Cactus pears or prickly pears come in a number of varieties and colors. I used the sweet, deep red variety I see most commonly in grocery stores near me. It's dense, watermelon-like texture and raspberry-watermelon flavor make it an excellent choice for sorbet. If you find yellow, orange or green cactus pears, I'm sure they'll be equally delicious in this recipe.
Cactus Pear Sorbet
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups, 6 servings 1x
Description
Cactus pears have a dense, watermelon-like texture and raspberry-watermelon flavor, which makes them an excellent choice for sorbet.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ lb cactus pears (about 7-9 pears), peeled and chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Make sugar syrup: Combine sugar, water and salt in a small saucepan. Warm mixture over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
- Blend pears: Meanwhile, place cactus pears in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add simple syrup and lemon juice to pears and blend until combined. Pour mixture into a bowl through a sieve.
- Freeze & serve: Chill about 4 hours or up to overnight. Freeze using ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Let set completely in freezer. Enjoy.
Notes
- Total time does not reflect time needed to chill and churn sorbet.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Blend, Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 144
- Sugar: 19g
- Sodium: 33mg
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Protein: 0g
Abby Cannon says
Could I use maple syrup coconut sugar or agave instead of granulated sugar?
Sabrina Russo says
Hi Abby. All of those substitutions would have an effect on the flavor and texture of the sorbet. You probably could reduce the amount of water slightly if using maple syrup or agave. I think coconut sugar might give you the best result as long as it is fully dissolved in the water. Let me know if you experiment with this!
Tracey L Mitchell says
Can I make this without an ice cream machine
Sabrina Russo says
Hi Tracey. Yes, you could. One method without a machine involves stirring the sorbet once every 15-20 minutes or so as it freezes to encourage a smoother texture. Let me know if you ever try it out!
Dilz says
What about all the seeds ??? Can I still do this after I have in basically liquid form?
Sabrina says
In the step when you put the mixture through the sieve, all the seeds get left behind. No worries!
Sarah | Well and Full says
This is such a beautiful, vibrant color! I'm going to be on the lookout for cactus pears the next time I'm at the store!! 😀
Sabrina says
Thanks, Sarah! I'm so excited they're in season now 🙂