Blood orange sherbet is the perfect balance between creamy and light textures in a dessert. If you don't know what sherbet is, it's not the ultra-sweet powder of our sugar-holic youth or Darryl Braithwaite's 70s band…. I like to describe it as a cross between ice cream and sorbet - it has a light creaminess that's complemented by the tangy citrus. It's super easy to make and if you don't have an ice cream maker, then you can use the mixture to make popsicles!
Since I eat a mostly dairy-free diet, I'm thrilled that this recipe more than matches its dairy counterparts. The subtle creaminess of the sherbet perfectly complements the floral citrus notes of the blood oranges. If you've never tried blood oranges, this recipe is a great place to start! I also have a gluten-free Whole Blood Orange cake that uses the whole orange including zest and is a cinch to make.
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What are blood oranges?
If you're not familiar with blood oranges, let me fill you in! They're a very specific type of orange with a beautiful flesh colour that ranges from the regular orange colour, through to crimson red and sometimes purple. The funny thing is that you can't tell what colour you'll get until you slice each orange open. All of those gorgeous colours signify the presence of powerful disease-fighting plant compounds - that's why plant foods that are red, pink and purple are so fantastic for your health. The flavour of blood orange is more floral than regular oranges and sometimes has a touch of raspberry.
Blood oranges are a very versatile ingredient - perfect for sweet recipes such as cakes, sorbet and tarts, mixed with mineral water for a mocktail or in salads. Since sherbet was unfamiliar to me - it seems it's not as well-known in Australia as sorbet is - I was keen to give it a try and decided blood oranges would fit perfectly. In Australia, blood oranges are available from August to October. I like to freeze the juice ahead of time if I want to make this recipe in the hotter summer weather.
Why you'll love this recipe
- A perfectly light, yet creamy sweet treat
- Easy to make
- Easy to find ingredients and a short ingredient list!
- A unique and unforgettable dessert
- A beautiful seasonal treat
- Dairy free and vegan sherbet (ensure to check your glucose syrup and sugar are vegan if required)
Ingredients you'll need
- Blood oranges - these are the star of the show, giving us the beautiful floral citrus flavour to balance the creaminess of the coconut. If you can't source blood oranges, you can make this with regular oranges or Cara Cara oranges. Otherwise, a mixture of orange juice and raspberry juice works well.
- Caster sugar - provides a neutral sweetness and structure.
- Glucose syrup or corn syrup* - provides sweetness and a nice chewy body to the sherbet.
- Cooking salt - a tiny touch of salt to enhance the flavours.
- Coconut cream - provides a subtle creamy balance to the citrus. The coconut flavour is very subtle in the final recipe, so even people that usually don't like coconut will enjoy this recipe.
- Citrus pectin - an optional ingredient to slow down melting, especially helpful during summer!
*not "high fructose corn syrup"
Full details are included in the recipe card below.
FAQs
Yes! The role of the ice cream maker is to quickly reduce the temperature of the mixture to soft serve consistency before putting in the freezer to freeze solid. By quickly reducing the temperature and freezing, there is less possibility of ice crystals forming which results in a more creamy consistency.
You have three options if you don't have an ice cream maker. If you're short on time, the first option will get you to frozen treat goodness quicker than the other options.
1. Use popsicle/ice cream/ice block molds to freeze the mixture after it has been cooled to room temperature and then quickly pulsed in the blender. You can skip the fridge time for this option. You can either make a half batch of the mixture (see the recipe notes) or a full batch which will mean freezing in the molds more than once to use up all the mixture. This is a really quick option since you're freezing soon after making and the surface area is small enough to freeze more quickly.
2. Silicon ice cube trays option. If you want to freeze this as a "tub" of ice cream. After the mixture has been cooled to room temperature, quickly pulse it in the blender and then pour into silicon ice cube trays to freeze for a couple of hours. Finally, add the 80% frozen cubes to the blender, blend into a soft-serve consistency and then freeze in an airtight container. Takes around 2 hours for the first freezing step (ice cubes) and then 6 hours for the final freezing step. You will need a blender with a tamper for this option (eg. Vitamix or a similar style blender). You can either make a half batch of the mixture (see the recipe notes) or a full batch
3. Stick/immersion blender option. After the mixture has chilled and been pulsed in the blender, pour it into the airtight container and place in the freezer. Every hour, you will need to use your stick/immersion blender to blend the mixture - this will prevent ice crystals forming as the mixture freezes.
Yes, you can. However, I don't own either of these, so my suggestion is to look for similar recipes to get the technique right for your specific kitchen appliance and then use that technique with my recipe.
If you can't source ingredients or want to swap something, here are my suggestions. They haven't been tested by me, but logically they should work well.
Blood oranges - as above, you can try using regular oranges or a combination of orange juice and raspberry juice.
Caster sugar - you can also use raw sugar or white granulated sugar. Use the weight measurement to substitute. These are all fairly neutral sugars, so they won't impact the overall flavour in a way that coconut sugar or brown sugar may.
Glucose syrup - you can use golden syrup, I don't suggest using honey because it's flavour may overpower everything else. If honey is all you have, use less (eg. ⅓ cup). You can also use corn syrup, as long as it's not "high fructose corn syrup".
Coconut cream - if dairy is tolerated, you can use pouring cream/heavy cream/pure cream. Or you may be able to find a plant-based cream if you need to be dairy-free but don't want to use coconut.
The coconut flavour in this sherbet is very subtle. If you prefer not to use coconut, you can substitute the coconut cream with pouring cream/heavy cream/pure cream or a plant-based cream without coconut.
As this is a dessert, it is sweet; however, the sweetness isn't overpowering at all. As such, I don't recommend reducing the sugar or glucose syrup. Those ingredients are an important part of the texture.
If you ensure to use gluten-free glucose syrup, then yes it is. It's often made from wheat but many brands are certified gluten free. Always check the label and/or contact the manufacturer if unsure. You might like to use corn syrup instead of a wheat-derived syrup as it's essentially very similar. Just don't use "high fructose corn syrup".
If you're serving with cones, ensure to pick up some gluten-free cones if you need to. Here in Australia, Woolworths sells a gluten-free waffle cone.
How to make Blood Orange Sherbet
As with most of my recipes, this one is super easy to make. The below is an outline of the steps - for full instructions, scroll down to the recipe card. You will need an ice cream maker to get the best results or you can use popsicle molds instead!
- Juice the oranges
- If using pectin, whisk it thoroughly into the sugar
- Transfer the juice to a saucepan, along with the sugar and the salt
- Bring to a gentle simmer and whisk for a few minutes
- Next, add the glucose syrup and whisk for a minute
- Lastly, whisk in the coconut cream until it's well incorporated (no blobs!)
- Transfer to measuring jugs and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to a blender and blend for a couple of minutes
- After 20 minutes, transfer to a large bowl (or the measuring jugs) and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours
- After the mixture has fully chilled, add back to the blender and pulse 3-4 times only, to avoid a foam forming at the top
- Lastly, add to your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions for approximately 20 minutes. You are looking for a soft-serve consistency. At this point, transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for 6 hours before serving.
- Or you can skip the ice cream maker and freeze in popsicle molds (I am unsure how many it makes, you may need to do this in batches depending on how many molds you have) - they will probably take 2-3 hours to freeze.
Tips for success
- Make sure to strain your juice through a fine mesh sieve/strainer before measuring and using as there may be some pulp still in the juice from juicing
- Always follow the instructions for cooling the mixture correctly, as this is where problems may arise, causing ice crystal formation (and therefore a less creamy texture)
- Make the recipe at least the day before you want to serve it - this isn't a recipe to make on the day you want to eat it!
Before we get to the recipe
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🧁 Other recipes you'll love
If you like the look of this Blood Orange Sherbet, then you'll also love these tasty recipes:
- Dark Chocolate Mochi Cupcakes
- Whole Blood Orange Cake
- Baked Pancake with Fig, Blueberry and Pistachios
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Blood Orange Sherbet (Dairy Free)
Equipment
- Ice cream maker or popsicle molds
- Blender
- Citrus juicer
- Digital scales
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring jug
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups Blood orange juice (from approximately 10 medium blood oranges; measure after straining the juice)
- 1 small tin coconut cream (gum-free, 270ml/ 9oz or 1 cup + 3 teaspoons)
- ¾ cup caster sugar (165 grams or a little more than ⅓ lb)
- ¾ cup glucose syrup/corn syrup (250 grams or a little more than ½ lb - not high-fructose corn syrup)
- ¼ teaspoon cooking/kosher salt
Optional
- 1 teaspoon citrus pectin eg. Pomona brand
Instructions
- Juice the oranges, discard the pulp and seeds. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve/strainer before measuring and using.
- If using pectin, thoroughly whisk it into the sugar.
- Transfer the juice to a saucepan, along with the sugar and the salt. Over medium heat with the pan covered, bring to a gentle simmer and whisk for a few minutes. Leave the lid off from this point.
- Next, add the glucose syrup and whisk for a minute. Lastly, whisk in the coconut cream until it's well incorporated. It's ok if there are some tiny white specks of coconut cream.
- Remove from the heat, transfer to measuring jugs and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for a couple of minutes.
- Set aside for 20 minutes, pour the mixture into a large bowl or large glass container (or the measuring jugs) cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
- After the mixture has fully chilled, remove from the fridge and add it back to the blender to very briefly pulse 3-4 times to avoid a foam forming at the top.
- Lastly, add the mixture to your ice cream machine bowl and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions for 20 minutes. It should resemble soft-serve consistency.
- Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours before serving.
- Or, you can skip the ice cream maker and freeze in popsicle molds. This may need to be done in several batches depending on how many molds you have.
- If your freezer is super cold, the sherbet will need 45 minutes to soften in the refrigerator before serving.To serve, use an ice cream scoop and serve straight away as it will soften quickly once out of the freezer.Store in the freezer for up to 1 month in an airtight container.
Notes
- 1 ½ cups blood orange juice (measured after straining) - from around 5-6 medium blood oranges
- ½ small tin of full fat coconut cream (235mL/4.5 oz or ½ cup + 1 ½ teaspoons
- ⅓ cup caster sugar (82 grams)
- ⅓ cup glucose/corn syrup (125 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon cooking/kosher salt
- optional - ½ teaspoon citrus pectin (eg. Pomona brand)
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