Sweet and icy smooth, this keto strawberry sorbet comes together in a food processor from frozen strawberries, lime juice, and powdered sweetener, at 7.4g net carbs. I pulse the puree until it turns velvet, and I let the freezer firm it up for 30 minutes before scooping. A pinch of salt sharpens the berries.
I started making this sugar free strawberry sorbet a few summers ago when I realized most store-bought sorbets have more sugar than ice cream. Five ingredients, no ice cream maker, and about five minutes of hands-on work. No churning, no custard base, no waiting around.
The base is frozen strawberries, a sugar-free sweetener, and lime juice. I blend everything in my food processor until it’s smooth, then freeze it for about 30 minutes. The trick I’ve learned is to not over-freeze it. Pull it out at that 30-minute mark and the texture is soft and scoopable, almost like Italian ice. Go much longer and it firms up solid (more on how to fix that below).
One thing readers keep telling me about is adding vodka to the mix before freezing. I tried it after seeing Jackie’s comment, and she was right. A teaspoon lowers the freezing point just enough to keep it from turning into a brick overnight. No flavor difference at all. Then my reader Jordan pushed it to a full tablespoon and says he no longer needs the 5-minute counter thaw. I still use a teaspoon, but his version works too. I add it every time I plan to store leftovers. If you skip the vodka, just pull it out 10 minutes before serving and let it soften on the counter.
Strawberries are one of the few fruits I eat regularly on keto. A full cup has about 8.7 grams of net carbs, which is low enough that I can enjoy a generous serving and stay on track. I’ve also swapped in raspberries and blueberries. Both work, but straight strawberry is still my favorite for color. If I mix fruits, I keep strawberries as at least half the total so the flavor stays bright, and my reader Dani swaps the lime for lemon with a little mint before blending. I blind-tested strawberry against raspberry with lime last summer, and the raspberry version was sharper with more depth. The strawberry batch had better color and a cleaner finish, so I keep coming back to it.
I love this dairy free frozen dessert because it fits so many situations. Weeknight treat after dinner, something cool when friends come over, or a palate cleanser between courses if I’m feeling fancy. I’ve spooned it into glasses with a splash of sparkling water for a float that tastes like a berry Italian soda. No one has ever guessed it’s sugar free.
Keto Strawberry Sorbet
This keto strawberry sorbet is my go-to on hot days. The fruity flavor satisfies my cravings for traditional ice cream without any dairy, and I love that it only takes five ingredients. Lime juice, a sugar-free sweetener, frozen strawberries, a little water, and a pinch of salt. I use frozen because they blend into a thicker, creamier base right away (fresh ones work if you freeze them for at least two hours first, otherwise the puree comes out thin and takes much longer to set). The lime juice adds a brightness that rounds out the sweetness, though my reader Ashley found that cutting back on it lets the strawberry flavor come through cleaner. I’ve used lemon juice when I’m out of limes and it works just as well.
Best part? It’s no-churn. I don’t use an ice cream maker. I blend everything in my food processor until it’s smooth, pour it into a freezer-safe container, and I’m done.
What Is Sorbet?
Sorbet is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water and fruit. It’s traditionally churned like ice cream to make it scoopable, but I skip that step entirely with my food processor method. The result is a dairy free frozen dessert that’s light, refreshing, and packed with real fruit flavor.
I find it interesting that sorbet dates back to first-century Rome and Persia. The name comes from the Italian “sorbetto,” and it’s sometimes called Italian ice or water ice because of its roots in Naples. What matters to me is that it’s naturally dairy-free, which makes it a perfect base for a sugar free sorbet. I swap the sugar syrup traditional versions rely on for a sugar-free sweetener, so mine stays a genuinely low carb sorbet I can eat without tracking every gram.
Is Sorbet Keto Friendly?
Traditional sorbet is not keto friendly. Most store-bought versions use regular sugar, and the carb counts are surprisingly high. I checked a few popular brands and some have 30+ grams of sugar per serving. Making my own at home is the only way I can control what goes in. I use a sugar-free sweetener and strawberries (one of the lowest-carb fruits), which keeps this sorbet well within my daily macros.
Sorbet vs. Ice Cream
I get asked about this a lot. The biggest difference is that sorbet is completely dairy-free, while ice cream relies on cream, milk, and often eggs. Ice cream is higher in fat, which is fine on keto, but the sugar content in store-bought versions is usually a dealbreaker for me. Most commercial ice creams pack in carbs from added sugars and mix-ins.
If you want the richness of ice cream without the carbs, my keto vanilla ice cream is one I make regularly. But when I want something lighter and fruitier, this is what I reach for. My dairy free keto ice cream sits somewhere between the two (coconut cream base, no dairy, but richer than sorbet).
Are Strawberries Keto?
Yes, and they’re one of the few fruits I eat regularly. A cup of strawberries has about 12 grams of total carbs and 8.7 grams of net carbs, making them one of the lowest-carb fruits available. I factor them into my daily macros and enjoy them without stress.
Add frozen strawberries, sweetener, lime juice, water and salt to a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth.
2
Freeze
Add the strawberry puree to a freezer safe container and freeze for 30 minutes or until hardened.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/2 cup
Calories
64
Fat
0g
Protein
1.3g
Total carbs
16.3g
Fiber
8.9g
Net carbs
7.4g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my sorbet get rock hard in the freezer?
I dealt with this too. Sugar-free frozen desserts freeze harder than regular ones because sugar acts as a natural softener. What I do now is add a teaspoon of vodka to the mix before freezing. It lowers the freezing point just enough to keep things scoopable, and my reader Jordan uses a full tablespoon and skips the counter thaw entirely. I also store mine in a shallow, airtight container because it freezes more evenly and thaws faster. If a batch still freezes solid overnight, I let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, then break it into chunks and pulse it in my food processor for 30 seconds. The texture holds up fine, and my batches last about two weeks.
Can I make this in a Ninja Creami?
I've made it both ways. Blend the strawberries, sweetener, and lime juice, pour into the Ninja Creami pint container, and freeze overnight. Run the sorbet program and it comes out incredibly smooth. I still prefer my food processor method because I can eat it in under an hour start to finish, but the Ninja Creami gives a slightly creamier texture if you already have one sitting on your counter.
Which sweetener works best for frozen desserts?
I've tested powdered erythritol, Swerve confectioners, and allulose in this recipe. Allulose is my top pick for anything frozen because it doesn't crystallize the way erythritol can. It keeps the texture softer straight from the freezer. Swerve confectioners is my second choice. My reader Jordan uses it and says it disappears completely into the cold puree with no gritty finish. If I'm using a powdered erythritol blend, I make sure it's finely ground so I don't get that grainy texture in the final scoop.
What if I don't have a food processor?
I've used my Vitamix when my food processor was in the dishwasher. A high-powered blender works, but I need to add a splash more water to get everything moving. A regular blender works too, just blend in smaller batches. The texture comes out slightly less smooth than my food processor, but it's still good. I wouldn't try this with an immersion blender though. Frozen strawberries are too hard for it.
Can I turn this into popsicles or keto sherbet?
I've done both. For popsicles, add a splash more water so the mixture pours easily into molds, then freeze overnight. It works even as written if you spoon it into the molds. For a low carb sherbet, whip about a cup of heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the blended base before freezing. The cream makes it richer and more scoopable, almost like soft serve.
Sorbet was the thing I figured I’d just have to live without on keto, so I went in expecting to be let down. It’s the real thing. I ate the second serving standing at the freezer with the container still open. Thanks!
Needed something fast for a birthday party and used frozen strawberries from the freezer. Two guests thought I’d bought it. Melts quick outside, so serve straight from the container.
I sold my ice cream maker two years ago and never looked back, but then basically every keto frozen dessert I found assumed you had one, so I wrote off sorbet entirely. Then I made this and the food processor just… works? It’s smooth, the lime keeps it from tasting like health food, and I’ve made it twice this week. A little mad at myself for waiting this long.
64 calories meant I just made a double batch and called it dinner. Also switched to allulose and it comes out noticeably softer, scoop it straight from the freezer, no waiting.
Jess, allulose is why I stopped using erythritol in frozen desserts anymore. Straight from the freezer is the whole point. Double-batch at 64 calories, hard to argue with.
7.4 net carbs for something this good completely blindsided me. The lime is everything, honestly. Every strawberry sorbet I’ve made without it just tastes like frozen fruit, not actual sorbet.
Sixteen months keto and the thing I quietly missed wasn’t pizza, it was walking down the boardwalk in July with a cup of fruit sorbet. Raspberry, peach, whatever was in the case that day. Just that specific cold and bright thing. Tried this last weekend and sat outside with it and honestly, it was close enough that I had to stop for a second. The lime is what does it. Two tablespoons of juice and the whole thing tastes sharp and clean, not just frozen sweetened fruit. Going to be making this a lot.
Skeptical that a food processor sorbet would actually taste good. It’s completely smooth, zero iciness, and the lime hits harder than two tablespoons has any right to. Better than sorbet I’ve actually paid for.
The color stopped me when it came out of the food processor, this deep red-pink I hadn’t seen in a while. There was a small Italian place near my old apartment that made fresh strawberry sorbetto every June, and I hadn’t thought about it in years until right then. I went keto a while back and quietly filed sorbet under ‘used to eat that’ without really grieving it. Three ingredients and 30 minutes of freezer time is all it takes to undo that. The texture sealed it: that clean fruit density, nothing heavy behind it, exactly how I remembered before I cared about carbs. This is going to be a recurring problem for my freezer.
First time making any kind of sorbet and I was pretty sure I was going to mess it up somehow. Food processor did all the work though, came together way faster than I expected. The lime juice surprised me, almost skipped it, but it cuts through the sweetness and makes it taste like actual sorbet instead of just frozen fruit. Might push the sweetener up a little next time, but this worked.
I batch these every Sunday now. Genuinely cannot believe it took me this long to figure out you can keep a full week’s worth in the freezer and just scoop straight from the container. The lime juice was unexpected; there’s this brightness that makes it taste like actual summer fruit, not just frozen sweetness. Three back-to-back batches in the food processor (rinse between runs, 8 minutes total, I timed it) split into four small containers for the week. Full freeze vs. pulling it at 30 minutes is a completely different texture, more scoopable, holds its shape instead of going slushy on the spoon. At 64 calories, dessert is handled. That’s weirdly freaking satisfying to know. Got back on keto this spring and this is one of the things making it feel less like a punishment.
Made this last weekend when my daughter asked for something cold after dinner. She took one bite and immediately wanted to know if we could make a bigger batch before her friends came over Saturday. The lime juice is what gets you, that little bit of tartness cuts through the sweet in a way I wasn’t expecting from a three-ingredient sorbet.
Made this last weekend as a test run before summer gets here. My daughter, who refuses anything ‘diet’ on principle, walked by while I was scooping it out of the container and asked what it was. I told her after she finished the cup. She made a face, said ‘that’s why it tastes a little different’ (the lime, probably), then went back for more anyway. The 30-minute freeze hits the right consistency, scoopable without being icy. I’d go up maybe a teaspoon on the sweetener since mine came out on the tart side even after freezing. Four stars from me, five from the kid once she stopped protesting about it.
Face, protest, second cup. That’s the whole review. And yeah, a teaspoon more sweetener is right. Mine runs tart too when the strawberries aren’t at peak sweetness.
Quick tip that made a noticeable difference: pull the frozen strawberries out about five minutes before you start so they soften just slightly. I learned this after my food processor kept stalling on the first batch (ran fine after that). The puree comes out smoother and you get a better consistency when you pack it into the container. I’ve also found that an extra small squeeze of lime right at the end brightens the whole thing in a way that makes it taste less like a frozen fruit cube and more like real sorbet. Made two batches this week because the first one disappeared faster than I expected for a March evening. This is going to be a summer staple for sure.
Five minutes out of the bag before blending. I’ve been running mine straight from frozen and never thought to let them sit. Two batches in March already means you’re set for summer.
Never made sorbet before, wasn’t sure I could. Three ingredients and a food processor felt too simple, like I was definitely missing something. Almost skipped the lime juice because it seemed out of place, but so glad I didn’t. It cuts through the sweetness in a way that makes it taste like an actual shop sorbet, not something sad from a health food store. Got distracted and froze mine closer to 45 minutes, still scooped cleanly right out of the container. Didn’t think my first attempt would go this well. Doubling the batch this weekend.
I made this tonight because I had a bag of frozen strawberries sitting in the back of my freezer and honestly didn’t expect much (I am not a confident cook at all), but the food processor made it look so easy I kept double-checking if I was missing a step. When I pulled it out after 30 minutes it had this bright pink color that looked way more put-together than anything I’ve made myself. I almost skipped the lime juice because I thought it was a weird thing to add to a strawberry dessert, but it gives everything this little sharpness that makes you want another spoonful before the first one’s gone. I am currently standing at my kitchen counter eating it straight out of the container and a little shocked this is only 7g net carbs. Double batch next weekend, no question.
My daughter stood at the freezer the whole 30 minutes it was setting, which told me something. Mine came out slightly icier than I expected, so I’ll blend it longer next time, but the lime is what makes it actually taste like sorbet and not just frozen fruit.
Longer blend will help. I’d also try allulose if you used erythritol, it doesn’t crystallize the same way and stays scoopable. And yeah, the lime is the whole thing.
Brought this to a spring potluck and a friend spent ten minutes asking where I bought it. When I said frozen strawberries and a food processor, she looked genuinely offended. Making a double batch for her birthday dinner next month.
That reaction is the best. Frozen strawberries and a food processor and somehow it reads as catered. For the birthday batch, scoop it ahead and refreeze in individual cups so you’re not wrestling a container at the table.
Solid four stars from me. The lime juice does something really nice to the strawberry, but I’d push the freeze time past 30 minutes. Mine needed closer to 45 before it held its shape well enough to scoop.
