Sherbet is a vegan frozen fruit dessert made with fruit puree and sweetener. It’s lower in fat than ice cream and comes in sweet and savory flavors. It originated from a Middle Eastern drink and is served in small scoops due to its intense flavor.
Sherbet is a frozen fruit dessert typically made with a sweetener and fruit puree. Unlike ice cream, it’s made vegan, meaning it doesn’t contain any animal products and tends to be slightly softer than ice cream. It’s also often lower in fat than many other frozen fruit desserts, as it doesn’t contain milk or cream to boost the fat content. It is also sometimes seen on menus as sherbet, to distinguish it from ice cream. Sherbet is prepared in an assortment of sweet and savory flavors for a wide variety of culinary situations and is readily available in most grocery stores.
The dessert is derived from sherbet, a cool drink served widely in the Middle East. When sherbet was brought to Europe, presumably many cooks began experimenting with other formulations including popsicles, granita, and sherbet. Sherbet is thick and even in texture, unlike a slushy ice or granular slushie. It’s made like ice cream and sundae, slow-freezing the ingredients while constantly churning them out to create a smooth, consistent texture.
Sweet sherbet is often served as a dessert or as a standalone refresher in the summer. Any type of fruit can be made into a puree for this dessert, and it’s sweetened with honey or sugar, depending on the region. Sherbet is also made with flavors like chocolate, coffee, and nuts. Some cooks add additional ingredients for texture, creating combinations such as lemon and lavender or coffee with chocolate chunks.
Savory sherbet appears as a palate cleanser or dessert dish after some meals. In some cases, a crunchy sherbet such as lemon will be served to cleanse the palate of the guests. Depending on the cook and the meal, savory sorbets may be made with a relatively neutral flavor, while others complement the meal in some way. Rosemary, tomato, beets, and basil are all used to create savory versions.
Because sherbet is generally not diluted with water, it tends to be very thick and intensely flavored. For this reason, it is served in small scoops, so as not to overwhelm the diner. If it’s too stiff, a small amount of rubbing alcohol can be added to the mixture to soften it. In some cases, the alcohol is deliberately intended to be part of the flavour, as is the case with grapefruit and campari sorbet, for example.
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