David Lebovitz's Chocolate Sorbet
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and dig in -- all summer long!
Begin with 6 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.
And, finely chop it up into bits!
In a large saucepan, add your sugar.
And your cocoa powder, salt, and water.
Now, whisk!
Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk some more.
Now, it's time to remove the mixture from the heat and stir in your finely chopped chocolate.
Don't forget a teaspoon of vanilla and the remaining 3/4 cup of water.
Time to blend.
Then, let it chill.
Once it has chilled thoroughly, freeze the dark chocolate mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Watch as it turns into sorbet.
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Genius Recipes says: Despite having no dairy or eggs, this sorbet is impossibly creamy. It also remains perfectly scoopable without going hard or icy in the slightest, even after several days in the freezer. Lebovitz credits this remarkable consistency to the high proportion of bittersweet chocolate. Recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz (Ten Speed Press, 2007)
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
- 2 1/4 cups (555 ml) water
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 3/4 cups (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of the water with the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Bring to a boil whisking frequently. Let it boil, continuing to whisk for 45 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until it's melted, then stir in the vanilla extract and the remaining 3/4 cup (180 ml) water. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for 15 seconds. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If the mixture has become too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!








7 days ago LovieH2O
This is so rich and chocolaty it is dangerous. A little goes a long way. Then after a few minutes it calls you back for another taste. Best part is it makes me the gourmet in the eyes of my fans.
8 days ago Ali @ Peaches and Football
This recipe looks to die for. Absolutely cannot wait to try it and I love the ability to make it vegan! Some other substitutions: you could split the water and replace half with coconut milk for a very creamy treat and still not have the dairy.
9 days ago BurgeoningBaker
1. Isn't a sorbet by definition sans cream/milk?
2. Don't most chocolates contain dry milk or milk fat?
9 days ago Lee Ann Cox
Sounds fabulous! I'll have to try it.
I'm on the "no dairy=no ear infections" eating style and usually use soy or almond milk when I make ice cream, but this looks great!
10 days ago Gayle Roberts Krupin
I'm surprised you use Dutch processed cocoa. Alkaline is not good for people!
12 days ago gretch374
I am having a crazy thought to cut back on the sugar and use that caramelized white chocolate in place of the bittersweet. Just for kicks and giggles. And hopefully boat loads of super yumminess. If I try it I'll let you know how it turns out.
15 days ago Beth Ellen
This recipe is magical. Some kind of alchemy happens during the preparation of the ingredients to produce such a creamy product. It is absolutely delicious, yet very, very strong...too strong for my kids. So I experimented with combining the chilled mixture with 1.5 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 tsp vanilla before freezing. This turned out to be one of the best chocolate ice creams ever!
about 1 month ago duckdiva21@hotmail.com
I just made this twice (one recipe for my house and one for my grandmother who cannot eat dairy)!! It is so yummy and creamy! I added some almond milk and peanut butter to mine and milk shake!! over the top!!
4 months ago mbinzel
This is one of the best chocolate recipes EVER. DO NOT skip or forget the blender step like I did once...it homogenizes the mixture. Without it, you end up with gritty bits of chocolate in a sugary mixture. Still edible, but not nearly as delicious.
5 months ago monacake
i return to this recipe again and again, and am always grateful and satiated. what a gift this simple, decadent, magical recipe is.
6 months ago nicolena
I made this last night - absolutely delicious! I added a bit of cayenne and some cardamom to give it a bit of kick. Highly recommend!!
6 months ago Choirbell
Awesome! We found that for some reason our ice cream maker only got the mixture to a slushy stage (which tasted awesome). But we put it in the freezer and it turned out to be a great Sorbet texture the next day. We'll be making it again and again as my husband is a chocoholic! I'd love to try it with cold coffee instead of water.
7 months ago Margaret McCormick
So easy, so delicious -- like a Fudgesicle on steroids! Super chocolate-y. Served with raspberries and a garnish of mint. Can't wait to eat it again tonight!
7 months ago Phoov
Stunning! Could not find full Dutch cocoa here in the NC mountains, I'm sure it is here somewhere!, but I did find a blend and used that. I had a ton of good quality 'eating' dark chocolate on hand....including 3 ozs of dark with orange zest, and incorporated that with another 3 ozs. plain dark. Made it just a slightly orangey wonderfulness!!!!!
8 months ago tota
this is an amazing recipe...very,very easy (granted we had access to excellent chocolate) and everyone loved it. I think it is brilliant that something so good has no cream or eggs in it....I will make it over and over (and our relatively inexpensive Cuisinart ice cream maker worked perfectly...)
8 months ago rbourgui
On the second try, I added a modest pinch of cayenne to the dry ingredients before the boiling, with great results.
8 months ago lapadia
I’ve wanted to make this since last year, finally got around to it thanks to this posting. Delicious! I added a teaspoon Espresso powder to the water because I like this taste combination and 1.5 tablespoons chocolate vodka with the vanilla to help keep the sorbet softer....note, a habit of mine with any frozen treat.
8 months ago sdebrango
I made this today and it's so wonderful. So easy to make, rich, creamy and delicious I don't even miss the milk and cream. Makes a fantastic ice cream soda or shake.
8 months ago chefkatgurl
I love experimenting with my Cusinart ice cream maker. This was one of the easiest & quickest frozen desserts I ever made. Very rich and delicious...I had a sugar high that lasted hours(!) Even subbed in 1/4 of the sugar with stevia powder. Hersheys has a dark cocoa powder that's really good.
8 months ago Rebecca,Rodriguez
i made a triple batch & froze it in a 9x13 glass pyrex. i gave it a good stir after the first 45 min, and 2x more after 30 min. then i left it in the freezer overnight. it's def very dense and melts quickly. i think it would have been a little more airy if i had used the ice cream maker, but it's not totally necessary. hope this helps!!