My homemade no-churn Mango Sorbet is lower in sugar than store-bought, made with whole foods and so simple to make (just 5 ingredients). I love to enjoy a luscious scoop on its own or with some fresh berries, citrus zest or even a drizzle of fruity olive oil over top.
Ingredient Notes
Mango
Frozen mango chunks are best for this sorbet. Make quick work of this recipe by purchasing bags of frozen mango chunks.
Or, if you’ve got some ripe mangoes that need using, peel and dice them up, then give them a quick freeze. Simply arrange the pieces on a parchment-lined baking pan and freeze overnight or until solid. The pieces will easily pop off the parchment once solid. Transfer the frozen mango pieces to a resealable zipper-lock freezer bag and label it with the date. Viola!
Honey
Honey is an excellent substitute for refined sugar. Many homemade ice cream or sorbet recipes rely on corn syrup to create a smooth frozen dessert, but we find honey is just as effective with the additional benefit of adding flavor.
Lemon Juice
Fresh is always best! Just a splash of fresh lemon brights the sorbet and enhances the mango flavor. You can also use fresh lime juice for a more tropical twist.
Vodka
Just a couple of tablespoons of vodka are key to creating a luscious, creamy frozen treat. Because it doesn’t freeze, adding just a splash of high-proof alcohol prevents large ice crystals from forming in the sorbet. You can also use rum, tequila or gin.
How to Make Mango Sorbet
- Pulse the frozen mango in a food processor until minced, about fifteen 1-second pulses.
- Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, vodka and vanilla in a small measuring cup. (It’s important to combine these before adding to the frozen mango. Otherwise you risk the honey freezing and not evenly incorporating.)
- Add honey mixture to mango and process until completely smooth; this will take about 4 minutes.
- Transfer the mango sorbet into a chilled loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Smooth the top then fold the parchment paper overhang over top of sorbet (this will keep it from drying out).
- Freeze the mango sorbet until nearly solid but still scoopable, 4–6 hours. Alternatively, freeze until solid then, when ready to serve, remove sorbet from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes until scoopable.
Test Kitchen Tips
- It’s important to combine the honey with the lemon juice and alcohol before adding it to the frozen mango. If you add the ingredients separately the honey will immediately stiffen and won’t blend into the sorbet smoothly.
- We highly recommend chilling the empty loaf pan while you blend the sorbet up. This way, when the cold sorbet hits the pan it stays cold instead of instantly melting.
- Play around with the different flavors you add! Here we use lemon juice and vodka. For a more tropical feel consider using lime juice and rum. If you love margaritas, use orange juice, lime juice and tequila.
How to Serve
- Serve a couple of scoops of this mango sorbet with our Margarita Cookies—a dessert for citrus lovers! Add a light sprinkling of flaky sea salt for even more margarita vibes.
- Top with Orange Curd for a burst of sweet citrus flavor.
- I like to serve this Mango Sorbet recipe at the holidays and top it with Sugared Cranberries.
Variations to Try
- Mix in your favorite nuts for an added salty and crunchy texture. Fan favorites include: macadamia nuts, peanuts and almonds.
- Prefer a lighter topping? Try a dollop (or two) of Homemade Whipped Cream on top.
- One of the most common ways to elevate this frozen fruit sorbet is just by adding more fruits. I love adding fresh raspberries or strawberries and, of course, chopped fresh mango.
- Toss in some pineapple chunks then top with lime zest and coconut flakes for a tropical dessert.
- Swirl some raspberry preserves into the sorbet right before freezing to create a delicious mango and raspberry sorbet. Or, for the holidays, swirl some cranberry curd in!
FAQs
Mango is a starchy fruit with far less water content than most fruits. These two things make mango, and frozen mango chunks, ideal for blending into sorbet, smoothies and sauces. In order to keep the frozen sorbet smooth and creamy and not riddled with ice crystals, we rely on a splash of high-proof alcohol such as vodka or tequila.
Why add a splash of booze? Alcohol won’t freeze when stored in your freezer at home because it has a lower freezing point than water. Adding just a splash of high-proof alcohol prevents large ice crystals from forming in the sorbet (aka making it creamier). Here we add just 2 tablespoons of vodka but you can also use rum, tequila or gin.
If you prefer to leave it out altogether, we recommend adding a ¼ cup or so of heavy cream.
Without loading up a sorbet with corn syrup and cream, it’s pretty tough to prevent homemade sorbet from freezing solid. We recommend setting the sorbet out at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. This should give it enough time to become scoopable. You can also run your ice cream scoop under hot water before every couple of scoops. If you do want the sorbet to be a bit softer and don’t mind it being creamy in a literal sense—add a splash of cream or coconut milk to the mixture.
You absolutely can use corn syrup instead of honey. We prefer honey for it’s flavor, but corn syrup is a great option as well. You can also use a rich simple syrup instead (2:1 sugar to water).
Recommended Equipment
Easy Mango Sorbet
Description
Ingredients
- 2 (10-ounce) bags frozen mango chunks (5 cups)
- ¼ cup honey or corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons vodka, or other high-proof alcohol
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both long sides; place in freezer.
- Pulse frozen mango in bowl of a food processor until minced, about 15 (1-second) pulses.
- In a small liquid measuring cup, combine honey, lemon juice, vodka, and vanilla.
- Add honey mixture to mango and process until completely smooth; 4 minutes.
- Pour mango sorbet into chilled loaf pan, smooth top then fold parchment paper overhang over top of sorbet.
- Freeze sorbet until nearly solid but still scoopable, 4–6 hours. Alternatively, freeze until solid then, when ready to serve, remove sorbet from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes until scoopable.
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Notes
Nutrition
This recipe and article was originally published on January 9th, 2014. This article was most recently updated on January 28, 2025 with step-by-step images and additional tips and information for guaranteed success.