Made with the season’s freshest Mercott Mandarins, this Orange Sherbet is creamy and bursting with the freshest orange flavor! vegan + gf
Sending you a sunny, welcoming Spring greeting from the Pacific Northwest! Okay, perhaps sunny is stretching it, but we did have a bit of sunshine for a glorious romp through the muddy tulip and daffodil fields.
Each Spring, Skagit Valley teams with 1,000 acres of daffodil, tulip, and iris blossoms for its annual Tulip Festival. Breathtaking color saturates the landscape for as far as the eye can see; a soothing respite for the eyes and senses.
The tulips are a few weeks early this year due to our mild winter. I know my Midwest and East Coast readers are saying, whhaaaaa? Y’all had a rough one. Because of the early blooms, Rob and I went before the opening week to beat the crowds; it was worth the effort.
Have you been?
The color of Spring flowers and late winter citrus are overwhelmingly inspiring and bring pleasure beyond compare. It’s the simple things, right? Take citrus, for example. I’ve been drinking it up several times a week since sharing the beloved citrus ginger mint green smoothie with y’all. I’ve used it in salad dressing, salad and made this tart with famed Cara Cara.
Murcott Mandarins, next to Cara Cara orange, are my go-to late season citrus. They are incredibly easy to peel, are organic, virtually seedless and over the top sweet and juicy. Murcott Mandarins start showing up right about when California Clementines are ending their season.
Also known as Murcott Tangerines, and Honey Tangerines, find Murcott Mandarins at organic markets, natural food stores, and local co-ops.
Orange Sherbet was my favorite frozen treat growing up. My dad would have it for us at the lake-house on those long summer days. Cool, creamy and nothing but orange; a favorite remains.
After school, a group of us would walk to Braum’s several times a week for socializing gossiping, and eating our fair share of Sherbet. Can you imagine a hoard of adolescents descending on an ice cream shop after a long, arduous day in middle school? Gah!
Orange Sherbet sets right in the middle on the continuum of frozen treats. Ice cream is made with dairy and eggs, sherbet with dairy, and sorbet is dairy and egg-free. In this Sherbet recipe, I use coconut milk to make it dairy-free and to increase its overall deliciousness.
Orange Sherbet is so simple to make; it only requires six ingredients, an ice cream maker and a strong hand for juicing. It comes together with ease and is worth the wait. Even Rob was smitten; not an easy task.
Oh, and these vegan cake cones make the Sherbet experience even better. The crunchy texture against the creamy, orangey Sherbet is texturally tantalizing. I cannot even…
Thank you for coming out to Vanilla And Bean’s one year birthday celebration last week, for your kind words and encouragement.
Here’s to all things Spring. Have a beautiful weekend!
Orange Sherbet
Creamy, comforting and oh so orangey. This frozen egg-free, dairy-free treat is a direct line to childhood days. vegan + gf *Time below does not reflect the time it takes to chill and freeze the sherbet.
Ingredients
- 2 C Orange Juice fresh-squeezed Murcott Mandarins (482 g of juice). This will require 2-3 lbs of oranges (1 - 1.4 kg). Refrigerate the oranges overnight if possible.
- 1 Tbs Lemon Juice 4 g
- 1 C Granulated Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar 210 g
- 1/8 tsp Sea Salt 2 g
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract I use Rodelle Organic, 4 g
- 1 1/2 C Coconut Milk, full fat, from a can, cold 385g (1 Can)
- 2 Tbs Orange Zest 2 small oranges (12 g)
Instructions
- The night before making the sherbet, place the oranges and coconut milk in the refrigerator. Place the ice cream maker's freezer bowl in the freezer.
In a high speed blender (or a food processor), blend the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and coconut milk until the sugar is dissolved. Strain into a large bowl. Add the orange zest. Stir. Refrigerate until mixture is 40F or less (I refrigerated mine overnight to reach appropriate temperature).
- Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. When finished, the sherbet will be like soft-serve (mine took 25 minutes).
While the sherbet is processing, line a storage container with parchment paper and place in the freezer. Once frozen, spoon the sherbet into the storage container making sure to redistribute the zest evenly as it tends to get stuck and clump up on the mixer attachment.
Place a piece of parchment paper directly on the surface of the Sherbet and freeze until desired consistency. I freeze mine overnight, but a softer serve consistency can be enjoyed in about three hours. Serve in a bowl or cone. Store for up to two weeks in the covered container in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Alton Brown's Recipe.
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Hi Traci.
I just bought a CuisinArt sorbet/ice cream/frozen yogurt maker at a thrift store and can’t wait to put it to use. Very excited to see this recipe but I have a question. Do I have to use coconut milk or can I also use cashew milk which is a bit creamer, plus I don’t really enjoy the coconut flavor too much.
thank you so much,
Renate
Vermont
Hey Renate! Congratulations on your new ice cream maker! For the sherbet, I’ve been told by people that’ve devoured this with me (as well as other coconut milk sweets recipes, if coconut flavor is not the objective), that the coconut milk is undetectable. That said, I make cashew milk ice cream all the time: https://vanillaandbean.com/bourbon-vanilla-bean-ice-cream/ But it also has coconut milk in it. I’m pretty sure you could sub cashew milk for the coconut milk (although I’ve not tried it) and would love to hear back if you give it a go!
Would like to make. It looks so good! Although I see coconut milk in the instructions, I don’ t see it in the ingredient list. How much coconut milk do you use? Thank you.
Hey Melinda! Thank you so much for your note… I just transferred some recipes from my previous program and I had a few issues. Thank you for catching this for me! I’ve corrected the ingredients to include 1 can full fat coconut milk (1 1/2 C) I hope this helps! Thank you again!
Amazing. perfect for my daughter who can not have dairy. Creamy, firmed up perfectly, Love it thank you for the recipe!
Hooray! Thank you sharing. We love this recipe too! :D
your photos are mouthwatering! i can’t wait to try this recipe once it’s just a liiiittle bit warmer up here in Canada ;)
Thank you, Mel! Come on Canada! Warm up!! :D
the flavor of this would be bursting with orange i bet its pretty much irresistable to eat!
Yeah, it’s pretty irresistible. I scooped the last scoop last night… and I’m thinking we need to have more in the freezer! Mandarins are still in season! :D
Oh I never went to the tulip festival when I was living in Seattle. Bummer. Guess I’ll have to make a trip back! This sherbet is so awesome. Love your photos, Traci!
Next time your here in Spring, it’s a must do! :D Thank you, Liz!
I am so excited for frozen treats season! This looks fantastic!!
I’m just realizing how long it’s been since I had orange sherbet! This looks phenomenal and your photos are amazing!!
Oh I know, Medha! Too long for me too. I don’t know how it hit me… I think I forgot about Sherbet?! How could I?! :D
Thank you for reminding me how much I LOVE orange sherbet – a treat I haven’t had in a long time! I can’t wait to try this recipe, Traci! It looks SO delicious – I can only imagine how good the fresh orange juice and zest taste in this recipe. PINNED!
Oh I know! Sometimes we just need a reminder. I wondered why it took me so long to make it!? I mean, it is my all time favorite (save chocolate), so how could I go all these years without it!? Thank you for your pin Ceara! :D
I am so glad I found your site via instagram! Your photos are absolutely stunning and as a vegetarian myself, it’s sooo wonderful to find healthy plant-based recipes as well some sweets! I am interested in attending a pastry school just so I can learn all the wonderful techniques and bakery secrets! :) You have a beautiful site and I am excited to see more of it!
Thank you, Annie! Likewise! :D
This was the post I needed in this very moment. We’re just packing up for my son’s lacrosse game in 20ish degree weather and your beautiful photos and descriptions were precisely the antidote I needed to bring me back to reality. There are other parts of the world where the sun is shining and flowers are blooming…Yay! You have restored my faith! Your sherbet looks wonderful – so bright and refreshing. My favorite flavor of sherbet, by the way! Thank you!!
Burrrrr, Annie! You’re welcoming Spring, eh? I hope it’s warmed up a bit since your son’s game. So happy to share some sunshine! :D
Wow, Traci! This looks so creamy and delicious!! I’m obsessed with citrus right now as well so I would love a bowl of this. As always, your pictures are stunning. Beautiful!!
Oh I know… citrus kinda sucks me in too. :D Thank you Sarah!
Love the flower photos, Traci, they put me in a good mood as soon as I opened your post. We still went snow showing in hip-deep snow yesterday. :) The sherbet looks gorgeous and delicious!
Thank you, Nicole! I appreciate your feedback! Rompin around in the snow sounds like fun.. although cold. Thanks for stopping by, Nicole! :D
It’s cold at first but once you start hiking up the mountain you’ll get warm pretty quickly. :)
Ooo that orange sherbet looks SO delicious! And it’s a great recipe for the first day of Spring!! Pinned :)
Thank you, Christina and thank you for your pin! :D
Traci! This orange sherbet is too good! I love that you made it with coconut milk. I just want to put coconut milk in everything. I am going to pick up some tangerines this weekend so I can make this!
Hey Natalie! Oh yeah, coconut milk is sooo good. The lady at the co-op kinda gave me a funny look as I started grabbing up all the cans and shaking them one by one. I bought so many cans and make sure I always have it stocked in the pantry. Yes, yes, get those mandarins or honey tangerines! I hope you and Shawn enjoy it!
I am totally craving for this! This looks amazing!!!!! I love a good citrus creamy dessert! These mandarins must be super sweet! Totally pinning and bookmarking!
Thank you, Lokness! :D The mandarins are sweet and so juicy! Thank you for your pins!
Yuh-um! Orange sherbert was one of my favorite frozen treats as a kid. Do you remember those sherbert popsicles from the grocery store? Or maybe those were just extra special in my mind… teehee!
Meee toooo, Sarah! I do remember the cremesicles! We ate plenty of them, and this sherbet tastes a bit like them! They were extra special.
I’m watching more snow fall right now! And you have tulips! Ahhh! Absolutely gorgeous though, what a lovely festival to enjoy. My mother-in-law is originally from the Netherlands (she now lives in South Africa) and she just loves tulips. Every time I see them I think of her.
Please send me all of this sherbet. Drooling. I’ve only had creamsicles (as Kelly mentioned), but I’m loving the vanilla and coconut milk in your version! And it’s like soft-serve? Sold. Yes, definitely sold. xo
Oh my, Emilie! Snow?! My goodness… I bet you’re ready for another round of vacation!
Sending the sherbet over directly… :D ! Soft serve? Yes, if you let it freeze for just a few hours. I let mine freeze over night because I am obsessed with those cake cones. All that sherbet oozes down into the cone, so you get a creamy bite with each crunch! I devoured this!! :) Most of the time, I give much of anything sweet I make away… this time I hoarded it… giving the eye’ to anyone who neared the freezer!
Gorgeous photos! Citrus fruit photographs so well. I don’t think I’ve really made anything with citrus this winter! It’s not too late though – our temperatures are still barely above freezing here so it still feels like winter here haha. As soon as it warms up though I can’t wait to try this sherbet!
Hard to believe Spring has arrived and so many are still feeling winter! And it’s not too late for citrus! I just picked up another bag of mandarins to keep packing my smoothie full of them! :D
I am in love with the look of this sherbet, Traci! Your photos are just gorgeous and the bright orange color makes me so happy. I haven’t had sherbet in years – it seems like it was a childhood treat for all of us, but something adults unfairly overlook. I’m certainly ready to have it again :) I love how this only has a few ingredients too. And your tulip photos are wonderful! Enjoy your early spring!
Thank you Julia! :D The orange color is beautiful. The aroma of the vanilla and orange wafting around the house made me go into a trance! It was just wonderful! Yes, yes! Enjoy a childhood treat from time to time… it’s worth it! :D
You’ve just introduced me to a new citrus again :)
This sherbet looks amazing as well as your pictures! The one with the oranges is just so pretty, it makes me happy!
Thank you Evi! :D Theres so many varieties. One afternoon while at the co-op, the produce manager stood with Rob and I and cut open each different orange so we could try them. Of course I had a million questions… so we stood there, dripping hands… juice on the floor, savoring all the varieties. I finally found my favorite. There is no more guess work!
Those tulips rows are so beautiful! Do you also get a lot of lavender up where you live??
The coconut in this sherbet sounds like an incredible profile to pair with the oranges. After you last mentioned the cara cara, I found them at our market and brought some home for Lucas’s smoothies. Now I’ve gotta look for Murcott Mandarins! Mmmm – I wish I could just order a scoop from you:)
Yes, lavender too! A few miles North is Lavender Wind Farm and of course there are several other farms off island. In mid summer it’s purple for as far as the eye can see… truly stunning. We go to watch the bees pollinate and inhale the wafting oils.
So exciting you found Cara Cara!! They are delicious in smoothies for sure! Murcott Mandarins too… I just bought a bag.. from Wild River Farm out of California. While it doesn’t say Murcott, they are organic and are either the same or close to Murcott. They taste the same. I’d love to share a scoop with you, Sarah! :D
Incroyable! I was on the road most of the day but kept sneaking glimpses of this post… that barn, those tulips, and this orange sherbet — all of it, beautiful. I can understand why it was a childhood favorite — so fun when food brings along a string of associations and memories like that ~ you begin to smell and taste long before it hits your tongue :). I don’t think we had sherbet when I was growing up — it was more the orange creamsicles – delish (I wonder if they taste similar?). Love your ice cream scoop Traci – I have a similar one that was passed down from my mom… precious.
Oh the barn… the tulips! Oh it’s spectacular, Kelly! Okay… the sherbet too :) ! Orange creamsicles? Yes! Me toooo! And this sherbet is reminiscent of that for sure. Just pop the scoops on a stick, and well… it’s almost the same.. almost. Oh that is terribly sweet about your scoop… mine actually came from an antique store… The scoop size is large and the lever mechanism is strong. It is my go-to scoop.
Traci, this is STUNNING! I have to try it ASAP. Well done, girl :)
Thank you, Alison! :D
As a midwesterner, I am indeed going “Whaaaaa” (we expect SNOW here Monday), but just as much at this sherbet as to the lovely weather. I never stopped to think about the idea of making my own sherbert, but of course. How fun!
Yup… cuddle up with HRH Henry my dear… it’s still cooooold out there! Welcome to Spring, Nora! Stay warm!
As always, stunning photographs Traci! Orange sherbet is my daughters absolute favorite dessert. I just told her that I found us a recipe to make it at home and she freaked right out ;) I love that you made this with coconut milk instead of dairy. Its one reason I hardly buy it in the store in spite of Jessica’s begging. We are going to whip this up this weekend!
Oh and um, until today, I thought it was sherbert not sherbet. Duh!
Thank you, Julie! Yay! It’ll be a Sherbet or Sherbert making weekend, eh!? I know! I totally grew up thinking Sherbet was Sherbert… I think it will forever be Sherbert! LOL! I hope you two enjoy it!
I love the look of that, absolutely delicious. I can’t wait for it to warm up a bit here because I so want to make that…..
Thanks so much Anna! Bring on the sunshine, right?! :D
Your pictures are just beautiful, Traci. Just love, love, love the first photo of the farm and flowers – so pretty – it’s so nice to see a little slice of your world. I still haven’t gotten myself an ice-cream maker but will definitely be borrowing my friends to try making this. I love orange flavored desserts – and this orange sherbet looks just perfect. Thanks, Traci!
Thank you, Geraldine! Oh yeah, the flowers…. it’s quite breath taking; color as far as the eye can see! Yes, yes, borrow. I finally got an ice cream maker and returned my neighbors. I was worried I’d break hers before I returned it! hehe ;)
I don’t remember trying Murcott Mandarins, but will definitely do! Love the sherbet, just in time for spring! And the tulip photos are awesome!
Thank you Mira! I hope you can locate some MMs! :D
Hi Traci. I just discovered your blog via Foodie Crush and subscribed because of the artful pictures you take AND because you are also a Pacific Northwesterner (We are in Marysville)! I love the DF orange sherbet, and I’ll have to take the family up to see the tulips, soon, too! I figured they would be early this year because of this mild weather.
YaY! Hello Sonja from Marysville! So glad you stopped by! Yes, get on up there. It’s almost strange to see the daffodils and tulips blooming in neighboring fields. It’s sooo pretty though, you know! Thank you for subscribing! :D
This is absolutely GORGEOUS! Dang girl, these pictures are killing it. I love sherbet in the summer, so I will willingly eat a cone of this tart goodness and pretend it’s summer already : )
Awh, thank you Abby! :D Yes, yes, lets pretend its summer! I like how you think!
Wow wow wow wow wow. Did I say wow? Wow!
I simply can’t wait to make this orange sherbet. I made your chocolate vegan ice cream before that was out of this world amazing so I can only imagine the goodness that will come from making your new sherbet recipe.
Love the pics as well. Makes me all giddy inside. :)
Oh, you’d love this, Amber! Yup… giddy… thats spot on! Meee toooo! :D