Brix
The Brix of every fruit
From public food databases: it tells you how much sugar the fruit already brings.
FREE PDF30 recipes · no email
30 Perfect Sorbets for the Tefal Dolci — the free recipe book (PDF)
The new book by Stefano Chef: 30 fruit sorbets for the Tefal Dolci (Moulinex Dolci), balanced fruit by fruit using degrees Brix, with exact grams for the 480 ml bowl and a sherbet version of every recipe.
42-page PDF · direct download, no email · 480 ml bowl · SORBET program
30fruit sorbets
30sherbet versions
0emails asked
Free bookPDF, no email
In short
The perfect sorbet in three numbers
A creamy sorbet in the Tefal Dolci (also sold as Moulinex Dolci) depends on three numbers: the right percentage of fruit for that fruit (from 27% for lime to 73% for orange, based on its Brix), about 25–29% total solids in the mix, and 24 hours at −18 °C before the SORBET program. "30 Perfect Sorbets" is Stefano Chef's free recipe book (ICED METHOD°): 30 fruits, gram-exact doses for the 480 ml tub, each with a sherbet version. Download the PDF with no email required.
- 30 fruit sorbet recipes + 30 sherbet versions
- For Tefal Dolci and Moulinex Dolci, 480 ml tub (about 470 g of mix)
- SORBET program, then RE-SPIN if needed
- Freezing: 24 h at −18 °C, tub level, lid off for the first hours only
- Every recipe checked with the ICED balancing engine (green result)
- Free PDF, no email required · author: Stefano Chef
Inside the book
Thirty fruits, thirty balances
g
Exact grams, one bowl
Whole-gram amounts up to the MAX line of the Dolci’s 480 ml bowl.
+
Sherbet version
Every recipe also with a touch of mascarpone or cream cheese: rounder, still light.
★
A chef’s touch
Herbs, spices, zest and flowers: simple to make, fine-dining on the plate.
Sneak peek
Four sorbets from the book
Garden strawberry sorbet
With fresh basil and a twist of black pepper
Brix 6.5 °BxSeason: April – June
The chef’s touch. The basil is blended raw with the berries so it stays green and fragrant. At the table, a twist of freshly ground black pepper lifts the fruit.
Sicilian orange sorbet
With orange blossom water
Brix 9 °BxSeason: December – April
The chef’s touch. A teaspoon of orange-blossom water: the scent of the flower echoes the fruit, like a citrus grove in spring.
Calabrian lemon sorbet
With pure liquorice
Brix 7 °BxSeason: all year (best December to May)
The chef’s touch. Lemon and liquorice are two treasures of the same land. One gram of pure liquorice, stirred dry into the sugar, adds a dark, long note that makes the lemon linger.
Ruby pomegranate sorbet
With fresh lemon balm
Brix 13.5 °BxSeason: October – January
The chef’s touch. Lemon balm, sweet and lemony, steeps in the hot water: the pomegranate stays ruby red and tastes fresher.
Full quantities and method in the free PDF.
The 3-number rule: Brix, % fruit, total solids
Brix measures the soluble sugars in fruit pulp: strawberry sits around 6–7, mango around 16, passion fruit 17.5. The sweeter the fruit, the less sugar you add. The second number is the share of fruit in the mix: high for delicate fruit (70% and more), low for very sour or intense fruit such as lemon and lime (about 30%). The third is total solids (sugars, fibre, a pinch of stabiliser): between 25 and 29% the sorbet comes out smooth; below that it turns icy, above it stays soft. It is the same principle used with the Pacojet in professional kitchens.
Table: Brix and % fruit for 30 fruits
Values from the ICED METHOD° book for one 480 ml tub. Brix is indicative (public databases Ciqual/ANSES and USDA): it varies with variety and ripeness.
| Fruit | Recipe | Brix (indicative) | % fruit | Total solids % | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| strawberry | Garden strawberry sorbet | 6.5 | 71 | 26.7 | April – June |
| raspberry | June raspberry sorbet | 7.5 | 66 | 28.8 | June – September |
| blueberry | Mountain blueberry sorbet | 11.5 | 53 | 28.1 | July – September |
| blackberry | Wild bramble blackberry sorbet | 6.5 | 66 | 29 | August – September |
| redcurrant | July redcurrant sorbet | 13 | 45 | 27.8 | June – July |
| blackcurrant | Woodland blackcurrant sorbet | 12.5 | 47 | 28.2 | July |
| cherry | May cherry sorbet | 10 | 67 | 25.4 | May – July |
| apricot | Hillside apricot sorbet | 7 | 62 | 26.5 | June – July |
| peach | Summer yellow peach sorbet | 8 | 68 | 26.2 | June – September |
| nectarine | Daybreak nectarine sorbet | 9 | 72 | 26.3 | June – September |
| mirabelle plum | Late-summer mirabelle plum sorbet | 13.5 | 61 | 29.2 | August – September |
| pear | September Williams pear sorbet | 10 | 71 | 26.7 | August – December |
| green apple | Crisp green apple sorbet | 10.5 | 69 | 26.1 | September – March (all year from storage) |
| black plum | Black plum and poppy seed sorbet | 11 | 67 | 25.2 | July – September |
| fig | Mediterranean fig sorbet | 12.5 | 61 | 27.9 | July – September |
| melon | Midsummer melon sorbet | 11 | 60 | 29.1 | June – September |
| watermelon | High-summer watermelon sorbet | 8 | 66 | 25.7 | July – August |
| kiwi | Emerald kiwi sorbet | 10 | 65 | 27.6 | November – April |
| orange | Sicilian orange sorbet | 9 | 73 | 26.1 | December – April |
| mandarin | December mandarin sorbet | 11 | 66 | 25.1 | November – February |
| lemon | Calabrian lemon sorbet | 7 | 30 | 27.7 | all year (best December to May) |
| pink grapefruit | Sunset pink grapefruit sorbet | 10.5 | 62 | 25.1 | November – April |
| pineapple | Island pineapple sorbet | 11.5 | 70 | 26.1 | all year (imported) |
| mango | Monsoon mango sorbet | 16 | 65 | 28.3 | May – September (imported; Spanish mangoes Sept – Nov) |
| banana | Good-morning banana sorbet | 15.5 | 57 | 28.3 | all year |
| persimmon | Autumn persimmon sorbet | 14 | 49 | 26.4 | October – December |
| pomegranate | Ruby pomegranate sorbet | 13.5 | 42 | 25.8 | October – January |
| passion fruit | Tropical passion fruit sorbet | 17.5 | 41 | 25.4 | all year (imported) |
| rhubarb | Spring rhubarb sorbet | 3.5 | 67 | 27.7 | April – June |
| lime | Lime sorbet, garden water | 6.5 | 27 | 27.9 | all year (imported) |
How to make sorbet in the Tefal Dolci, step by step
- Weigh the ripe fruit (or juice) and blend it with the cold water.
- Mix sugar, dextrose and a pinch of stabiliser (guar gum) dry, then sprinkle them into the running blender.
- Pour into the Dolci tub without going over the MAX line.
- Freeze for 24 hours at −18 °C, tub level: lid off for the first hours only, then close it.
- Fit the tub and run the SORBET program.
- If it is not creamy enough, RE-SPIN, adding 1 tablespoon of juice or water if needed.
Why Dolci sorbet turns out icy (and how to fix it)
Your machine works perfectly: it's the recipe that lets it down. Icy or grainy sorbet almost always has too much free water and too few solids: watery fruit, too little sugar, or sucrose only. Too much sugar, on the other hand, leaves it soft. The fix is to balance on the fruit's Brix and replace part of the sugar with dextrose, which lowers the freezing point more than sucrose and is less sweet. See also ice cream too hard and the RE-SPIN guide.
Sorbet or sherbet? The creamy version of every recipe
Sorbet is just fruit, water and sugars: zero fat. Sherbet adds a little dairy (in the book: well-chilled mascarpone), around 2% fat, for a rounder texture without becoming ice cream. Every recipe in the book has both versions, with the doses already recalculated.
From Stefano’s kitchen
Real sorbets, served in a coupe
Your signature sorbet
Got a recipe of your own? The Test bench balances it.
In the ICED METHOD APP, enter your sorbet: before you freeze, the traffic lights tell you whether body, sweetness and softness are in the right zone. With “Balance it for me”, the grams fall back into balance while staying within your ingredients.
- Traffic lights before you freeze
- “Balance it for me” on your ingredients
- Save the variant, print it, make a label
Who is Stefano Chef
Stefano Chef runs his own restaurant and has used a professional Pacojet for over 10 years. He has used the Ninja Creami for years, was among the first to buy the Moulinex Dolci and the Sencor ice cream maker, and tests these machines every day. He is not a blogger: ICED METHOD° brings the professional kitchen's method home.
The app
Many more sorbets are waiting for you in the ICED METHOD APP
The app has 800+ recipes (and growing) for Tefal Dolci, Moulinex Dolci, Ninja Creami/Deluxe and Sencor: grams for your tub, the right button to press and a traffic light that tells you BEFORE freezing whether it will be creamy. The Test Bench balances your own recipes too. Launching 15 October 2026 at app.icedmethod.com.
- 800+ recipes balanced for your machine
- Grams calculated for your tub, ready to weigh
- The right program to press, recipe by recipe
- A traffic light that checks your mix before you freeze it
The sixth month
Your machine shouldn't end up in a cupboard
In the communities around these machines — the Dolci and the ones that came before it — there is a problem nobody talks about much: after about six months, many people get tired of making ice cream and sorbet every day, and the machine starts gathering dust.
At ICED METHOD° we use it every single day, in our home kitchen and in our restaurant. It has become an indispensable companion, and we want to share that experience with you.
That is why, in the sixth month, the app unlocks and becomes a complete, 360° toolbox of food preservation and preparation methods.
Your machine will become an everyday companion in your kitchen. If you let it.
Food safety
The chef’s rules
This is a book for the home kitchen. As a restaurant chef, I share with you the rules we follow every day in professional kitchens: a few simple habits for sorbets that are good and safe.
- Fruit and herbsWash and dry fruit and fresh herbs well (basil, mint, thyme…). Use sound, ripe fruit and cut away any bruised or mouldy parts.
- Everything cleanWorktop, blender, utensils, bowl, lid and your Dolci: always clean. To clean the machine, follow its manual.
- The lidLid off only for the first hours of freezing, then put it on: the lid also protects against odours and cross-contamination in the freezer.
- Cold chainPut the mix in the freezer straight after making it, at −18 °C (if you have to wait, keep it in the fridge for 24 hours at most). Don’t leave the mix or the sorbet at room temperature.
- Herbs and garlic in oilNever keep them in oil at room temperature: if you make a flavoured oil, keep it in the fridge and use it within a few days.
- Never refreezeA thawed sorbet or sherbet should not be refrozen. If you decide to do it at home, it’s your own judgement: take the right precautions, eat it soon and note it on the label. In the ICED METHOD APP you can print a label for every recipe with the preparation date and notes (e.g. “refrozen”).
- Fresh fruitJust like a fresh juice or a smoothie, the fruit here is used fresh. For young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone vulnerable, the same care you take with fresh fruit applies: very fresh, sound fruit, well washed, and the highest hygiene. Supermarket fresh cheeses (mascarpone, Philadelphia) are already pasteurised.
- StorageSorbet spun in the Dolci is at its best freshly made. Any leftovers go straight back in the freezer at −18 °C with the lid on: enjoy within 1–2 weeks, though aroma and texture are best in the first few days.
In your own kitchen, your own judgement applies: these are good-practice guidelines and do not replace hygiene rules or common sense.
FAQ
Sorbet and the Tefal Dolci, in short
How do you make sorbet in the Tefal Dolci?
Blend fruit, water and balanced sugars, pour into the tub up to the MAX line, freeze for 24 hours at −18 °C (lid off for the first hours only) and run the SORBET program. If it isn't creamy, RE-SPIN.
Is there a free Tefal Dolci sorbet recipe book in PDF?
Yes: "30 Perfect Sorbets" by Stefano Chef (ICED METHOD°) is a free PDF with 30 fruit sorbets and their sherbet versions, downloadable from icedmethod.com/en/sorbets with no email required.
Why is my Dolci sorbet icy?
The mix has too much free water and too few solids: watery fruit or too little sugar. Smooth sorbet has about 25–29% total solids; fix it with sugar plus some dextrose calculated on the fruit's Brix, then a RE-SPIN.
How much sugar goes into a Dolci sorbet?
It depends on the fruit: the sweeter it is (higher Brix), the less you need. In the ICED book it ranges from about 60 g sugar + 12 g dextrose for mango to about 100 g + 18 g dextrose for lemon, per 480 ml tub.
How much fruit for a strawberry sorbet in the Tefal Dolci?
In the ICED recipe: 335 g strawberries in about 470 g of mix, i.e. 71% fruit, plus sugar, dextrose, 1 g guar gum and a little water.
Which program should I use for sorbet on the Tefal Dolci?
SORBET. If it is still crumbly, run RE-SPIN; to fold in fruit pieces or crunch, use MIX IN at the end.
How long should I freeze the tub before making sorbet?
24 hours at −18 °C, with the tub level. Leave the lid off for the first hours only, then close it.
Can I use frozen fruit for sorbet in the Dolci?
Yes. Weigh it like fresh fruit, let it soften, blend it with the sugars and water, then refreeze the mix in the tub for 24 hours: the Dolci always processes a mix that is already frozen.
What is the difference between sorbet and sherbet?
Sorbet has no fat: fruit, water and sugars. Sherbet adds a little dairy (around 2% fat) and is creamier. In the ICED book every sorbet also has a mascarpone sherbet version.
Do these recipes work in the Moulinex Dolci or the Ninja Creami?
Moulinex Dolci and Tefal Dolci are the same machine, so yes. With the Ninja Creami, respect the MAX line of the tub and use the SORBET program; for exact grams per container there is the ICED METHOD APP.
Moulinex, Tefal and Dolci are trademarks of their respective owners (Groupe SEB). ICED METHOD° is not affiliated with or sponsored by them. Always follow your machine’s manual. Brix values are indicative, from public databases; results depend on the fruit and your freezer. Allergens are listed in every recipe.