I know what you’re thinking – cucumber sorbet? Trust me on this one. The flavor is clean, cool, and just tart enough from the lime that it doesn’t taste like a vegetable at all. It tastes like summer.
This recipe came out of my garden, the way a lot of my best recipes do. Every summer I end up with cucumbers that got away from me – too big to eat fresh, too many to give away, and not quite right for pickling. This sorbet is what I do with them. It uses just three ingredients, comes together in about ten minutes of hands-on time, and you can make it with or without an ice cream maker.
I’ve made it with slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, and the giant overgrown ones you find hiding under leaves at the end of the season. They all work. Just peel them, deseed them, and blend.
If you’ve frozen cucumbers during the height of cucumber season, you can even use those to make sorbet. Just don’t thaw them before blending.
Sorbet is often used as a palate cleanser but we use it most often as a dessert or afternoon treat!
What Makes This Sorbet So Good
- Three ingredients you likely already have on hand – cucumbers, lime juice, and sugar – and it’s done in under ten minutes of active time.
- Overgrown garden cucumbers that are too big for fresh eating or pickling are perfect here, which makes this one of the most useful end-of-summer recipes I make.
- The flavor is cooling and refreshing without being sweet – more like a palate cleanser than a heavy dessert, which is exactly what you want on a hot afternoon.
- The no-churn method works if you don’t have an ice cream maker – just plan ahead and set aside a few hours for the freeze-and-stir process.
Just 3 ingredients
To make this sorbet you’ll just need cucumbers, lime juice, and sugar.
Cucumbers: You can make this sorbet with pretty much any cucumbers – slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, or those long really long cucumbers. My favorite is to use the overgrown cucumbers that seem to end up in my garden. Make sure you peel the cucumbers and remove the seeds. If the cucumbers have very immature seeds, you can leave them in, but definitely remove the large seeds.
Lime: We like freshly squeezed lime juice for this recipe but bottled lime juice would be nice too. If you prefer lemon, you can substitute the lime juice with lemon juice.
Sugar: The sugar helps the sorbet freeze correctly. The amount of sugar will determine how large the ice crystals form. It can be all very technical, but just know that if you reduce or increase the sugar the results might change. We think the amount of sugar listed is enough to make a creamy sorbet that is not overly sweet.
How to Freeze Sorbet
We use an electric ice cream maker to freeze the sorbet. I usually make it during the day and then put it a pyrex storage container and freeze it. If you don’t like the idea of using ice and salt, an automatic ice cream maker will work too.
I know some people make sorbet by putting the puree in a freezer safe container and put it in the freezer. Then they stir it every so often (maybe every 30 minutes or hour) to keep it from freezing in a solid block. I’ve tried this before but have a hard time remembering to actually stir the puree. But if you are more responsible than me, you might want to give it a try. If it doesn’t really work, the frozen puree can always be blended in a blender before serving.
Making Cucumber Lime Sorbet Without an Ice Cream Maker
You don’t need an ice cream maker for this recipe – it just takes a little more patience. Here’s the process:
- Blend the cucumbers, lime juice, and sugar until completely smooth.
- Pour the puree into a shallow freezer-safe container – a 9×13 baking dish works well because the larger surface area speeds up freezing.
- Freeze for 2 hours, then pull it out and use a fork to scrape and stir the frozen edges into the slushy center.
- Return to the freezer for another hour, then stir again. Repeat until the sorbet is fully frozen – usually 4–6 hours total.
- If the final texture is icier than you’d like, scrape the frozen sorbet into a blender and blend until smooth, then refreeze for 30 minutes before serving.
The key to a creamy no-churn sorbet is the sugar ratio – don’t reduce it, as sugar is what controls crystal size and keeps the texture smooth rather than icy.
Ways to serve cucumber lime sorbet
The simplest way is in a bowl with a spoon, garnished with a thin cucumber slice, a lime wedge, or a small sprig of fresh mint. But here are a few other ways we use it:
With chamoy: A reader suggested this and I think it sounds wonderful — cucumber and lime are classic chamoy flavors and the sweet-tart-spicy combination would be perfect in summer.
In sparkling water: A scoop of this sorbet in a glass of sparkling water makes a light, lightly sweetened drink that’s a great alternative to soda on a hot day. The sorbet melts slowly and flavors the water as it does.
As popsicles: Pour the puree directly into popsicle molds before freezing — skip the ice cream maker entirely and you have cucumber lime popsicles. Your kids will love them and they’re so much better than anything store-bought.
As a palate cleanser: If you’re serving a multi-course dinner, a small scoop between courses is genuinely impressive and very easy to pull off since you made it the day before.
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Cucumber Lime Sorbet Recipe
This cucumber lime sorbet recipe combines the refreshing flavor of cucumbers with the tang of lime to create a sorbet that is very cooling and tasty. Plus it's a really great way to use up any overgrown cucumbers lingering in your garden.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds* cucumber chunks - peeled and deseeded
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
Instructions
- Wash, peel and deseed the cucumbers. Cut cucumbers into chunks
- Put the cucumber chunks into a blender along with the lime juice and sugar
- Blend until smooth
- Transfer the puree to the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Once the sorbet is frozen, transfer to a freezer safe container and store in the freezer.
If you want to make sorbet without an ice cream maker, put the puree into a freezer safe container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and using a fork, break up the frozen parts and stir them into the puree. Freeze for another hour and then stir again. Continue freezing and stirring until the sorbet is completely frozen. It should take 4-6 hours.
Notes
*This weight is after the cucumbers have been peeled and deseeded
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Variations worth trying
The base recipe is very flexible. A few variations that work well:
- Cucumber lime mint: Add a small handful of fresh mint leaves to the blender with the other ingredients. Blend until smooth – the mint won’t be visible but the flavor comes through beautifully.
- Cucumber lemon: Swap the lime juice for fresh lemon juice for a slightly softer, less tart version. This is the one to make if you have a Meyer lemon tree.
- Cucumber lime ginger: Add a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger to the blender. The heat from the ginger plays really well against the coolness of the cucumber.
- Cucumber lime with honey: Substitute honey for the sugar in equal measure. The flavor is slightly floral and more complex – use a mild honey so it doesn’t overpower the cucumber.
- Reduced sugar version: While I’ve never used it, I’ve read that monk fruit can be used in sorbet recipes. The texture may be slightly icier since sugar controls crystal formation, but the flavor holds up well.
- Watermelon: If you have a watermelon that isn’t very flavorful, making watermelon sorbet is a great thing to do with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! See the no-churn method in the post above. The process takes 4–6 hours of freeze-and-stir cycles but the result is very close to the ice cream maker version. A shallow, wide container speeds up the process. If the texture ends up icier than you’d like, blend it smooth and refreeze for 30 minutes before serving.
Any variety works — slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, English cucumbers, or the giant overgrown ones from the garden. Peel and deseed all of them regardless of variety. Very large overgrown cucumbers are actually ideal since they’re too big for most other uses and blend up perfectly smooth.
The sugar does more than sweeten — it controls ice crystal size and keeps the sorbet from freezing into a solid block. Reducing it will result in a icier, harder texture. If you want less sweetness, monk fruit sweetener works as a 1:1 substitute. Don’t reduce the amount significantly if you want a creamy texture.
Up to 2 months in an airtight container. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sorbet before putting the lid on — this prevents ice crystals from forming on the surface. If the sorbet gets very hard after long storage, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping.
Yes – bottled lime juice works and is convenient. Fresh lime juice gives a slightly brighter, more aromatic flavor, but the difference is subtle in a frozen dessert where the cold mutes some of the nuance.
Yes – lemon and cucumber is a classic pairing and works beautifully. Meyer lemon juice is particularly good here if you have access to it. Use the same amount as the lime juice in the recipe.
Absolutely – pour the blended puree directly into popsicle molds and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours. You don’t need to run it through the ice cream maker first. The texture will be icier than churned sorbet, but it works perfectly for popsicles.
Angi Schneider is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables and Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond, both published by Page Street Publishing. She has taught canning classes for 177 Milk Street, been featured in Serious Eats, and written for Countryside Magazine. Angi has been sharing gardening, preserving, and simple living skills since 2010.
Very refreshing flavor, will make again.
So glad you liked it!
You did it again! Another great AHA from reading your post. Sorbet into popsicle forms! We have a young grandson now so popsicles are re-entering our universe. I’ve been making fresh fruit sorbet for dinner guests and its been wonderful. No ice cream maker and no stirring. As you say if the amount of sugar is right (we use honey), you’ll get the right consistency. I whizzed fresh peaches, a little water, and a little honey. Put is in a freezer safe container the day before dinner guests. Pulled it out of the freezer at the beginning of dinner…it was pretty solid. Left it on the counter and by the time we were ready for dessert, it was the perfect scooping and eating consistency!
The peach sorbet sounds great! We have some fresh peaches right now, I think I’ll try it.
I want to get some of those silicone “flavor ice” molds (or bags, not sure what to call them) to try the mixture in.