Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

An easy refreshing summer dessert. Vegan & gluten free.

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

This is the dessert I’m going to make all summer. With just 5 ingredients, it’s so easy! The best part is that (if you have a decent blender) no ice cream maker is required here. Just blend and freeze. It’s tart, sweet, and so so lovely with the little unexpected hint of mint.

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

Jack and I both love Montmorency tart cherries for many reasons (see all of these recipes that use them). They have some wonderful superfood qualities, they’re known to help soreness after a workout, and they’re a natural source of melatonin which helps regulate sleep. We love them most of all, of course, because they taste good!

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

This recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Even thought it’s very fruity and refreshing, it’s still a pretty decadent dessert. I love just a little scoop as a treat in the afternoon – or better yet, serve it along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert – the combination is heavenly.

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

You can serve this straight from the blender where it will be more like the texture of soft serve ice cream. I suggest letting it firm up in the freezer for 2-3 hours or overnight. If you freeze it overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving and it will scoop nicely.

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

4.8 from 4 reviews

Tart Cherry & Mint Sorbet

 
Author:
Recipe type: dessert
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 cups frozen Montmorency tart cherries
  • ½ cup maple syrup* (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ¼ cup mint leaves
  • ¼ cup coconut milk
  • ¼ cup water
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Place the tart cherries, maple syrup, lemon juice, mint, coconut milk, water and salt in a high speed blender. Blend on low and gradually work up to high speed. Blend until the fruit is very smooth and thick, like the texture of soft-serve. (Don't overmix or your sorbet will start melting from the heat of the blender). If your cherries are too hard to blend, let them thaw for just a few minutes until your blender blade will move.
  2. Serve as soft-serve immediately or pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm, about 2-3 hours or overnight. If the sorbet firms up overnight, let it sit at room temp for 15 minutes until it's scoop-able.
Notes
*I suggest not reducing the syrup, it's necessary for a non-icy scoop-able texture once it's frozen overnight. If you DO reduce the syrup, it's best to serve this as soft-serve right from the blender, or better yet, use this flavor combination to make a smoothie bowl.

A high speed blender, like a Vitamix, will work best for this recipe.

I find tart cherries (sometimes called sour cherries) at Wheatsville Coop in Austin, and occasionally at Whole Foods.

cherries

 

33 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Stefan Taylor
    06.07.2022

    So I use coconut milk from a can, like a Thai milk, or coconut milk from a carton?? Just want to make sure I use the correct one. 🙏

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.11.2022

      Hi Stefan, coconut milk from a can like Thai coconut milk.

  2. Mishka Berry
    02.02.2022

    Awesome recipe!! I am still gonna try it out once i get the right ingredients. Thank you for making my lunch so good!!

  3. Velida
    06.13.2020

    Can I substitute maple syrup with honey? Thanks

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.12.2020

      You can – you might need less honey since it’s sweeter than maple syrup.

  4. Klaus
    06.03.2020

    Do you know if the jarred tart cherries would work for this (provided they were frozen beforehand as per the recipe)? I’ve only ever seen jarred sour cherries in my area.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.03.2020

      Hi Klaus, I think it’ll work great if you drain whatever liquid they’re in first. To freeze, lay them on a baking sheet on parchment in the freezer (so that they don’t freeze in a big clump). Once frozen, use them in the recipe. I’d also check to make sure there’s not sugar in the water or brine. If there is, I might lessen the maple syrup in this recipe. Hope that helps!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.