Mango Sorbet without an Ice Cream Maker

This mango sorbet is an easy and delicious way to stay cool over the summer. With only 3 ingredients, anyone can make this homemade mango sorbet without ice cream maker.

All summer long I have been reading these wonderful blog posts showing these gorgeous recipes for homemade ice cream and sorbets. I do not own an ice maker. I will also publicly admit that I am not a big fan of ice cream… unless it has chunks of brownies in it.

When it comes to frozen treats, I prefer sorbets. There’s something refreshing about the taste of fresh fruits in their prime, whether fresh or frozen.

Why this recipe is so easy and awesome

In its simplest form, sorbet is made from water and fruit puree or juice. You can also add sugar to it, depending on how sweet you like it. It contains no milk, cream or eggs.

It is one of the oldest and simplest forms of frozen desserts. It is often used at fine restaurants as a palate cleanser.

Sherbet is a unique cross between ice cream and sorbet. It, too, is made with fruit and water, but it also contains dairy, typically milk or buttermilk giving it a more creamy texture than sorbet.

Because of the addition of milk, sherbets tend to have pastel colors while sorbets are darker and richer in color. Sherbet is always fruit based and contains less than 2% fat.

If you love fresh fruit, you will love sorbet. And homemade sorbet is a wonderful way to use up a harvest of any fruit you have on hand.

My kids absolutely adore mangos. What’s not to love? They are juicy, sweet and so full of flavor. And they are so much fun to eat. I cut them into halves to remove the long flat seed. Score the meat and turn them inside out.

I serve these mango blossoms to my kids so they can just bite the mango pieces off directly off the skin. This is by far, my kids’ favorite way to eat a mango!

Most sorbet recipes have you make a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) before mixing everything in a blender. I like to simplify things, so I decided to mix everything together in the blender, skipping the extra step.

Whenever you make anything from scratch, you have total control over the ingredients in your sorbet. My family loved this homemade mango sorbet. I did not add as much sugar in the recipe because the mangos were plenty sweet. Plus, my kids love all things lemon/lime so they liked it tangy.

Sorbet can have less sugar than ice cream. And less sugar is definitely a healthier way of living. Sorbet also has no dairy in it and zero fat.

Ingredients you need

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!  Read my full disclosure policy

• Mango: You want fresh ripe mangoes. You can use any variety of mangoes to make sorbet. You can also use frozen mangos to make it even easier!
• Granulated sugar: I used regular sugar to sweeten this sorbet. You can also use honey or maple syrup. If you do use a liquid sweetener, you will not need any water.
• Limes: You will use the zest and juice from limes. The juice adds some tartness to balance the super sweet mangoes. And the zest is so fragrant!

Step-by-step directions

1. Hold a mango with one hand, standing it on its end, stem side down. The mango has a flat oval pit inside. Using a sharp knife in your other hand, cut from the top of the mango, down one side of the pit. You will feel the knife slide along the pit, guiding you down. Turn the mango around and repeat with the other side.

2. Take one mango half and use your knife to score the flesh of the mango both lengthwise and crosswise, making a checkerboard pattern of cuts into it. Do not to cut through the peel. Use a spoon to scoop out the mango segments from the peel. Or turn the mango half inside out so the mango segments pop out. Then use a knife to cut segments off the peel. Repeat with other mango half.

For the mango piece with the pit, lay it flat on the cutting board. Cut out the flesh from the pit, then remove the peel.

3. Add mango pieces to a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth.

4. If you are using an ice cream maker, pour mango mixture into the machine’s bowl and follow manufacturer’s directions until done.

If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour into a freezer-safe bowl and cover. Every 30 minutes for 4 hours, stir sorbet very well with a whisk or a hand blender.

Let sorbet freeze for 8 hours or until hard.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

You can reduce the amount of sugar based on the sweetness of your mango. I added a bit more lime juice to our mix because we like the zing lime adds. This is an easy recipe to adjust to your personal taste.

Now, as I said, I do not own an ice cream maker. So after you blend your mango mix until smooth, you pour everything into a freezer-safe bowl. A chilled metal bowl is preferred, although I used a plastic one. Pour your mango purée into the bowl, cover and put in the freezer.

Here’s the tricky part. Every 30-45 minutes for 4 hours, remove your mango purée and re-mix everything together. This keeps the ice crystals from forming and saving your sorbet from turning into a giant mango ice cube. You can mix everything by hand or use a hand blender.

After 4 hours of freezing and re-mixing, let the sorbet freeze for 8 hours or until hard. This yields a little more than a quart of mango sorbet. Remember to keep it in a covered container while it is in the freezer.

Another trick to no-churn mango sorbet is to freeze the mango chunks first. Then add everything into a food processor and run it until smooth!

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!