I find straight-up lemon sorbet to be overpowering, and I am a self-proclaimed lemon lover. I prefer to mellow out the sharp acidity of fresh lemons with some dairy, and in this case, my sorbet gets its creaminess from thick, Greek-style yogurt. The brand known as Total Greek yogurt is sweeping the nation and is perfect for this recipe—it is made with cow’s milk and is super-creamy and mild. Sheep’s or goat’s yogurt will work fine too but can be sharply tangy. Ultimately, this sorbetto can have whatever level of sour or sweet you like—feel free to experiment.

I like to leave little pieces of lemon zest in the sorbet, but you can strain the mixture to remove the zest if you prefer. Limoncello, the sweet lemon liqueur from Italy, contributes floral notes from the oils in the lemon skin and a bit of extra sweetness; it can be omitted without a problem, but you may wish to add a tablespoon or so of simple syrup to compensate.

  • Yield: About 3 cups

Ingredients (6)

  • 2 medium lemons
  • 1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt, such as Total, classic or 2%
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup Rich Simple Syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)

Instructions

  1. Grate the zest of one of the lemons. Squeeze the juice of both lemons into a small bowl and strain it to remove any seeds or pulp. You should have 1/2 cup lemon juice.
  2. Place the juice and grated zest in a blender. Add the yogurt and sugar and blend on medium speed to liquefy the yogurt, about 20 seconds. Add the rich simple syrup, water, and, if desired, limoncello and blend to combine thoroughly.
  3. Freeze the sorbet immediately in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.