Homemade Lime Sherbet
Homemade Lime Sherbet is so easy to make and the difference is REMARKABLE! Fresh, citrusy and in it’s natural state; NOT green!
So you think you know sherbet? Unless you’ve tried some homemade sherbet maybe not. This 4-ingredient Homemade Lime Sherbet is so good, SO amazing that it makes most anything you’ve purchased before nothing but a colorful fabrication.
You will never be satisfied again with store-bought once you do the job yourself and it’s so easy to prepare.
It is as simple as combining half and half with sugar, juice and rind and you are ready to dive into amazing sherbet land.
My first choice this summer was this Homemade Lime Sherbet. No vibrant green dye to be found, just flecks of natural green lime zest color this creation. But the end result is not one bit affected by the lack of artificial color. Bright, tart, and cold… absolutely divine.
I am smitten every year and yet I thought this recipe too simple to ever post. I needed a boost from a neighbor to finally make it a reality and now I’m on a roll and the ideas are churning along with the ice creams.
Ever wonder what the difference is between ice cream, sherbet (sometimes mistakenly called sherbert) and sorbet?
While ice cream is typically made from heavy cream and high in fat, sorbets contain no dairy at all. Sherbets are expected to contain anywhere from 1 to 3 percent milk-fat from milk or cream. So if I had made this with 2% or whole milk (3.25% milk-fat) it would be closer to a true sherbet distinction.
I call it a sherbet because it’s ‘lightness of being’ is evident and yet the use of half and half (10.5% milk-fat) does serve to nicely elevate it without taking it into true ice cream territory.
Admittedly the half and half does make for a richer, more indulgent treat and I love it too much to even consider anything else but if you want to cut your fat calories, try using 2% milk; the flavor will still be amazing.
The combination of the sweetened half and half and the acidic citrus makes for an almost perfect combination. Lime, lemon, and blood orange sherbets are my favorites and now I’m wondering why I’ve never tried making a version that swirls all three of those together. I’ve made note; that must be done!
This is how I love ice cream; while still really cold but just a bit ‘melty.’ When I can push it all down inside the cone and have a bite of a sweet, sugar cone with every lick of this tart wonderfulness.
I made less than a quart of Homemade Lime Sherbet. I should have made a gallon.
I’ve already made an amazing Strawberry, Basil and Lemon Sherbet version I’ll be sharing tomorrow. I’m on a roll!
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Homemade Lime Sherbet
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons lime zest approx 2 limes
- ½ cup lime juice 2-3 limes
- 2 cups half and half
- ½ cup sugar
Instructions
- Zest and juice the limes.
- Combine the lime zest and juice with the half and half and sugar; stir until all of the sugar is combined.
- Pour the liquid into an ice cream maker and freeze according to ice cream maker directions.
- When ready, store in freezer safe containers for at least 6 hours.
Hi there! This recipe looks delicious, and I’d love to make an orange or blood orange version. Do all the ratios stay the same, or will I need to alter the amount of zest? I’m also pondering whether a hint of fresh lemon juice might also be necessary to keep the flavor bright and tart. Hoping to hear back; it would be so amazing to use homemade orange sherbet for my wedding punch next month 🙂
Since I’ve not made either, I would keep the ratios the same and taste the result before you freeze it to see if you need more of something. I do think blood oranges have a stronger flavor and wouldn’t that be pretty?
Just be careful with the zest. I LOVED this the first time I made it; so second time thought…well, how about a bit more zest? Nope. It was good but too tart so I’ll never do that again!
Good luck!
This is FABULOUS!! I will never go back to store bought sherbet again…it’s SO easy to make and this recipe is so good! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Sandy! You know I can tell people how wonderful it is, but I know they wouldn’t expect me to say otherwise else why would I write a blog post about it? 🙂
But you are so right, it is my absolute favorite that I like to have on hand all summer. I have some other favorites that are creamier and richer ones but this is my go-to, so glad you enjoyed it too!
Sounds delicious
I’ve never made sherbet before but this sounds incredible.
I just love the flecks of zest in this and the flavor is one of my favorites! Perfect to cool off with during this heatwave.
Lime is a favorite flavor and this sherbet didn’t disappoint. I love the green flecks of zest in this summer treat.
I love the flecks of lime zest throughout! I’ve always loved sherbet, especially in the summer.
Like some of the others, I don’t understand what ‘Half and half’ is…. could you explain please (British person)
In the US it’s like a less heavy cream; a combination of heavy cream and milk. You could mix those two to get something similar.
“I’d love to know the logic of our Fat free half and half…””?”
Every time I see that in grocery I am confused, and want to scream”false advertising-lol.
Right? Use skim milk or use half and half but don’t try to confuse the two of them!
What if we don’t have an ice cream maker? Is there any other way to make it?
You can but it won’t have exactly the same results. The simplest method is to put it in a container and place it in the freezer. Every 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your container, take it out of the freezer and mix it up. Continuing doing this until it’s all thorough mixed and all part are showing signs of freezing…then just let it continue freezing completely. Some articles I’ve read would have you blend halfway to make sure the ice crystals are getting broken up and the result is smooth…so that might be a good idea.
I’ve never done it myself except as a kid with a hand crank machine but those are definitely a thing of the past and this method should allow you to make this sherbet. Good luck!
Hi – when you’take it out and mix it up’ does that mean with a regular spoon or do I need to use beaters or a blender ? Also, do you know how many times overall it would need to be frozen then mixed? (I don’t have an ice cream maker and I really want to try this recipe.)
Yes, I was thinking of a regular large spoon. The other thing you might try is to put it into a pan of some sort, to get larger surface area and you can scrape the frozen top much like you would a sorbet?
The truth is I’ve never made it without an ice cream maker; I was trying to assist someone going that route; I imagine there is some trial and error to get it to the correct consistency. Good luck!
Wow, Barb! I need this stat! Looks sooo good!
It was a simple recipe that came out of some desperation Julie and it turned out to be one of my favorites; I make it a lot in the summer, do hope you try it too.
This was so easy I didn’t think it would work. I was wrong. It’s great. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome…and thank you for letting me know. It’s a real favorite here; I just LOVE lime!
This is a wonderful recipe! The texture of this sherbet is so creamy, and the flavor really comes through. I used some over-ripe organic limes that might have been a bit tart, because mine is not quite sweet enough. However, a scoop of this next to a scoop of vanilla (or coconut whipped topping from the natural food store) takes care of that problem. Bet this would make great ice cream sandwiches between graham crackers, or a parfait with crumbled granola. I’ll be making this a lot!
So glad you love it too Elizabeth! I was sort of caught off guard just how fantastic it would be; one of those efforts that was easy and had such a fantastic result. Of course I always love the reminders…now I’m off to make some too!
I made this today with just a couple minor changes. I added 1 tbsp honey and 1/4 cup coconut sugar instead of regular sugar and added a few drops of vanilla stevia liquid; then put it all in a blender to mix and added to my ice cream maker. Was awesome and so refreshing! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hey, great recipe! We made this over the weekend and it turned out wonderfully. It looks like vanilla almost, especially when you are not in a bright room. Then, “boom” the lime jumps out.
absolutely delicious.
thanks!
So glad you liked it too Doug. I mean I loved it…and like you said, the lime is just SO present! I won’t deny I wondered if I should color it but glad I didn’t; I just loved the flecks of green so much better. I just finished mine last night and almost sobbed. Lucky it’s easy to do again! Thanks for letting me know; love a happy reader!
Thanks for the sherbet vs. ice cream and sorbet explanation. Do sherbets tend to traditionally be fruit flavored? My dad loved orange sherbet and I only remembered seeing it in raspberry, lemon, lime and orange when I was a kid.
It sure seems the commercial ones are but I’m thinking a mocha would be good too; I’ll have to add that to my list huh?
Oh my, that looks SO good. Lime is my favorite sherbet flavor, and yours looks amazing. Thanks!
Thank you…and the best part. SO easy. Almost ridiculously easy. Easy to eat too! 🙂
Love this! Lighter than ice cream, and more flavor, I’ll bet. Summer at its best! Thanks so much.
So good John…although now I’ve been challenged to recreate a flavor from Baskin Robbins called Daiquiri Ice. This will be the base I’m sure…and then we add some rum!
Wow, nothing like homemade sherbet!! I love how simple and fresh the ingredients are. I’m sure it tastes delicious!
It is so good that I’ve hidden it in the far reaches of the freezer. Maybe to keep other hands off of it or maybe to keep me from eating it all in one sitting?
is missing an ingredient . third in the list would be what ?
All the ingredients are listed Gleici; it’s simply lime juice, lime zest, half and half and sugar.
I’m sorry but I got confused with the “half and half and sugar”?
Basically Claire you just want to combine all of the ingredients in the list; the lime zest, lime juice, the half and half and the sugar. Those are then churned together to make the Lime Sherbet.