Cinnamon Apple Crumble Sorbet

Name: Cinnamon Apple Crumble Sorbet
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 medium (900 g) Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples (about 2 lb / 900 g total), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 cup (240 ml) Water; ¾ cup (150 g) Brown sugar, packed; 1½ teaspoon (4 g) Ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) Kosher salt; 2 tablespoon (30 ml) Fresh lemon juice; ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) Vanilla extract; 1 cup (100 g) Old-fashioned rolled oats; ¼ cup (50 g) Brown sugar, packed; ½ cup (60 g) All-purpose flour; 4 tablespoon (57 g) Unsalted butter, cold, cold, cut into small cubes; ½ teaspoon (1¼ g) Ground cinnamon; ⅛ teaspoon (¾ g) Kosher salt

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A silky, scoopable sorbet infused with warm cinnamon and tart-sweet apples, studded with crispy oat crumble for texture contrast. This dairy-free frozen dessert captures the cozy flavors of apple crumble in a refreshing, churned form. Serve alone or alongside warm apple cake.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 4 hr
Total: 4 hr 45 min
Makes: About 1 quart (1 L) sorbet, 6 servings

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the sorbet
6 medium (900 g) Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples (about 2 lb / 900 g total), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup (240 ml) Water
¾ cup (150 g) Brown sugar, packed
1½ teaspoon (4 g) Ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) Kosher salt
2 tablespoon (30 ml) Fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) Vanilla extract
For the crumble topping
1 cup (100 g) Old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup (50 g) Brown sugar, packed
½ cup (60 g) All-purpose flour
4 tablespoon (57 g) Unsalted butter, cold, cold, cut into small cubes
½ teaspoon (1.3 g) Ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon (0.8 g) Kosher salt

Equipment (6)

Medium saucepan
Fine-mesh strainer
Blender or food processor
Ice-cream machine or sorbet maker
Shallow baking sheet (9×13 inch / 23×33 cm)
Airtight freezer-safe container (1.5 quart / 1.4 L or larger)

Steps

Before you start

Chill your ice-cream machine bowl for at least 4 hours or overnight (or use a machine with built-in freezing)
Have an airtight container ready in the freezer for storing finished sorbet
Juice the lemon ahead so it's ready when you need it

1
Prepare the oat crumbleOven 350°F / 175°C
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a small bowl, whisk together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add cold butter cubes and use a fork or your fingertips to break them into the dry mixture until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Spread on a shallow baking sheet in an even layer about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
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Tip: Keep the butter very cold so the crumble bakes into distinct, crunchy pieces rather than turning dense.
2
Bake the crumble until goldenOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15–18 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes with a fork to break up clumps and ensure even browning.
- The crumble is done when it smells toasty and the pieces are golden brown and crisp all the way through.
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Ready when: Golden brown, fragrant, and crunchy when a piece is broken apart
Tip: Stir frequently so the edges don't burn while the centers remain soft.
3
Cool crumble and set aside
- Remove the sheet from the oven and let the crumble cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- It will crisp further as it cools.
- Once cool enough to handle, break any large clumps apart with your fingers into bite-sized pieces (roughly ¼ to ½ inch / 6–12 mm).
- Set aside in an airtight container at room temperature.
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Ready when: Crumble is cool enough to handle and fully crisp
Tip: Don't compress the crumble when storing or it will soften; keep it in a single layer if possible.
4
Simmer apples with cinnamon and sugar
- In a medium saucepan, combine the apple chunks, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring a few times, until the apples are very soft and begin to break apart.
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Ready when: Apples are very tender and starting to disintegrate; liquid is slightly syrupy
Tip: Use a mix of tart and sweet apples so the sorbet has complexity; all sweet will taste flat when frozen.
5
Strain and blend the mixture
- Remove the pan from heat and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Pour the entire contents (apples and liquid) through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing gently on the apples with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid and pulp.
- Discard any fibrous solids.
- Pour the strained mixture into a blender, add lemon juice and vanilla extract, and blend on high for 30–45 seconds until completely smooth.
- The mixture should be thin and pourable.
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Ready when: Mixture is completely smooth with no visible apple pieces
Tip: Don't skip the straining step; any pulp or skin bits will make the sorbet grainy instead of silky smooth.
6
Chill the sorbet base
- Transfer the blended mixture to a bowl or pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until completely cold (below 40°F / 4°C).
- The colder the base, the faster it will freeze in the ice-cream machine.
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Ready when: Mixture is cold to the touch and no steam rises when stirred
Tip: If you forget to chill the base, your sorbet will take much longer to set and may not freeze evenly.
7
Churn the sorbet
- Pour the chilled mixture into your ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, typically 20–30 minutes.
- The sorbet is ready when it resembles soft-serve frozen yogurt—thick, smooth, and barely scoopable but not yet solid.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale, thick, creamy, and holds soft peaks; no liquid sloshing at the bottom
Tip: If your machine has a removable bowl, make sure it has been frozen for the full time (usually 4+ hours) or the sorbet won't freeze properly.
8
Fold in the crumble and freeze
- Remove the churned sorbet from the machine and transfer to a chilled, airtight freezer-safe container.
- Fold in about two-thirds of the oat crumble (roughly ¾ cup / 75 g) using a spatula, being gentle to keep pieces intact.
- Reserve the remaining crumble to sprinkle on top when serving.
- Cover the container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until firm enough to scoop.
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Ready when: Sorbet is firm enough to scoop with a spoon; internal temperature is 0°F (−18°C) or below
Tip: If the crumble softens from the cold sorbet, the pieces won't have as much crunch. Sprinkle fresh crumble on top just before serving for the best texture.

Good to know

Tips

The oat crumble is baked separately so it stays crispy; folding it directly into warm sorbet would make it soggy. Sprinkle the reserved crumble on each serving for maximum crunch.
For a smooth texture without any ice crystals, make sure your apple base is completely cold before churning, and don't skip the straining step to remove pulp.
This sorbet pairs beautifully served alongside warm apple cake, spiced pound cake, or cinnamon donuts for a hot-and-cold contrast.
If you don't have an ice-cream machine, you can make a still-frozen version by chilling the base in a shallow pan, stirring with a fork every 30 minutes for 2.5 hours until slushy, then folding in the crumble and freezing solid (texture will be icy, not creamy).

Make ahead

The sorbet can be made up to 1 week ahead. The oat crumble can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature; fold it in just before serving for the best crunch.

Storage & reheating

Store in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 1 week. The sorbet may harden as it sits; let it soften at room temperature for 3–5 minutes before scooping. The oat crumble will soften from contact with the frozen sorbet; store the reserved crumble separately and sprinkle it on top just before serving. Do not refreeze after thawing.

Substitutions

Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples (about 2 lb / 900 g total), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks → Pears or a mix of apples and pears. Use the same weight. Pears are slightly sweeter, so reduce the brown sugar by 2 tablespoons (25 g) if using mostly pears.
Brown sugar, packed → Granulated sugar or honey. Use the same amount of granulated sugar; for honey, use 0.5 cup (120 ml) and reduce water to 0.75 cup (180 ml) so the sorbet is not too sweet or dilute.
Ground cinnamon → Ground cardamom, nutmeg, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract plus 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon. Cardamom and nutmeg pair well with apples; reduce slightly if using nutmeg as it is stronger.
Unsalted butter, cold → Coconut oil or vegan butter. Use the same amount; the sorbet will remain dairy-free, though coconut oil may give a subtle coconut flavor.