Easy Homemade Mixed Berry Sherbet is a sweet, tangy, and delicious ending to any meal. This simple fruit sherbet, made with a combination of frozen berries including strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, is light and refreshing and just the thing to help you cool off on a hot summer evening.
Like my Strawberry Sherbet, this homemade berry sherbet, with its glorious deep magenta coloring and intense fruit flavor, is different from the tasteless, pastel sherbets available at the grocery store these days.
And, once you realize how super simple these frozen fruit desserts are to make, you will never buy sherbet again.
Besides including four different kinds of berries, this easy recipe for homemade mixed berry sherbet has an unusual twist; it also includes a secret ingredient, buttermilk.
I know what you are thinking, but you will have to trust me on this one because it’s essential to the unique tangy flavor of this tasty fruit sherbet. After one taste, you will become a believer.
Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
- Berries – I like to purchase frozen mixed berries to use in this recipe. Usually, the bag includes frozen strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Can’t find mixed? Feel free to use any combination of berries you like.
- Sugar – granulated sugar adds even more sweetness to this berry-flavored frozen dessert.
- Light Karo Syrup – is the commercial brand name of corn syrup, which is used to enhance the berry flavor and make the sherbet softer and easier to scoop.
- Buttermilk – adds a pleasing amount of tanginess to this recipe without adding as much fat as heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Lemon juice – adds a fresh citrusy flavor and helps to balance out the sweetness of the dessert.
Directions – Here’s how to make this recipe:
- Combine the frozen berries, granulated sugar, and Karo syrup in a large bowl and mix well.
- Allow this mixture to sit for about 30 minutes, and stir occasionally. At this point, the berries will still be partially frozen.
- Place the mixture in the bowl of your food processor fitted with a steel blade and process it until it is smooth and the berries are pureed. This should only take a minute or so.
- Add the berry puree, buttermilk, and lemon juice to a large bowl.
- Stir until all of the ingredients are combined.
- Add the mixture to your ice cream maker’s freezer bowl and follow the manufacturer’s directions. The berry sherbet will take about 20 minutes to firm up.
- Transfer the sherbet to a storage container and allow it to harden in the freezer for about four hours. Before serving, take it out of the freezer and let it sit out for five to ten minutes to soften before serving.
Frequently asked questions:
While both are generally made with fruit, sherbet contains dairy, and sorbet is dairy-free.
The main differences are that sherbet is usually made with fruit, while ice cream can come in any number of flavors and usually contains eggs, while sherbet does not. Also, ice cream custard generally needs to be cooked before freezing, while sherbet does not need to be cooked.
Many folks enjoy placing several scoops in a bowl or an ice cream cone. However, you can also use it to make a sherbet float, which is simply a scoop or two in a glass with 7UP, Sprite, or ginger ale. You can also use it to make sherbet punch, which includes sherbet, Sprite, 7up or ginger ale, and a fruit juice such as pineapple or orange juice.
Absolutely! This recipe works with any type of fresh or frozen fruit or combinations of fruit juices or berries. Other common sherbet flavors include cherry, pomegranate, orange, lime, peach, raspberry, lemon, and even rainbow sherbet, which is raspberry, lime, and orange.
Mixed berry sherbet should be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer. It should be eaten within three months for the best taste and texture.
Sharon’s tips:
- Blackberries and raspberries have tiny seeds. I don’t strain my berry puree, but if you want your sherbet to be seedless, you will have to pour it through a fine wire strainer before mixing it with the buttermilk and lemon juice.
- This recipe fits perfectly in a two-quart ice cream freezer bowl.
- To make this sherbet without an electric ice cream maker, follow the recipe, and place the mixture in a freezer in a freezer-safe-covered container for eight hours. After eight hours, use a fork to break the frozen mixture into small chunks and place them in a bowl. Then, use an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until the pieces have smoothed out. Return the mixture to the freezer, cover, and freeze for three hours or until firm.
- You can substitute fresh berries for frozen in this recipe. However, after pureeing the berries and mixing them with the buttermilk and lemon juice, you will need to place this mixture in the refrigerator for an hour so that the mixture will be properly chilled before adding it to your ice cream maker.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender to puree the berries.
More ice cream recipes:
If you like this recipe for sherbet ice cream, I know you will also love these other frozen confections:
- No-Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream
- Pralines and Cream Ice Cream
- Fresh Peach Ice Cream
- Meyer Lemon Ice Cream
Need more frozen dessert recipes? Check out my roundup post, 35 Different Ice Cream Flavors with Recipes.
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Easy Homemade Mixed Berry Sherbet
Equipment
- Electric Ice Cream Maker 2-quart capacity
- Food processor with steel blade
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen mixed berries about 19 ounces
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Light Karo Syrup or corn syrup
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine the frozen berries, granulated sugar, and Karo syrup in a large bowl and mix well. Allow this mixture to sit for about 30 minutes, and stir occasionally. At this point, the berries will still be partially frozen.
- Place the mixture in the bowl of your food processor fitted with a steel blade and process it until it is smooth and the berries are pureed. This should only take a minute or so.
- Add the berry puree, buttermilk, and lemon juice to a large bowl. Stir until everything is combined.
- Add the mixture to your ice cream maker's freezer bowl and follow the manufacturer's directions. The sherbet will take about 20 minutes to firm up.
- Transfer the sherbet to a storage container and allow it to harden in the freezer for about four hours. Before serving, take it out of the freezer and let it sit out for five to ten minutes to soften before serving.
Notes
- Blackberrys and raspberries have tiny seeds. I don’t strain my berry puree, but if you want your sherbet to be seedless, you will have to pour it through a fine wire strainer before mixing it with the buttermilk and lemon juice.
- This recipe fits perfectly in a two-quart ice cream freezer bowl.
- To make this sherbet without an electric ice cream maker, follow the recipe, and place the mixture in a freezer in a freezer-safe-covered container for eight hours. After eight hours, use a fork to break the frozen mixture into small chunks and place them in a bowl. Then, use an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until the pieces have smoothed out. Return the mixture to the freezer, cover, and freeze for three hours or until firm.
- You can substitute fresh berries for frozen in this recipe. However, after pureeing the berries and mixing them with the buttermilk and lemon juice, you will need to place this mixture in the refrigerator for an hour so that the mixture will be properly chilled before adding it to your ice cream maker.
- Mixed berry sherbet should be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer. It should be eaten within three months for the best taste and texture.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender to puree the berries.
Terry
Greetings from Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦, Sharon! I am wondering if the “no electric ice-cream maker” method,described in this recipe, could be used for other ice-cream, sherbet, and sorbet recipes.
Many thanks!
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Terry, Unless they specifically say they are no-churn, most ice cream recipes freeze so hard in the freezer that you would never be able to scoop them. No-churn ice cream recipes, in general, call for heavy cream, which is whipped, which adds air and lightness to the mixture, and sweetened condensed milk. You would have to test each recipe separately to confirm it would work.
All the best,
Sharon
Terry
Thanks so much, Sharon! I truly appreciate the speedy reply. About that rock solid ice cream…a little birdie told me that 1-2 Tbsp of vodka, stirred in, just before you put the mixture in the freezer, prevents ice crystals from forming.
Joan
Delicious sherbet recipe! Very flavorful, thank you!
Carolyn
This sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
Carolyn