Rainbow Sherbet

Name: Rainbow Sherbet
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2½ cups (300 g) raspberries, fresh, or frozen and fully thawed with their juices; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, cold; 1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt; 1¼ cups (300 ml) fresh orange juice, squeezed from about 4 medium oranges, pulp strained out, chilled; 2 teaspoons (4 g) orange zest, finely grated from the oranges before juicing; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, cold; 1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt; 6 tablespoons (90 ml) fresh lime juice, squeezed from 3 to 4 limes, strained, chilled; 2 teaspoons (4 g) lime zest, finely grated from the limes before juicing; ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) granulated sugar; 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, cold; ¼ cup (60 ml) cold water; 1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Three bright, creamy sherbets (tangy lime, sunny orange and ripe raspberry) churned separately and layered into one striped, scoopable dessert. Whole milk keeps every layer smooth without eggs or cooking.

Prep: 1 hr
Cook: —
Wait: 9 hr 25 min
Total: 10 hr 25 min
Makes: About 7 cups (1.6 L), 10 servings of ¾ cup each

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the raspberry layer
2½ cups (300 g) raspberries, fresh, or frozen and fully thawed with their juices
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, cold
1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine sea salt
For the orange layer
1¼ cups (300 ml) fresh orange juice, squeezed from about 4 medium oranges, pulp strained out, chilled
2 teaspoons (4 g) orange zest, finely grated from the oranges before juicing
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk, cold
1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine sea salt
For the lime layer
6 tablespoons (90 ml) fresh lime juice, squeezed from 3 to 4 limes, strained, chilled
2 teaspoons (4 g) lime zest, finely grated from the limes before juicing
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, cold
¼ cup (60 ml) cold water
1 tablespoon (20 g) light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine sea salt

Equipment (8)

Ice cream maker with at least a 1.5-quart (1.4 L) canister
2-quart (2 L) freezer-safe loaf-style container or pan, lined with parchment paper
Fine-mesh sieve
Citrus juicer and fine rasp-style grater (Microplane)
3 medium mixing bowls
Whisk and silicone spatula
Measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale
Plastic wrap or an airtight lid

Steps

Before you start

Freeze your ice cream maker's canister for at least 24 hours before churning (skip if you have a self-cooling compressor machine). A freezer-bowl machine needs the bowl re-frozen for 24 hours between flavors, so plan to churn one flavor per day. The bases keep 48 hours in the fridge.
Start the day before if you can. The three bases must chill for 4 hours, churning takes about 1 hour, and the finished sherbet needs 4 more hours to firm up.
Use cold, fresh citrus juice and whole milk. Bottled juice and low-fat milk give icier, less flavorful results.
Line a 2-quart (2 L) freezer-safe container with parchment and put it in the freezer so it is very cold before you layer.

1
Zest and juice citrus
- Wash and dry the oranges and limes.
- Using a fine grater, zest the oranges to get 2 teaspoons and the limes to get 2 teaspoons, keeping the zests in separate small piles.
- Juice the oranges to get 1¼ cups (300 ml) and the limes to get 6 tablespoons (90 ml).
- Strain both juices through a fine-mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds, then refrigerate.
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Ready when: You have exactly 300 ml orange juice and 90 ml lime juice, both free of pulp and seeds.
Tip: Zest before juicing. Zesting a squeezed, floppy fruit is far harder.
2
Macerate the raspberries
- In a medium bowl, crush the raspberries with a fork or potato masher until mostly broken down.
- Stir in the ½ cup (100 g) raspberry sugar and let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature so the sugar draws out juice and begins to dissolve.
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Ready when: The berries look wet and syrupy with only a few sugar granules visible.
3
Finish raspberry base
- Press the crushed berries through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, scraping the underside of the sieve and pressing hard until only dry seeds remain (you should have about 1 cup/250 ml puree).
- Whisk in the ¾ cup (180 ml) cold milk, 1 tablespoon corn syrup and ¼ teaspoon salt until smooth and evenly pink.
- Cover and refrigerate.
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Ready when: The base is a uniform pink with no streaks and no sugar grains when you rub a drop between your fingers.
Tip: Do not skip the sieve. Raspberry seeds make the sherbet gritty.
4
Mix orange base
- In a medium bowl, stir the ½ cup (100 g) sugar, orange zest, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon corn syrup into the 300 ml orange juice for about 2 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Slowly pour in the ¾ cup (180 ml) cold milk while whisking constantly.
- Cover and refrigerate.
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Ready when: The sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and pale orange.
Tip: Add milk to the juice slowly while whisking. The acid can make tiny curds if the milk goes in all at once. Any that form blend away when churned.
5
Mix lime base
- In a medium bowl, stir the ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) sugar, lime zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon corn syrup and ¼ cup (60 ml) water into the 90 ml lime juice for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Slowly pour in the 1 cup (240 ml) cold milk while whisking constantly.
- Cover and refrigerate.
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Ready when: The base is pale and smooth with no sugar granules.
6
Chill all three bases
- Refrigerate the three covered bases for at least 4 hours, or up to 48 hours.
- They must be very cold (below 40°F / 4°C) before churning, which gives the smallest ice crystals and the creamiest texture.
- Put the lined 2-quart container in the freezer now if you haven't already.
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Ready when: Each base feels icy cold to the touch of the bowl.
Tip: Stir each base well before churning, since the juice and milk can settle.
7
Churn the lime layer
- Set up the frozen canister, start the machine, then pour in the lime base.
- Churn for 18 to 22 minutes.
- Spread the sherbet in an even layer across the bottom of the chilled, lined container, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Return it to the freezer right away.
- Rinse and dry the canister paddle and bowl if you will churn again immediately.
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Ready when: The sherbet looks like thick soft-serve and holds a soft peak on the paddle.
Tip: Freezer-bowl machine? Return the bowl to the freezer for 24 hours before the next flavor and keep the other bases refrigerated meanwhile. The layered container can stay in the freezer between batches.
8
Churn the orange layer
- Churn the orange base for 18 to 22 minutes in a freshly frozen canister (or a rinsed compressor machine) until it reaches soft-serve consistency.
- Gently spoon it over the lime layer and spread it evenly to the edges.
- Smooth the top and return the container to the freezer.
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Ready when: Thick, soft-serve texture that mounds on the spatula.
Tip: If the lime layer is rock-hard when you add the orange, that's fine. It simply keeps the stripes sharper.
9
Churn the raspberry layer
- Churn the raspberry base for 18 to 22 minutes until thick and soft-serve-like.
- Spoon it over the orange layer and spread it to the edges, then smooth the top.
- You'll have three even stripes about ⅓ of the container each.
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Ready when: Pale pink, thick and billowy, holding its shape when scooped.
10
Freeze until firm
- Press a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sherbet, then cover with the lid.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours, until the sherbet is firm enough to scoop cleanly.
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Ready when: The surface feels solid and a spoon meets firm resistance.
Tip: Pressing wrap onto the surface prevents ice crystals and freezer burn.
11
Temper and serve
- Let the container sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Run a thin knife around the edge, lift the sherbet out using the parchment, and scoop or slice so each serving gets all three colors.
- Dip the scoop in warm water between servings.
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Ready when: A spoon presses in without cracking the sherbet.
Tip: For neat stripes, scoop straight down through all three layers instead of skimming the top.

Good to know

Tips

Chill everything: cold bases, cold container and cold juice give the smoothest texture with the smallest ice crystals.
Don't fill the canister more than two-thirds full. Each base is sized to leave room for the sherbet to expand as it churns.
If the sherbet freezes too hard to scoop, let it sit 10 to 15 minutes. Don't microwave it, since this melts the edges and refreezes as ice.
Taste each base before churning. Freezing dulls sweetness, so it should taste slightly too sweet and tangy at this stage.

Make ahead

Make the three bases up to 48 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator. The finished sherbet can be frozen up to 2 weeks before serving.

Storage & reheating

Freezer: keep airtight with parchment pressed onto the surface for up to 2 weeks. Texture turns icy after that. Not suitable for room temperature or fridge storage. To serve, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes until scoopable.

Substitutions

light corn syrup → honey or light agave syrup. Use the same 1 tablespoon per flavor. It also keeps the sherbet soft, with a slight honey flavor. Applies to the raspberry and lime layers too.
whole milk → full-fat canned coconut milk (stirred). Use the same amount for a dairy-free version. The sherbet will taste slightly of coconut and be a little richer.
raspberries → strawberries or blackberries. Use the same weight. Strawberries may need a splash more sugar if the fruit is tart. Strain blackberries well.
fresh orange juice → fresh pineapple juice. Traditional rainbow sherbet includes pineapple. Use the same amount and skip the orange zest.