This raspberry sherbet is everything a good sherbet should be; a perfect balance of fresh fruit flavors with a creamy smooth texture. Ice cream making falls under the umbrella of “pastry”, so when I was in culinary school and we had an option to make pastries, cakes, or tarts, or make the sorbets, sherbets and ice cream, I’d often be the first to raise my hand for frozen desserts!

It’s lovely on hot summer days or as a simple dessert for a bridal or baby showers. But don’t limit ice cream making to the summer months, we enjoy it year round. It has simple ingredients, no artificial flavors, or colors, no high fructose corn syrup, and zero preservatives. It’s infinitely better than any store-bought sherbet!

What’s the difference between sorbet and sherbet?

Sherbet is the perfect blend of sorbet and ice cream. It gets its creamy texture from dairy, but has a fruity flavor profile of sorbet. Sherbet does not contain any egg yolks like many ice cream recipes. Sorbet is made from fresh or frozen fruit, sugar and water. This raspberry sherbet recipe uses heavy cream which gives it a rich, smooth texture. Sorbetto is the Italian version of sorbet.

Ingredients for homemade raspberry sherbet

Frozen or fresh raspberries.
lemon juice to help balance the flavor
heavy cream
a small amount of alcohol. Vodka is a neutral spirit, so it will not affect the flavor. A complimentary liqueur like Chambord would also work. Don’t be tempted to add more than 2 teaspoons alcohol or youll end up with a slushy frozen treat!

Why do you use alcohol in sorbet and sherbet?

While there is just a small amount of vodka in this recipe, (2 teaspoons), alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than milk or water, so it helps prevent the sherbet from forming ice crystals. You can absolutely omit the alcohol if you are sensitive.

Can I substitute skim milk or whole milk for the cream?

Substituting skim or whole milk for the cream will result in a less creamy sherbet with more of an icier texture. Anyway, it’s really just a treat, and not something we eat every day,

Let’s talk about ice cream machines

I’ve made ice cream the old fashioned way with a hand crank ice cream maker. My dad would by rock salt, and my brother and I would take turns cranking…for about 5 minutes until our arms fell off. Then came the ice cream machine that motorized the crank. Those were so much easier, but still not ideal. When I went to culinary school I fell in love with the professional grade electric ice cream maker with built in compressor.

My first ice cream maker was this reasonably priced Cuisinart. The advantage of the Cuisinart is that it takes up less counter or shelf space. The disadvantage is that you have to freeze the ice cream container the day before you plan on making ice cream or sherbet.

My newest ice cream maker is this Whynter and it’s just like the one we had in school (but way cheaper!) It was my Christmas present this year and I’m already in love with how easy it is to make frozen desserts! Because it has a built-in compressor, the advantage is that when you want to make ice cream you just put the chilled mixture into the container and press on! The disadvantage is that it takes up more counter/storage real estate. It’s also pricier, but if you love making homemade ice cream, sorbet or sherbet, you’ll love the ease of this model. It also makes frozen summer drinks like margaritas and pina coladas which is fun for summer parties.

How to make raspberry sherbet

In a stainless-steel saucepan, (make sure it’s non-reactive), place 3 cups fresh raspberries, or a 12 ounce bag of frozen berries, sugar and water. and pinch of salt.
Over medium heat cook berries, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer, about 7 minutes.

Using a fine mesh sieve or fine mesh strainer, press the raspberry puree through strainer and discard seeds and any pulp. You don’t want any raspberry seeds in the puree, but as much raspberry juice as possible.

Add the lemon juice and vodka or alcohol.

While the raspberry puree is chilling, whip the cream until it resembles soft peaks.

Whipping the cream first, and then gently folding the puree into the whipped cream will keep the raspberry sherbet mixture light and smooth.

Pour the raspberry puree down the side of the whipped cream and mix just until blended.

adding raspberry sauce to whipped cream.

Chill the raspberry sherbet mixture to about 45 degrees before putting it in the ice cream mixture. You can also place it in a large pitcher in the freezer for about 20 minutes to speed up the chilling process, but don’t let it freeze.

You want the raspberry mixture as cold as possible before putting it in the ice cream maker. Once the mixture is chilled, follow manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until it resembles soft-serve ice cream.

It will be ready to eat at this point, but is always better if it has several hours to firm up and cure.

Serve sherbet in these pretty ice cream dishes or your favorite antique wine glasses. These mini dessert glasses are great for a dinner party.

How to store sherbet

I love this freezer-safe container. They come in packs of two, come in cute colors, and are very sturdy. Otherwise use an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. This is a great ice cream scoop.

Looking for more frozen desserts?

Peppermint Ice Cream is our favorite holiday ice cream. Bananas Foster with Coconut is a lovely last minute dessert that takes just minutes to make. Tin Roof Sundae is a vintage dessert with salted peanuts and homemade Chocolate Sauce. Poire Belle Helene is a classic Parisian dessert. Coconut Ice Cream has a tropical twist.