5-Minute Pineapple Sorbet Recipe

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

When the mercury rises, sometimes only an icy cold treat will do the trick. Sorbet stands out as a sweet, fruit-forward option that's creamy and satisfying but much lighter than ice cream. While there's no shortage of fruits to choose from, if you haven't considered pineapple, this tropical option will delight you with its creamy sweetness when blended into a sorbet.

I wanted to create a quick recipe that doesn't require an ice cream maker, so you can whip up a batch right before you want to enjoy it. This recipe takes just five minutes and requires only 3 ingredients: frozen pineapple chunks, raw honey, and lime juice. (Pineapple is one of the more sugary fruits, so you might even find you can omit the honey.) At the first taste, I was delighted with the fresh, juicy all-natural fruit flavor that comes from making sorbet from scratch. This is the perfect recipe to try for a sweet, cold, and refreshing summer dessert. With three ingredients and five minutes, what could be easier?

Five-minute sorbet will naturally be softer (but still scoopable), and I love this consistency, but you'll want to work fast to give it less chance to melt. If you prefer a firmer consistency, pop it in the freezer for anywhere from an hour or two to overnight. 

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

Michelle Bottalico/Mashed

My first choice for this recipe is pre-frozen store-bought pineapple chunks just to keep the recipe prep time down to five minutes. You certainly do not need to go this route if you don't want to, as a fresh pineapple would work very well and elevate the flavor. Make sure you choose a ripe piece of pineapple (here's how experts choose the sweetest pineapple in the store). Peel it, slice it into rounds, and then cut the rounds into ½-inch pieces. Lay them in a single layer on a dish or baking sheet and place it in the freezer. You can line the sheet with parchment paper if you want to minimize sticking. After they're frozen (it will take 2-3 hours), go ahead and use them in the recipe. If you're freezing the fruit ahead, transfer it to a freezer bag or airtight container to use later. Just don't place the fresh fruit directly in the bag or container, or it will freeze into a solid clump.

Canned and drained pineapple chunks are another good option. Be sure to choose a variety canned only in juice if you want to keep this dish sugar-free, and you can just drain them, chop them if necessary, and freeze them as directed above. If the fruit is packed in syrup, the product will be sweeter so you may not need all of the honey the recipe calls for.

You can always add more and different fruit to a sorbet for a little complexity of flavor, texture, and color. Fruits that go with pineapple include mango, kiwi, peach, pomegranate, and berries such as strawberries and raspberries. If you have any of these on hand, you can freeze them and toss them right into the blender with the pineapple.

If your diet includes it, you can add a little alcohol for extra flavor and a boozy kick. This is also an advantage if you won't finish all the sorbet after you make it or if you want to make it ahead; you'll need to freeze it, and it will get quite hard in the freezer over time. A dash of alcohol will keep it from turning rock-solid, so you won't need to let it sit before it's soft and scoopable. Spiced rum or flavored liqueurs like triple sec, limoncello, and of course, pineapple cream would get the job done nicely.

If you add a little milk or cream, you can turn the recipe into sherbet. Even whipped cream would work to add some pleasant creaminess. The difference between sherbet and sorbet is that the former contains dairy, although not as much as ice cream. You can even modify the recipe to create a copycat Dole whip. Just blend in a large scoop of vanilla ice cream (vegans can sub canned coconut cream and leave out the honey). If you want the authentic swirly visual, freeze the mixture for 40 minutes, transfer it to a piping bag with a large star tip, and pipe it like soft serve ice cream in a swirly pattern into a cup.