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Jun 16, 2012

Homemade Orange Sherbet

This Homemade Orange Sherbet has a vibrant fresh orange flavor and is a great way to capture the flavors of the winter citrus bounty any time of year.

Homemade Orange Sherbet

Orange sherbet seems like such a simple dish that would be easier to buy rather than make it yourself. What makes homemade so special?

For one thing, this homemade orange sherbet is loaded with an intense citrus flavor from frozen orange juice concentrate.

I'm a big fan of citrus concentrates, and I'm so happy that they still exist. I always keep a container of lemon, lime, and orange concentrate in my freezer. I love using spoonfuls for margaritas and other recipes that call for sweet and sour mix. Rather than the sweet and sour mix, I add some lemon or lime concentrate.

I just keep little containers of the concentrates in the freezer for easy spooning into whatever I am making.

Homemade Orange Sherbet with orange juice concentrate

P.S. The concentrate helps keep the sherbet from over freezing.

This orange sherbet also includes orange zest and fresh orange juice from a navel orange, and if you really want to amp up the orange flavor, some pure orange oil.

Hint: You can use a bit of pure orange oil whenever a recipe calls for zest and you don't happen to have any on hand. It's very concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way.

My grandsons absolutely loved this orange sherbet, and because I am a grandma, I pretty much let them have it before dinner, or even breakfast (it has juice and milk, right?) if they want it. That's what we do.

Homemade Orange Sherbet with orange juice and zest


You will need an ice cream maker to make this sherbet. I use this one. I keep the bowl in the freezer for whenever I have an ice cream emergency.

October, 2018: This is an update of one of my very first posts. I've added new photos and a recipe card (I don't even want to show you the original photos, they were so bad).

This recipe was adapted from the book Scoop: 125 Specialty Ice Creams from the Nation's Best Creameries by Ellen Brown. I highly recommend the book if you love frozen treats.


sherbet, dessert, orange, ice cream, citrus
dessert, ice cream
American
Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Orange Sherbet

ingredients


  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 navel orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange oil, optional

instructions


  1. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the milk, the cream, sugar, orange juice concentrate, and kosher salt. Add the orange zest and the juice from the navel orange. In a separate small bowl, combine the rest of the milk with the cornstarch. 
  2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until it is just steaming. Do not let it boil. 
  3. Add the milk and cornstarch mixture and, over low heat, bring the pan to a boil, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the optional orange oil. Run the mixture through a strainer into a storage container to remove any lumps. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the mixture and refrigerate it until it is completely cold. 
  4. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker until it is at "soft serve" consistency. Transfer the mixture back to the storage container and place it in your freezer until it is hardened. 
  5. To serve, remove the ice sherbet from the freezer about 15 minutes in advance before scooping. 

Would you like to comment?

  1. I'm always looking for an excuse to pull out the ice cream maker. Orange sherbet is my husband's favorite!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Yes, mine sits in the freezer waiting for inspiration.

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  2. I love using the frozen concentrates too! This looks absolutely amazing. I would definitely be my dad's favorite kid if I made him some too <3

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    Replies
    1. Oh, you definitely need to make this then!

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  3. What a great kitchen tip! I'll have to remember to buy some concentrate the next time I go to the market!

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  4. First of all, I love your tips about lemon/lime concentrate in lieu of sour mix - GENIUS!
    Secondly, love the recipe. We don't eat a lot of sherbets, but I think this is one I'm going to try!

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  5. That looks like such a wonderful texture and sounds delicious!

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  6. I love the idea of homemade sherbet! How tasty!

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  7. Orange sherbet is a perennial favorite here.

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  8. Such a refreshing treat! Orange sherbet is a favorite in my house.

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  9. I've never made homemade sorbet, but man this looks good!

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  10. I like orange sherbet a lot. Is there something else I can use instead of an ice cream maker or is that absolutely necessary? Thank you for this recipe!!

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    Replies
    1. I haven't tried this, but you could try whipping the cream separately to stiff peaks and then folding in the rest of the cold cooked and strained ingredients and freezing that mixture. Make sure everything is as cold as possible before folding.

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  11. Can I use almond milk instead of the regular milk ?

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    Replies
    1. I have never tried it but you probably can.

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