Lime sherbet

Tangy and creamy, scented with lime zest. Like a frozen key lime pie.

Lime sherbet has more milk than fruit sherbets — lime juice is so assertive that the milk doesn’t mask it, only softens it. The aroma comes from zest simmered in the syrup.

Type: Sherbet · Servings: 8 · Difficulty: Easy

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 150 g water
  • 200 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
  • 40 g dextrose (glucose powder)
  • 5 g grated lemon zest (lime zest from 3 limes)
  • 150 g lime juice (fresh) (from 6–8 limes)
  • 450 g whole milk 3.5 % (cold)
  • 30 g whipping cream 33 % (cold)

Making the mix

  1. Simmer the water, sugar, dextrose and lime zest for 1–2 minutes. Leave the syrup to cool completely, then strain.
  2. Mix the syrup with the lime juice.
  3. Whisking constantly, pour in the cold milk and cream in a thin stream.
  4. Refrigerate the mix for at least 1 hour.

Method — Compressor ice cream maker

  1. Switch the ice cream maker on 5–10 minutes ahead so the bowl can pre-chill.
  2. Pour in the chilled mix (no higher than the fill line) and churn for 25–35 minutes until the sherbet is thick and creamy like soft-serve.
  3. Transfer to a chilled container, cover the surface with cling film and leave to harden in the freezer for 2 hours.

Total time: 4 h 25 min

Method — Freezer-bowl ice cream maker

  1. Take the frozen bowl out of the freezer just before use, fit the paddle and switch the machine on.
  2. With the machine running, pour in the well-chilled mix — no more than two thirds of the bowl.
  3. Churn for 20–25 minutes until the sherbet thickens.
  4. Transfer to a chilled container and leave to harden in the freezer for 3 hours.

Freeze the bowl at least 24 hours ahead. A mix with milk and acidic juice must be thoroughly chilled (to 5 °C or below).

Total time: 5 h 20 min

Method — Ninja CREAMi and similar machines

  1. Pour the chilled mix into the CREAMi tub up to the MAX line (any extra into a second tub), put the lid on and freeze level for 24 hours.
  2. Put the tub in the machine and run the Sorbet program.
  3. If the sherbet is crumbly, run Re-spin (many users add a spoonful of milk first).

Programme: Sorbet (or Lite Ice Cream)

Total time: 26 h

Stages

Preparation
20 min
Cooking
5 min
Cooling
1 h 30 min
Churning
30 min
Hardening in the freezer
2 h
Total time
4 h 25 min

Serving and storage

Sprinkle with crushed butter biscuits and grated lime zest — it tastes like key lime pie.

Best within 2 weeks, kept in a closed container with cling film on the surface. Do not refreeze once thawed.

Tips

  • To stop the milk curdling, first mix the juice with the sugar and only then pour in the cold milk while whisking constantly. Slight thickening is fine; flecks are not — they mean the milk or juice was warm.
  • Grate only the green part of the zest; the white pith is bitter. Wash the limes in hot water before zesting.
  • For lemon sherbet, use the same amount of lemon juice and lemon zest.

Why it works

Lime juice is very acidic (pH around 2). The acid makes the casein in the milk start to clump, and the mix thickens. In a cold mix with plenty of sugar, this stays at a gentle thickening that actually helps the sherbet — it acts as a natural stabiliser.

Sources