Dark Chocolate Sorbet (vegan)
This ultra dark chocolate sorbet is basically a chocolate bar converted to a frozen dessert. It’s also vegan and extremely easy to make. Yay!
Dark chocolate ice cream vs dark chocolate sorbet
I made dark chocolate vegan ice cream not too long ago. How is this dark chocolate sorbet different? Although both recipes have a dark chocolate flavor, the ice cream is richer and creamier, while the sorbet is lighter and a bit icier, with more pure chocolate flavor. If the ice cream is like frozen chocolate milk, the sorbet is like eating a very cold piece of dark chocolate that instantly melts in your mouth. Nutritionally, both recipes are vegan. However, the ice cream has extra protein from tofu, a significant amount of fat from coconut milk, and less sugar. The sorbet has very little protein, much less fat, and more sugar. Feel free to add protein powder to the sorbet if you’d like. Up to a half cup of unflavored, unsweetened protein powder should work fine.
How dark is dark?
I’d compare this dark chocolate sorbet to eating a piece of 70% dark chocolate. If you prefer your chocolate less dark, you can easily customize the recipe to your preference. Instead of using 4 oz of unsweetened 100% baker’s chocolate, just use a lower chocolate percentage, and the overall flavor will be less intense. Also check the recipe notes below for flavor variations and suggested toppings, including chocolate-cherry and a homemade white chocolate Magic Shell.
Sorbet or sherbet?
Is it sorbet or sherbet? Technically, sorbets are just fruit, sugar, and water. Sherbets contain a small amount of dairy and fat, but much less than traditional ice cream. This dark chocolate sorbet may be somewhere in between: it’s dairy free like a sorbet, but it contains some fat like a sherbet. Call it what you like, you will want to eat it!
Dark Chocolate Sorbet (vegan)
This sorbet has a very dark chocolate flavor. If you prefer a sweeter or less intense option, feel free to swap the 100% unsweetened chocolate for a lower percentage, such as 60% or 70%. You could also increase the sugar to 1 cup.
Makes ~1 quart
Ingredients
Instructions
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HEAT THE BASE TO MELT THE CHOCOLATE
In a large sauce pan on the stove over medium-low heat, combine all ingredients except vanilla. Gently heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate melts. Be careful that the chocolate doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. When the chocolate has melted and everything is combined, turn off the heat. Don’t worry if you can still see some individual specs of chocolate at this point - that's normal. They'll be blended in later.
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ADD VANILLA AND BLEND
Off the heat, add the vanilla. Blend in the sauce pan with an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender and blend thoroughly, scraping down the sides with a spatula. This might take a couple of minutes!
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CHILL
Transfer to a container and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
For a quicker chilling time, place the bowl containing your mixture in an ice bath (a larger bowl containing ice water) for a few hours. Stir the mixture occasionally. As the water in the ice bath warms up, pour off some water and add ice to keep the mixture chilling as quickly as possible.
Ideally, the mixture will be about 40 degrees when you churn it.
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CHURN
Before you start churning, set up everything you'll need to quickly transfer the ice cream from the machine into a container for freezing. I use a knife to scrape down the dasher (or paddle) and a wooden spoon to scoop out the ice cream. When you are ready to churn, ideally your base will be about 40 degrees.
Set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Pour your mixture into the ice cream maker and churn. Mine was ready in 17 minutes, but your experience may vary.
It's finished churning when it looks like soft-serve and is pulling away from the sides of the container.
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STORE
When the ice cream has finished churning, scoop it as quickly as possible into your storage container. Cover it with plastic wrap or parchment paper, if using. (Placing a sheet of parchment paper between the container and lid will help prevent frost, or you can press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream.) Put the container in the freezer. The ice cream will be fully firm in a few hours.
Note
Optional additions and flavor variations:
- 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol -- Alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture and makes the sorbet more scoopable straight out of the freezer. Brandy, rum, Kahlua, or Irish cream are great choices.
- For a chocolate-cherry flavor, use 1/2 - 3/4 cup of dried cherries as a mix-in. Just add them in the last minute of churning. Adding 2 tablespoons of Port wine would be a great addition to the base.
- For a Thin Mint flavor, add 1 teaspoon of mint extract.
- For a chocolate-almond flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
Suggested toppings:
- Flaky sea salt
- Caramel sauce
- Whipped cream -- Available in vegan forms.
- White chocolate sauce -- Make your own white chocolate Magic Shell by melting white chocolate with your choice of oil (I like canola or coconut, 1 teaspoon of oil per 1 oz of chocolate) and drizzling it over the top. This is a great option if you want to tone down the intensity of the dark chocolate.