I’ve made a cranberry-vanilla sorbet for Thanksgiving and other occasions, serving it both as a palate cleanser between courses and as a lighter dessert option. Thanks for another option.
My pleasure Marlene! I’m so happy to know that you’ve tried it (or something very similar) and enjoyed!
Your food always looks sooo good!! You are so awesome!??
Thank you so much Kirsten! Hope you’re having a great week!