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Raspberry sherbet is bright pink, creamy, and sweet tart! It’s an impressive frozen dessert that’s easy to whip up at home.

Raspberry sherbet
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Looking for an impressive and simple frozen dessert? Try homemade Raspberry Sherbet! It’s got a pure flavor that tastes like an entire mouthful of raspberries, and it’s a lovely shade of pink from using real fruit. Unlike store-bought sherbet, it’s just sweet enough: the ideal refreshing treat for summer evenings. Mix up a batch for friends or family and they’ll be undeniably impressed. Here’s how to make this impressive homemade treat!

Try them all! Go for Rainbow Sherbet, Orange Sherbet or Lime Sherbet.

Ingredients in raspberry sherbet

Raspberry sherbet is a frozen dessert made with berries, sugar, and milk that’s churned like ice cream. The dairy gives it a creamier mouthfeel than raspberry sorbet, which has no milk or cream. Sherbet is like a lighter spin on ice cream: sherbet has 1 to 2% milkfat, whereas ice cream has at least 10% milkfat. Here’s what you’ll need for raspberry sherbet:

  • Raspberries
  • Granulated sugar
  • Lemon juice
  • Whole milk
  • 1 pinch salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender (see quantities in the recipe below), then strain it to remove the seeds. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker, then place it in a container in the freezer for 1 hour to harden the texture. It’s that simple!

Raspberry Sherbet

Some notes on straining

Make sure that you have a fine mesh strainer for this recipe. Why? Those pesky raspberry seeds. You might not mind the texture when you bite into a berry, but when you’re eating a smooth sorbet it’s not pleasant to crunch down on seeds.

Use a spatula to work the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve, forcing the liquid through. It takes a few minutes, but it’s worth the extra effort! Then discard the leftover seeds and pulp before finishing the recipe.

Ice cream maker tips

An ice cream maker is required equipment to make raspberry sherbet: it freezes the mixture into a creamy, even sherbet. If you don’t have one, it’s a great investment that you can use it to make sorbets, sherbet and ice creams all year round. Here are a few tips for working with this tool:

  • Find a quality ice cream maker. Here’s the 2 quart ice cream maker we use. It’s durable and has held up well over the years. We had one that bit the dust early, so it’s important to invest in quality.
  • Freeze the base in advance. Make sure to freeze the base of the ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe (unless you have a fancy ice cream maker that doesn’t require this). If you forget, try freezing the base for at least 4 hours. Give it a shake and if you still hear liquid inside, it’s not fully frozen: freeze it for another hour or two until solid.
Raspberry Sherbet

Storage info for raspberry sherbet

Homemade raspberry sherbet holds up well in the freezer, but it generally tastes best the day it is made. You’ll need about 30 minutes to make and churn it, then another 1 hour to freeze it and harden the texture even more. Here are some tips for making and storing this sherbet:

  • Churn 1 hour in advance of serving (or you can eat right away with a soft texture). Place the sherbet in the freezer for 1 hour to get it to a firmer, scoop-able texture. But if you want to eat it right away after churning, that works: it just has a very soft texture that melts quickly.
  • Line a storage container with parchment paper. This helps so the sherbet doesn’t freeze to the edges of the container and makes it easier to defrost.
  • Leftovers save 1 week, but defrost at room temp for about 10 minutes. Make time to leave out the container on the counter for about 10 minutes until it defrosts enough to scoop.

More sorbet and sherbet recipes

This raspberry sherbet is one of our favorite frozen desserts: but you can make sorbets and sherbets in all different flavors! Here are some of our favorites:

This raspberry sherbet recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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Raspberry sherbet

Raspberry Sherbet


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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: About 2 ½ cups (4 servings) 1x
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Description

Raspberry sherbet is bright pink, creamy, and sweet tart! It’s an impressive frozen dessert that’s easy to whip up at home.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound (4 cups) fresh raspberries
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • ½ cup ice
  • 1 cup whole milk

Instructions

Note: Make sure the base of the ice cream maker is frozen overnight before making this recipe.

  1. Add the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt and ice to a food processor or high-powered blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a fine mesh sieve and press it with a spatula into a bowl, discarding the raspberry seeds and pulp. Stir in the whole milk.
  2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn for 20 to 25 minutes, until the texture becomes frosty and creamy. Line a container with parchment paper and add the sherbet; place it in the freezer and freeze for at least 1 hour to allow it to come to a scoopable texture. Store in a parchment lined sealed container for up to 1 week; allow to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Frozen
  • Cuisine: Dessert
  • Diet: Vegetarian

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

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7 Comments

  1. Rachel Pierce says:

    This came out much closer to a sorbet than a sherbet.

  2. Jimm says:

    Great recipe. I’ve used it with several other berries and fruits. I find it is a great, easy sherbet recipe. I double the recipe and substitute 1/2 the milk with thick fresh cream which keeps it from freezing solid. For me, the brand of cream makes a difference. I used some that give it a strange taste so it was important to try different ones until you find something that works.






  3. Rachel says:

    I have two questions:
    1. You list “1/2 cup of ice” in the ingredients, but that is not mentioned in the recipe instructions. With the mixture going into an ice cream maker, I am confused as to the purpose of the ice if it is supposed to be there.

    2. In the instructions, it mentions “orange sherbet”, but that is not listed in the ingrdients. Was this a misprint from the “rainbow sherbet” recipe?

    1. Sonja Overhiser says:

      Yes, the ice is required! Orange was a typo. Both are fixed: thank you!

  4. Sonja Overhiser says:

    Let us know if you have any questions!






    1. Patty says:

      Looking forward to making this. My question is, what is the kosher salt and ice for? It’s in the ingredients but not the instructions. :)

      1. Sonja Overhiser says:

        They should both be included — typo fixed! Thank you!