The Easiest Pantry "Sherbet" Recipe

July seems like the perfect time to share this recipe I make frequently in the summer. I think technically it’s a sorbet because there’s no dairy in it, but “sherbet” is the term that we first used and has stuck in our home.

I originally found this recipe in a pre-1960s cookbook. (If only I noted which cookbook it was! A Farm Journal one, maybe?) I had decided to downsize my cookbook collection during a move a few years ago—silly me—but was intrigued by this particular recipe. The recipe was unusual enough to catch my eye, yet simple enough to try without complicated techniques or expensive ingredients. So, I took a quick picture of it before donating the book.

As you can see, the original recipe called for a mix of prune juice and prune puree. (Hmmm.) I haven’t tried that, but grapes, black and red currants, strawberries, and raspberries have worked with great success. Pureed pineapple--it wasn’t so great. It had good flavor, but had a grainy, icy texture that wasn’t my favorite.

My formula:

1 1/4 - 1 1/2 c. fruit puree (which includes any added sweeteners, lemon juice)

12 marshmallows

Heat the fruit puree and marshmallows in a saucepan and stir until the marshmallows are melted. Cool, then freeze. I make mine in my thrifted electric ice cream maker (with the canister you keep in the freezer) but the original recipe says a simple container works too. That’s it!

What makes this recipe ideal is that I can keep ingredients in my pantry to make this—a can of fruit or fruit juice, some marshmallows, and sugar if necessary. It’s a simple treat—not decadent or over-the-top—but it means that I can make it regularly in the summer with little effort. The next time I make it (probably later this week!) I’m going to experiment with adding in some whipping cream, only because I have it on hand at the moment.

I make every batch to taste. Sometimes the sweetness of the marshmallows is enough, sometimes I add sugar. Sometimes I like to add lemon juice, other times I don’t. It really couldn’t get any easier and like I mentioned, the original recipe doesn’t even require an ice cream maker. I’ve always used mine to incorporate some air into it, but one of those new style ones is absolutely not necessary.

I prefer the texture of this recipe to other homemade dairy-free “ice creams.” It remains a softer consistency in the freezer so you don’t have a rock-hard block to partially thaw on the counter before scooping it. But, then, it does melt more quickly too, so you have to eat it fast-ish.

I made it recently with 1 1/2 c. of Jumex brand mango “nectar,” without any adding any additional sugar. Another winner.

A summer treat that’s mostly fruit with a few marshmallows? It couldn’t be simpler or more frugal!

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I’m the co-author of A Housewife Writes and author of Two Years as an Amish Schoolteacher, available on Amazon. (affiliate link) I love history and learning about the lives of our grandmothers who loved their families and managed their households. I share their stories and wisdom that are still meaningful as well as ways of keeping a modern home in the spirit of past times.