Homemade Strawberry Sherbet
Made with fresh strawberries, this Homemade Strawberry Sherbet is delightful on a warm summer day!
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Let’s talk ice cream. More specifically, let’s talk different kinds of ice cream. I love all kinds of ice cream, and you won’t catch me turning down a frosty bowl of deliciousness on a warm summer day! (If you forced me to pick, I would have to say a classic custard-style ice cream is my favorite, though.)
A quick word about “ice cream.” In order to be called ice cream in the U.S., products must have at least 10% milkfat and 20% milk solids. (If you look closely, many store-bought ice creams are actually labeled “frozen dairy desserts.”) For the purposes of today’s post, I’m lumping everything into the category of ice cream – even though not all of these are ice cream by U.S. guidelines.
Custard Base
Ice creams with a custard base (or French-style) include a high percentage of cooked egg yolks combined with cream and flavorings. Custard base ice creams are extra creamy…and extra delicious! They do take a bit of extra work since you have to cook the custard base first, but the time spent is well worth it! A good example of a custard base ice cream recipe is this French Vanilla Ice Cream.
Philadelphia Style
Philadelphia style ice creams don’t include eggs which makes this style a good place to start if you’ve never made homemade ice cream before. Since Philadelphia style ice creams only call for milk, cream and sugar (plus any flavorings you might want), they are much easier to make.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen Yogurt (or FroYo) starts with yogurt as the base. While frozen yogurts don’t call for a custard base, they do often still include cream or milk. One of the more popular recipes here on this blog (especially during the summer months) is this Strawberry Cheesecake Frozen Yogurt.
Sorbet
Sorbets are typically made with juice, water and sugar. As such, sorbets are often dairy-free…which means they can’t really be called ice cream at all. But, again, for the purposes of this post, we’ll leave sorbets in the list. This Passion Fruit Sorbet is an awesome recipe that makes regular appearances in our house during the summer!
Gelato
Gelato is often called Italian ice cream, and it’s truly delicious. If you’ve ever traveled to Italy, you certainly know about all of the gelato shops with amazing flavor combinations in every color imaginable. Gelato is typically only made with milk and no cream, so it has a lower milkfat percentage than American ice creams.
Sherbet
And we wrap up our tour of ice cream styles with sherbet. Sherbet is similar to sorbet, but it also includes a bit of milkfat, too. Thus, it is a blend of Philadelphia style ice cream and sorbet. I love a good container of rainbow sherbet!
Homemade Strawberry Sherbet
Ok, now that we’ve walked through 6 very different styles of ice cream, let’s dig in a bit with this Homemade Strawberry Sherbet. In true sherbet fashion, this recipe calls for a blend of juice, sugar and milkfat.
Strawberry juice isn’t very common, so I opted to make my own at home – it’s super easy! I chopped up 1 cup of fresh berries and mixed them with sugar. After they rested for ~10 minutes, I used a mini-chopper to blend them into a liquid. From there, I added a bit of buttermilk and half-and-half. *done* (Well, I added a splash of lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the strawberries along with a tiny bit of vanilla extract for flavor.)
I suspect frozen strawberries could work in this strawberry dessert recipe, but you’d want to make sure they are fully thawed first. You could also make homemade sherbet using other berries – raspberry, orange or pineapple are all easy options. Just make sure to use the same proportions as this recipe.
This Homemade Strawberry Sherbet recipe is super easy! The most important thing is making sure the liquid mixture is super cold before adding it to the ice cream maker. (And if you don’t have an ice cream maker, get one – we’ve had this Cuisinart one for 15+ years and it’s still going strong!) If the liquid isn’t super cold, then your sherbet could have ice crystals in it. The texture wouldn’t be as creamy and delicious with those ice crystals.
If you’re looking for a delicious dessert recipe, then put this Homemade Strawberry Sherbet on the list. It tastes especially awesome when sitting on the back deck on a warm summer evenings! Cheers!
Did you make a batch of this Homemade Strawberry Sherbet at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Homemade Strawberry Sherbet
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries hulled and chopped
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Using a medium bowl, add strawberries and sugar; stir until well combined. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Using a food processor or blender, add strawberry mixture and purée until smooth.
- Press mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean mixing bowl.
- Add buttermilk, half-and-half, lemon juice and vanilla extract; stir until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate mixture overnight.
- The next day, pour mixture into an ice cream maker. Churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- For a softer sherbet, serve immediately. For a firmer sherbet, transfer mixture into a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2-3 hours. (Note: If sherbet is too hard to scoop, let container thaw in the refrigerator for ~20 minutes before scooping.)
Looking for more homemade ice cream recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use coconut milk and cream i never had homemade strawberry sherbet before perfect for hot days in Singapore love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! I haven’t tried this recipe with coconut milk/cream, but it’s worth a shot! That coconut flavor combined with the strawberries would be delicious. Let me know how it turns out?
I really like gelato as it is less rich. And they use real flavourings. Nice to see real fruit here David:-)
Exactly! I love gelato, too, and I want to try my hand at that sometime as well. It’s so fun walking into a gelato shop and seeing all of the fun flavors!
This sounds wonderful! Wish I had some now.
Thanks, Mimi! Hot summer days just call for a bowl of homemade sherbet!
David this looks perfect for Summer. Using fresh strawberries is a lovely idea. It might be Winter here, although a warmish one, but I would love some for dessert tonight. Nice photos as well.
Thanks so much, Pauline! I know these recipes are backwards for you in terms of seasons. I wonder if there are any types of fruit in season right now that you could use?? All you need is the fruit juice!
Nothing like homemade sherbet, David and strawberries FTW! Love that this is rich and creamy but a bit lighter than typical ice cream.
You nailed it, Marissa – this sherbet has tons of creamy flavor, but it’s not as heavy as ice cream. It’s perfect for warm summer evenings!
I must say, I share your love for ice cream, especially on a warm summer day! Thank you for providing an overview of different types of ice cream and their characteristics. It’s interesting to learn about the variations and the ingredients that differentiate them, sherbet perhaps is the most unknown to me 😁
Ah, well if sherbet is unknown to you, I think it’s time to fix that! Sherbet is creamy and delicious like ice cream, but it’s not quite as heavy. It’s usually found in fruity flavors, so it makes for a great dessert on hot summer days!
I never heard of Philadelphia ice cream and enjoyed the explanation of the different types. Every 4th of July my parents made ice cream, either peach or strawberry, in an old fashioned crank ice cream maker. The new ones certainly do simplify life.
Hey Karen! You know, there is some nostalgic appeal to those old crank ice cream makers that you pack with rock salt. But there is also some appeal to being able to just plug it in and walk away. 🙂 ‘Tis the season for ice cream, sherbet and other frozen treats!
Love me a creamy sherbet, but I love the addition of buttermilk in your recipe! Gives it that delicious tanginess!
The buttermilk is the “secret weapon” in this recipe, Michelle! Give it a try on a hot summer day. 🙂
I’ve made this twice. Both times I used frozen strawberries. Delicious. Would recommend eating with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Wow almost like chocolate coveted starbwrries.
Oh – I like the idea of chocolate ice cream with this cake. What a fun idea! Thanks, Paulette…glad you enjoy this recipe!