Grapefruit Basil Sorbet
Celebrating the new year with a treat you can feel good about eating, Grapefruit Basil Sorbet.
Happy 2016! I hope I find you fully recovered from your New Year’s Eve party, and another year healthier, wealthier, and wiser.
I’m refreshed and ready to dive into a new year of fabulous dishes, accompanied by butt-busting workouts!
For me, comforting holiday dishes generally equal extra curves. So I’ve vowed to clean up my act, with health conscious meals over the next fews weeks… And pick up my workouts where I left off in early December.
The only problem is, I need dessert. Like air.
I’m not going to tell you that I will completely eliminate sweets. It’s just not possible.
Solution? Lighter, leaner treats. I’ll just think of it as a personal challenge this month.
My sweet hubby got me a new ice cream machine for Christmas. Our old machine bit the dust last spring and I managed to make it through the summer and fall without one.
We decided to give it a spin, starting with a light lemon sorbet. Only, there were just 2 lemons in the fridge. Not nearly enough for sorbet.
Instead we used freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, and HOLY HEAVEN, was it good! Dare I say better than plain lemon sorbet?
This delightfully addictive grapefruit basil sorbet offers a slightly bitter and tart bite, balanced by fresh sweet basil leaves.
It makes your tongue dance a little jig! In fact, Grapefruit Basil Sorbet is so lovely, I would consider giving up chocolate for it. (Please don’t hold me to that.)
Did you know grapefruit helps shrink your stomach, so you feel full?!
Grapefruit Basil Sorbet is fat free, dairy free, gluten free, vegan, utterly delicious, and tricks you into feeling full. You can even make a paleo version by using coconut palm sugar.
You can enjoy it all month when you need a little sweet bite to get you through your day of salads. I’d say that’s a win on all levels.
Take that, January diet.
Grapefruit Basil Sorbet
Ingredients
- 4 large ruby red grapefruits, juiced
- 2 cups water
- 1 3/4 cups organic cane sugar or palm sugar
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1 cup basil leaves, packed
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, add the lemon zest, basil leaves and salt. Stir, remove from heat, and cover. Steep the basil leaves in the simple syrup for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the lemon juice to a 4-cup measuring pitcher. Juice the grapefruits into the pitcher until you’ve measured 3 cups of combined juices.
- Strain the simple syrup and discard the basil leaves. Then mix the syrup with the juice. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or to speed up, put in the freezer for 1 hour.)
- Pour the sorbet mixture into an electric ice cream maker. Turn on and mix for 20+ minutes, until the mixture reaches a “soft serve” consistency.
- Eat the sorbet immediately, or put in an airtight container and freeze. After frozen, allow the sorbet to sit out for 10-15 minutes to soften before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
Looking for more healthy treats? Try these!
Paleo Nut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle
Very sweet, I would probably cut down the sugar by 1/2; however otherwise this recipe was delicious!
It looked so good, couldnt wait to make it. Finally got to it last night, enjoyed fruits of my labor today. This recipe did not disappoint. Exceeded all expectations. I have a serious sweet tooth and thought I would need that extra 1/4 cup of sugar. No need to do that if you have good grapefruit. I’m learning that the unconventional mixes of various spices in a fruit or a dessert dish is pleasantly surprising. The basil and grapefruit mix was very tantalizing to my taste buds! Thanks for this recipe.
Mouth is watering. This looks so wonderfully refreshing
Such a sweet & delicate sorbet. Would be nice at a Sunday ladies tea party….the basil infusion is so nice!
Isaac,
Every paragraph needs a little excitement!!!!! ;)
For 2012 may I suggest an exclamation point diet?
Ok I'm one of those people who love icecreams in winter. so sorbet hit the right spot! I just can't wait to buy an icecream maker!
What a perky little dessert for those of us who have vowed (at least for a few weeks) to eat healthier.
That's such a wonderful gift..I have always wanted to have an ice cream machine ;-)And a beautiful sorbet, guilt free too :-)Happy New year !
this sounds so refreshing right now.. i love how pretty it looks as well. thank you for sharing this and have a great day.
Very appealing sorbet; I could feel it on my tongue and love the tanginess of it; the addition of basil is original and worth trying; lovely photos too.
I need dessert too :P Don't know about wealthier, but I definitely hope wiser and healthier. I've started on an exercise program to chase away last year's "blahs" and this gorgeously pink delight will fit in really nicely – great excuse to use my ice cream maker too ;) Thanks!!!
Wow, what a lovely sorbet…I love the idea of basil and grapefruit…can only imagine the taste of it. The color is so nice and pretty :-) Happy New Year!
Now, that's refreshing. And delicious. The best way to start a New year!
What a refreshing and pretty treat! I am loving the basil you added!
Yum. You can't simulate that grapefruit color. Thanks.
I like unique sorbet and ice cream flavors. This one is definitely one of them.
Cheers,
Nisrine
Sounds very refreshing. I love grapefruit.
Cheers to hefty workouts. I am right there with you.
This seems so refreshing! And like you, I too, NEED dessert! :D
This looks so fresh, light and tasty! Definitely welcome after all the holiday indulgences!
Basil is such a wonderful flavor. I often add it to my chocolate cakes…love it. Congrats on making Foodbuzz Top 9…well deserved!!
Winner winner chicken dinner! Best dessert of the new year already!
oooh, grapefruit and basil sounds like a winning combo! Well done :)
I love grapefruit! I just never thought to put them in sorbet… genius!
Gorgeous and guilt free! Thank you!
This combination sounds so unexpected and yet, so tasty! Even though it's freezing cold here (and I know it doesn't even begin to compare to your winter), I still really really want this. Oh, and an ice cream maker of course! Happy new year, friend :)
I love grapefruit everything – even perfume!!! What season is it where you live? I have to ask, because it is definitely too cold for this now, but it is definitely on THE LIST!
I have an ice cream maker (or two) and am excited about this!
:)
valerie
I know this rocks, I made a similar versions, but aren't grapefruits awesome at this time of the year, we are buying them by the bagloads, oh butt busting workouts..I need to really vamp up my workouts..loved your last post, just commented and loved your reasons ,take care
sweetlife
Wow, what a delightful dessert – light and guilt free! A unique combination of grapefruit and basil, excellent!
what a perfect dessert to compensate for all the extra cookies we had over the holidays! Grapefruit is truly an underused fruit, and when its good its really good! I hope to see many new frozen creations from you this year!
Cheers
Dennis
This is a good one ! Have a Great 2011 Sommer !
beautiful dessert happy new year
Wow, what a gorgeous recipe…these flavors would be so splendid :) Speaking of…you got an ice cream makes, so cool! (pardon the pun)
Ehehehe….butt busting workouts. ;) Love the flavors you picked for your sorbet. So tasty.
I saw this on your Facebook and thought the flavors sounded like such an amazing combination. So good!
Ooo this looks amazing. I wonder how it would turn out with honey instead of sugar? Yum!
Ha! You need dessert just like air. ;-) I love that.
This looks so good!
I wish your 2011 filled with love, good health and happiness!
Angie
This is so flippin' pretty! Yum. Like you, I NEED dessert. Which is why I make so many low carb things, so I can still indulge without sending myself into a diabetic coma ;)
Oh my, I love sorbet and this recipe sounds really gooood. Never thought of making it with grapefruits, but now I will! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds good to me! We purchased an ice cream maker in the fall but haven't used it much. This would be a good recipe to try. Happy New Year, Sommer!
I can only imagine how flavorful and refreshing this must taste. We adore grapefruits, and I know that this sorbet would be just perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe with me. I hope you have a lovely start to your week!
I have to be another one to say that I love desserts just as much as you and I could never eliminate them from my meals! This sorbet looks delicious.. I love grapefruit.. I'm so glad I got Mountain Man an ice cream maker for Christmas last year :)
Dessert is like air for me too!;) What a wonderful gift. I got a machine this fall for my bday and have loved experimenting with new flavors. I love this combo!
Ooh, healthy, refreshing yumminess! Your sorbet sounds so good and seasonally appropriate too:) Grapefruits are so nice here in Florida right now…
Yum! I don't typically like plain grapefruits because they're too tart for me, but I bet this has just the right amount of sweetness to be fantastic.
I'm intrigued! The idea of grapefruit anything after weeks of holiday cocktails and sugar sounds like it could strip my palate back to some semblance of normalcy (and so refreshingly so). I've seen recipes for more exotic frozen recipes like this but have not dipped my toe in that water yet. You've given me motivation!
This will be the palate cleanser at our next dinnner party. Beautiful sorbet!
You're going to love that ice cream maker. I use mine quite a bit and it's so much better than bought. Happy New Year.
If this is any indication, I cannot wait to see what else you make with your new ice cream maker. This sounds fantabulous!!
Ooh, I like this lighter dessert…what a marvelous flavor combination!
A great gift!!!
This sorbet looks wonderful, it's what i need right now!!!
I bet this tastes INCREDIBLE! Extra points for hubby since he got you a new ice cream maker for Christmas, well done. :) I think I can use this recipe to get my new years resolutions started too!
Um….I need to make this. Basil is like most people's ranch. I put it in, and on, just about everything. This is the perfect lite treat to start out the New Year. Thanks!!
I also need to reduce desserts but could not completely give up on them…also because otherwise I should stop blogging. I like the idea of sorbets. I'll have to put the ice cream maker in my wish list. Happy new year!
Oh that looks wonderful. Such a great combination of zest and zing. Perfect healthier dessert to get the new year off right. Yay for hubs buying the ice cream maker!
oh la la love this love grapefruit fab recipe could I add it to a FL citrus blog and link to you?
rebecca
rebeccasubbiah at yahoo dot com
This sounds divine Sommer! I am big time craving citrus, grapefruit sorbet is right up my alley!
ok – this sounds SOOOOO good to me RIGHT NOW! i love sorbet and i love you! :)
I'm so with you – I need need dessert like air too! I don't know about giving up chocolate for sorbet however :-) I am a little overloaded on rich desserts at the moment, so something light and refreshing like this sounds really appealing right about now.
What a fantastic gift!!! Great delicate flavors…I need dessert, too!