Easy Rainbow Sherbet Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

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Colorful and sweet, homemade Rainbow Sherbet is easy to make at home and a favorite frozen dessert for the whole family. To keep it simple, this three-flavored sherbet is made using an easy no-churn method, so you don’t need an ice cream maker to make rainbow sherbet from scratch.

Easy Rainbow Sherbet Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (1)

Why You’re Going to Love This Rainbow Sherbet Recipe

  • Minimal Ingredients – Orange, Lime, and Pink Lemonade juice concentrate, plus a few other simple ingredients are all you need!
  • Fun Flavors and Colors – Why make just a single flavor of sherbet when it’s super simple to make three different sherbet flavors and layer them together? They say we eat with our eyes first, and this frozen dessert looks as delicious as it tastes!
  • Easy No-Churn Recipe – Because we’re making three flavors of sherbet, it’s more efficient to use a no-churn method to make them. Using the ice cream maker to make rainbow sherbet would take all day to churn!
  • Family Friendly – Kids love rainbow sherbet. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, nut free, and easily made without food dyes too. We’re using pink lemonade concentrate here, but go ahead and switch to regular lemonade if you want to skip red dye.

You can also use it to make sherbet punch.

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Ingredients in Homemade No Churn Rainbow Sherbet

  • Three Flavors of Juice Concentrate, Thawed – To create the beautiful colors and bright flavors of this homemade rainbow sherbet, we’re using limeade, orange, and pink lemonade frozen juice concentrates. Allow the juice to thaw before mixing up the sherbet base.
  • Fresh Citrus Zest – To really bring out the citrus flavors in this recipe, the zest from a fresh orange, lime, and lemon is a must!
  • Heavy Cream – Because we aren’t churning this sherbet, we’ll whip heavy cream and gently fold it in. This adds lightness and helps to create a smooth, creamy texture.
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk – In no-churn ice cream recipes, sweetened condensed milk replaces the cooked custard that adds richness, sweetness, and bulk to the base.
  • Food Coloring – This is totally optional, but for really vibrant colors, add a few drops of orange, pink, and green to the flavors.

For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for making rainbow sherbet, please see the recipe below.

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How to Store Rainbow Sherbet

Store this homemade rainbow sherbet in the freezer in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper or wax paper pressed on top for up to one month. The paper covering helps to protect the rainbow sherbet from freezer burn and keeps it fresher for longer.

Tips for Making This Rainbow Sherbet Recipe

  • Don’t skimp on the fat –High-fat milk and cream are essential when making homemade sherbet. In this recipe, heavy cream is whipped into stiff peaks. Any other dairy product won’t do that, so you can’t substitute milk or half and half.
  • Try other flavors – we’re using lime, orange, and lemon juices to make this rainbow sherbet because they are easily found at the grocery store, but you can use any type of juice concentrates!
  • For really bright, vivid colors, we used Americolor Electric Orange, Electric Pink, and Electric Green gel food coloring.

How to Make Rainbow Sherbet Popsicles

Rather than adding the semi-frozen sherbet into a loaf pan, divide it into popsicle molds instead! Freeze the pops for at least 8 hours before enjoying them. You can do the same with homemade Orange Sherbet, or check out all of our easy popsicle recipes for more ideas.

How To Make No Churn Sherbet With A Single Flavor

You can use this recipe and method to make a whole tub of no-churn lime sherbet or no-churn orange sherbet! Simply use 1 1/2 cups of juice concentrate in your favorite flavor, plus 2-3 tablespoons of zest.

You can mix everything in one bowl, and then freeze it for 8 hours, stirring the mixture once or twice around the 2-hour mark to add air.

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Is Rainbow Sherbet Ice Cream?

Not quite! While you’ll find rainbow sherbet mixed in with the ice cream at the grocery store, it’s actually a bit different. Sherbet has more fruit juice and less milk and cream than ice cream does, which is why it has its own name and isn’t just called “rainbow ice cream”.

If you want to make a rainbow-style ice cream though, check out our recipes for Cotton Candy Ice Cream and Superman Ice Cream. Both are no-churn ice cream recipes with multi-colored swirls.

More Homemade Frozen Dessert Recipes:

  • Lime Sherbet
  • Butter Pecan Ice Cream Sandwiches
  • Ice Cream Pizza
  • Blueberry Milkshakes
  • Coconut Sorbet

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Did you make this Homemade Rainbow Sherbet Recipe? Leave a Comment Below letting us know what you thought and if you added any additional add-ins.

Easy Rainbow Sherbet Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (5)

Rainbow Sherbet

Ice Cream From Scratch

Colorful, zesty and sweet, homemade Rainbow Sherbet is easy to make at home with this no-churn recipe, and a favorite frozen dessert for the whole family!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Chilling/Freezing Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Sherbet Recipes

Cuisine Dessert

Servings 1 quart

Calories 271 kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup thawed orange juice concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • ½ cup thawed limeade concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • ½ cup thawed pink lemonade concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup cold heavy cream
  • 7 ounces ½ can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

  • Add the orange juice concentrate and orange zest to a medium-sized bowl. Add the limeade concentrate and lime zest to another medium-sized bowl. Add the pink lemonade concentrate and lemon zest to a third medium-sized bowl.

  • In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream using a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form.

  • Add the sweetened condensed milk to the whipped cream and gently fold to combine– you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream.

  • Add a third of the whipped cream to the bowl with the orange juice concentrate and gently fold it to combine. Again, you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream. Repeat with the limeade and lemonade bowls.

  • Cover each bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill until it is semi-frozen and has a consistency similar to soft serve– about 2 hours.

  • Place scoops of each flavor into a 9×5” loaf pan and spread them into a smooth, compact layer. Cover and freeze the sherbet again until completely frozen– at least 6 hours.

  • Scoop and enjoy.

Notes

    • If you’d like your sherbet to have really vibrant colors, add 1-2 drops of food coloring to the bowls with the juice concentrates in Step 1. I used Americolor’s Electric Orange, Electric Pink, and Electric Green for this sherbet.

Keyword rainbow sherbert, rainbow sherbet, rainbow sherbet ice cream

Easy Rainbow Sherbet Recipe - Ice Cream From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in rainbow sherbet? ›

Ingredients: Water, sugar, corn syrup, nonfat milk, cream, contains less than 2% of citrus pulp, concentrated lime juice, citric acid, lemon pulp, concentrated lemon juice, concentrated orange juice, orange pulp, natural flavors, whey, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, calcium sulfate, polysorbate 80, ...

Which liquid ingredient makes up a sherbet? ›

Sherbet (/ˈʃɜːrbət/), often referred to as sherbert (/ˈʃɜːrbərt/), is a frozen dessert made from water, sugar, a dairy product such as cream or milk, and a flavoring – typically fruit juice or purée, wine, liqueur, and occasionally non-fruit flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, or peppermint.

What is the pink flavor in rainbow sherbet? ›

Pineapple, orange and raspberry flavored sherbets battle for your taste bud love in this trifecta of fruit flavored sherbets.

What is the difference between sherbet and sherbert? ›

Sherbet, pronounced "SHER-but," is the usual word for the frozen sweet dessert made from fruit or fruit juices. Sherbert, with an additional r in the second syllable and pronounced "SHER-bert," is less commonly used. In Britain, sherbet is a sweet powder used to make a drink bubbly or eaten by itself.

What are the 3 flavors in sherbet? ›

Making Sherbet

Common sherbet flavors include orange, raspberry, lemon, and lime. There's also a variation called rainbow sherbet, which is made by combining layers of raspberry, lime, and orange sherbet.

Is Rainbow Sherbet healthier than ice cream? ›

So, the good news here is that if you're looking for an iced dessert or treat that has similar properties to ice cream but is lower in calories and saturated fat, sherbet is going to be preferable over ice cream as a more diet friendly alternative.

What makes sherbet creamy? ›

Sherbet (not “sherbert” as it's often mispronounced) incorporates a small amount of dairy, such as milk, cream or buttermilk, which give scoops a richer, creamier consistency as with this Raspberry Buttermilk Sherbet recipe (pictured above).

How is sherbet ice cream made? ›

To legally call your product sherbet in the U.S., it must be a frozen churned dessert between one to two percent butterfat by weight. That means a base made of milk, sugar, water, and flavoring (usually fruit). Sherbet isn't made with eggs and is light on fat, so it tends to melt faster and cleaner than ice cream.

What ingredients react together in sherbet? ›

When the citric acid and sodium bicarbonate touch your saliva, they react together to make bubbles that fizz and pop in your mouth. The icing sugar makes the mixture taste nice. This reaction is like the reaction that happens when you mix vinegar with sodium bicarbonate.

What flavor is the green in Rainbow Sherbet? ›

Rainbow sherbet is a creamy frozen dessert that layers three or more different flavors, traditionally orange, lime and raspberry.

Is sherbet healthier than ice cream? ›

The addition of dairy gives sherbet a creamier texture, but it also increases the overall calorie and fat content. However, compared to ice cream, sherbet still tends to have a lower fat content, making it a good choice for those watching their fat intake.

What strains make Rainbow Sherbet? ›

The aromatic buds of Rainbow Sherbet, aka Rainbow Sherbert, are a cannabis connoisseur's dream. This tasty terpene profile comes from crossing the two strains Champagne Kush and Blackberry, resulting in the well-balanced hybrid that'll leave your mouth watering.

Why do people add an R to sherbet? ›

In fact, a spokesperson for Baskin-Robbins assured me, “The brand has spelled 'sherbet' with just one 'r' since its founding [in 1945].” This, she says, is consistent among their franchises nationwide. One theory is the expectation of rhyme. Because the first syllable ends in -er, we want the second one to do the same.

What do Americans call sherbet? ›

Sherbet (pronounced “shur-bit”) is the standard American spelling for the frozen mixture made from fruit and an additive of either milk, egg white, or gelatin. It comes from the name of a Persian drink made of fruit juice, water, sweetener, and a cooling component such as snow.

What did sherbet used to be called? ›

The word sherbet derives from the Persian sharbat, an iced fruit drink; iced desserts were introduced to the West via the Middle East. In the late 20th century there was a revival of the practice of serving a tart sherbet or sorbet between the courses of an elaborate meal to refresh the palate.

Is sherbet real ice cream? ›

Sherbet is technically not ice cream, even though they both can contain fruit and dairy products. The big difference is that sherbet's main ingredient is fruit juice or purée, while ice cream's main ingredients are typically milk and cream.

Is Rainbow Sherbet considered ice cream? ›

Halfway between sorbet and ice cream, sherbet is basically sorbet with a bit of milk added. And it is always fruit-based.

Is there milk in sherbet vs ice cream? ›

Ingredients:Sherbet: Sherbet is typically made from fruit juice or puree, sugar, and water. It contains minimal to no dairy products, which makes it a good option for people who are lactose intolerant or vegan. Ice Cream: Ice cream is made from a mixture of milk, cream, sugar, and sometimes egg yolks.

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