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How to Make Sorbet in a Sana Juicer (No Added Sugar)
Short answer. Making sorbet in a Sana juicer takes a few minutes. A Sana horizontal juicer (the 707, 727 or 929) turns frozen fruit into soft, scoopable sorbet when you fit the homogenising (blank) screen, and the Sana 878 does the same with its sorbet screen. The trick is fruit frozen hard, then softened on the counter for five to ten minutes. You don’t need sugar, cream or an ice-cream maker: banana gives the creaminess and the fruit does the rest.
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Which Sana juicers make sorbet?
Making sorbet uses a screen with no holes in it. Instead of separating juice from pulp, the auger presses all of the frozen fruit together and pushes it out of the end as soft-serve. Not every juicer can do this.
| Sana model | What you use | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sana 707 | Homogenising (blank) screen, included | Soften frozen fruit slightly first; the manual limits continuous use to 30 minutes |
| Sana 727 Supreme | Homogenising screen, included | Sorbet is on the speed chart in the manual; soften the fruit slightly first |
| Sana 929 Ultimate | Stainless steel homogenising screen, included | Same method as the 727 |
| Sana 878 | Sorbet (blank) screen | Don’t fill the hopper with frozen fruit: feed pieces one at a time through the hole in the hopper lid |
| Sana 818 | Not suited | The manual warns that frozen fruit gives little or nothing |
If you have lost or damaged a screen, replacements for the 707, 727 and 878 are sold separately.
Strawberry and banana sorbet
This is the one to start with. Strawberries give colour and a bright, slightly tart flavour, and a single banana makes the texture creamy enough that nobody misses the dairy. Sana’s own film of it, made on the 929, shows how quickly it comes together.
Strawberry and Banana Sorbet
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Spread the strawberries and banana slices in a single layer on a lined tray so the pieces freeze separately rather than in a block.
- Freeze until solid, at least 6 hours. Overnight is easiest. Once frozen, the pieces can go into a freezer bag.
- Fit the homogenising (blank) screen, or the sorbet screen on the Sana 878, and put a chilled bowl under the outlet.
- Take the fruit out 5 to 10 minutes before you start. It should still be frozen, but a knife should go into a piece with some resistance.
- Feed a few pieces at a time, alternating strawberry and banana, and push gently with the pusher. The sorbet comes out of the end. On the 878, feed pieces one at a time through the hole in the hopper lid.
- Stir in a squeeze of lemon or some torn mint if you like. Serve straight away as soft-serve, or freeze for 20 minutes for a firmer scoop.
- Rinse the screen and auger straight after, before the fruit dries on.
Notes
How to get the texture right
Almost every problem with juicer sorbet comes down to how frozen the fruit is when it goes in.
- The juicer strains or the pieces bounce around. The fruit is too hard. Give it another few minutes on the counter. Fully frozen fruit straight from the freezer is hard on any juicer, which is why Sana’s manuals ask you to let it soften slightly.
- It comes out runny or slushy. The fruit has thawed too far. Put the tray back in the freezer for 15 minutes and carry on.
- It tastes flat or grainy. The fruit wasn’t ripe. Sorbet with no added sugar depends on ripe fruit, so freeze strawberries and bananas at their sweetest, when bananas have freckled skins.
- It sets rock hard in the freezer. Fruit sorbet without sugar freezes harder than bought ice cream. Leave it on the counter for ten minutes before scooping.
Cutting the fruit small before freezing helps on every count. Pieces about 2 cm across feed easily, soften evenly and fit through the hole in the 878’s hopper lid. For an extra-smooth, gelato-like finish, feed the sorbet through a second time.
Other combinations to try
Once you have the method, the fruit is up to you. Bananas are the base that keeps things creamy, so most combinations work best with one in.
- Mango and banana. The classic, and probably the creamiest. Frozen mango from the supermarket works well. Sana’s video below shows it on the 727.
- Mixed berry and banana. Raspberries and blackberries add colour and tartness. Their seeds come through, so expect some crunch.
- Pineapple and mint. Sharp and very refreshing in December heat. Add a few mint leaves between the pineapple pieces as you feed them.
- Avocado and mango. Sana’s own soft-serve idea. The avocado gives a rich, smooth texture with very little sweetness of its own.
- Banana on its own. One ingredient, often called “nice cream”. Add a few frozen strawberries or a little cocoa for flavour.
Feeding the fruits alternately, rather than one after the other, mixes the flavours as they come out.
Is it sugar-free?
There is no added sugar, dairy or stabiliser in any of these. The sweetness comes from the fruit itself, so it isn’t sugar-free in the strict sense: a bowl of strawberry and banana sorbet carries the natural sugars of the fruit that went into it. What it does do is give you a frozen dessert made entirely from whole fruit, fibre included, which is a good trade for a bowl of bought ice cream on a hot day.
Made with a Sana juicer
Sana 707 Juicer
R9899,00
Sana 727 Supreme Juicer
Price range: R12999,00 through R14999,00
Sana 878 Juicer
Original price was: R11999,00.R10399,00Current price is: R10399,00.Frequently asked questions
Can I make sorbet in any juicer?
No. You need a juicer that can take a blank screen and push all of the fruit out of the end. Centrifugal juicers can’t do it at all. In the Sana range, the 707, 727 and 929 use their homogenising screen and the 878 uses its sorbet screen. The 818 isn’t designed for frozen fruit.
Do I need to add sugar?
No. Ripe fruit and a banana are enough. If your fruit was underripe, a drizzle of honey over the finished bowl helps more than adding anything to the juicer.
Can I use frozen fruit from the shop?
Yes. Bags of frozen mango, berries and pineapple work well and save time. Let them soften for a few minutes, the same as home-frozen fruit.
Will frozen fruit damage my juicer?
Fruit straight from the freezer is very hard, and Sana’s manuals ask you to let it soften slightly before you start and to feed it at a steady pace. Done that way, sorbet is one of the jobs the screen was designed for.
How long does homemade sorbet keep?
It is at its best straight from the juicer. You can freeze leftovers in a sealed container for a week or two, but it sets firm, so give it ten minutes out of the freezer before scooping.
Which Sana is best for making sorbet?
All three horizontal models make it well, and the 707 is the most affordable way in. If you also want hands-free juicing for a family, the 878 makes sorbet with its sorbet screen as well.
Sources
- Sana 707 user manual (English), Sana Products: frozen fruit, homogenising screen and run-time guidance. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 727 Supreme user manual (English), Sana Products. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 878 user manual, Sana Products: sorbet screen, frozen fruit and run-time guidance. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 818 user manual, Sana Products. sanaproducts.com
- Avocado and mango soft serve, Sana Products recipes. sanaproducts.com
