Name: Mango-Berry Sherbet
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups frozen strawberries; 1 frozen banana; 1 tbsp lemon juice; date syrup to taste (optional); 2 cups frozen mango; 1 frozen banana; 1 tbsp lemon juice; date syrup to taste (optional)

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Is there anything better than digging into a bowl of delicious and refreshing sherbet on a hot day? I think not. If you’re looking for a sweet treat to keep you cool in the summer heat, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. This mango-berry sherbet is a tasty treat made from whole food ingredients you can feel good about. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free and contains only natural sugars from fruit. It’s a great alternative to those sugar-laden versions you’ll find in stores. So, try this recipe instead. You’ll be glad you did!

Inspiration

The hot weather is here and the kids are home for summer break. I remember how much I loved summer break as a kid, so I always try to make it special for them. We plan activities and outings that we think they will like, but the typical summer treats give me pause. Most of them are loaded with fat and sugar and made from ingredients that barely resemble real food. Not the kind of thing I feel good about putting into their growing bodies. So, I’m always striving to clean up these traditional treats so my girls don’t miss out on that special summer vibe.

That’s where the idea for this sherbet was born. My girls love cold treats in the summer. While we can easily find vegan ice creams on the market today, they tend to be high in fat and loaded with sugar. Sure, this is fine for an occasional treat, but not something to eat regularly. I wanted to make something that I would feel comfortable giving them after dinner or as an afternoon treat. This mango-berry sherbet definitely fits the bill. It’s also picky kid-approved. My youngest loved it and declared it better than the store-bought version!

Ingredients

This mango-berry sherbet is made from a few simple ingredients. Sherbet tends to contain a little bit of milk to add that creamy element that’s missing in sorbets. I was able to achieve that creamy feel by adding frozen banana instead. If you’ve ever had banana nice cream you know that frozen bananas blend up to a creamy texture reminiscent of ice cream. They are pure magic. No wonder they are one of my favourite fruits.

You will need

Mango – fresh or frozen

Strawberries – fresh or frozen

Bananas – ripe, fresh or frozen

Lemon juice

Optional additions

Date syrup

You can use frozen fruit for this recipe. In fact, that’s the easiest option. However, if you prefer, you can purchase fresh fruit and freeze it yourself prior to preparing the sherbet.

You’ll want to use nice ripe bananas for this recipe as they lend some sweetness as well as a creamy texture. I typically buy bananas and freeze them when they get brown and spotty. Just peel them, cut into a few chunks and freeze in an airtight bag or container. Then you’ll always have some ready to add to a smoothie or turn into a frozen treat like this one.

Making Mango-Berry Sherbet

This mango-berry sherbet is pretty easy to make. You won’t need an ice cream maker for this recipe. You can make it with a food processor or high-speed blender. I personally prefer to use a food processor as the base is larger making it easier to blend all of the frozen fruit into that nice uniform sherbet consistency. However, if you don’t have a food processor, you can still achieve this with a high-speed blender. You’ll want to use a tamper or stop blending every so often to scrape down the sides and be sure all the frozen fruit is making its way toward the blades.

You’ll need to start with frozen fruit. So, if you’re using fresh, take the time to freeze it first. Overnight in the freezer should do it.

This will actually be two batches that you can swirl together in the dish when done. Add the ingredients for the first flavour to your food processor. You may need to pulse a bit at first to break down any bigger chunks. Then you should be able to hit the puree setting and wait. How long it takes depends on the power and capacity of your food processor. If it’s packed, it will, naturally, take a little longer to blend. You’ll want to stop every so often to scrape down the sides and check on the consistency. It should take 5-10 minutes to reach the desired consistency.

Then transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe dish. You can move it over in bog dollops and leave some space around them to fill in with the other flavour. This is optional. If you prefer you can just fill half the dish or spread the first flavour along the bottom. Pop the dish into the freezer while you follow the directions above to make the second flavour. Add this to the same dish, filling in the gaps you left behind. You can also swirl the two flavours together further at this point if you wish.

A Note on Flavour

Now, if you like a softer sherbet, you can eat this right away. Or you can pop it into the freezer to firm up a bit before serving.

The flavours will be their strongest right after you make it. Freezing tends to dull flavours a bit, so, if you plan to freeze this for use over a longer period of time, you may want to add some date syrup to help maintain the sweetness if it’s being frozen for more than a day.

Next time you’re craving ice cream, whip up this healthy mango-berry sherbet instead. You get the pleasure of a frozen treat with the nutrients of fruit. So, don’t hesitate to have that second scoop. You know you want to. 😉