This delicious Salted Lime Sherbet made an appearance in my Hibiscus Strawberry Margarita Ice Cream Float earlier this week, but here’s that Margarita Ice Cream in all its glory, because it deserves its own post! This lime sherbet is tangy, salty, creamy and refreshing, and super easy to make! It’s got all the flavours of a classic margarita, (optionally) MINUS the alcohol, so even kids can enjoy this all summer year long!
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So I’m just sitting here at my laptop, having eaten a bowl of this Salted Lime Sherbet, and I’m at a loss for words. This just might be the biggest flavour party in town, and it’s all happening in my mouth baby! Unabashedly refreshing, salty, sweet, creamy and most of all tangy, especially tangy, this Salted Lime Sherbet is just SO good, if I say so myself. It’s a party alright, and you’re cordially invited.
I’ve been eating lime sherbet for years, but adding salt is a new habit. I’m not really sure why I never thought of it before. After all, I love drinking margarita, and before that, long before I turned 18 (legal drinking age where I grew up, yay!), I loved drinking lime juice drinks. Chilled lime juice drinks are almost unnaturally popular in Sri Lanka, where limes are readily available any time of the year, and the best lime juice drinks always had a hint of salt. Lime juice was my go-to beverage as a kid whenever I went to a restaurant there, not sodas. And it’s still my favourite pick-me-up drink when I’m feeling unwell. The salt has this uncanny ability to enhance the sweetness and all the other flavours of lime juice and also dulls the sourness and tanginess. But if you do decide that you don’t want to make this Salted Lime Sherbet, salted, I’d still recommend reducing the salt to 1/4 tsp, so that it’s not actually salted, but there’s still a hint of it to intensify the flavour profile of this lime sherbet.
So why am I also calling it a Margarita Ice Cream? Because it’s got all the flavour of a traditional margarita, MINUS the alcohol. But there’s a quick fix for that of course – just pour a shot of tequila and a splash of soda (limeade, lemonade or club soda) over a scoop of this delicious salted lime sherbet!
OR
Add a scoop of sherbet with a shot of tequila (or two – who am I to judge?), and stir or blend to mix the tequila and sherbet together (to melt the sherbet) and drink! That way you get a delicious creamy margarita!
However you decide to eat it though, I guarantee you’re going to love this margarita ice cream. It’s super tangy, refreshing, creamy, with a lovely saltiness and the perfect amount of sweetness. If a sherbet could ever make you long for summer, a beach, and the sun on your back, then this is the one to do it.
And remember, sherbets harden a little more than ice cream. So while it tastes smooth and creamy, you need to let it soften a little before you can form smooth scoops.
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Salted Lime Sherbet { Margarita Ice Cream }
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup lime juice I used small limes, so I had to use A LOT
- 4 tsp grated lime zest
- 3 oz sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup of whole milk or half and half
- Additional 1 cup of whole milk chilled
- 1 cup of cream chilled or substitute with half and half
- 3 - 4 tbsp Silver tequila optional - and will result in a softer sherbet
Instructions:
- Place ¾ cup of whole milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar has melted. Add the grated lime zest and lime juice and mix to combine. The milk will curdle - this is normal.
- Add the rest of the chilled milk, cream and tequila (if using) and mix well to combine. Transfer to the freezer or fridge to chill.
- Add the chilled mix to your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Transfer to a container and let it harden in the freezer for a few hours.
- Let it soften a little before scooping the ice cream (or use a warm scoop to make it easier).
- Zest extra lime on top before serving (optional).
No Ice Cream Churner? No problem!
- Place the milk mixture in a large flat freezer proof dish. Every few hours, break the hardened milk base with a fork and mix it in with the rest.
- Repeat this every few hours (changing to a whisk or hand mix as the mixture hardens more), until the mix is icy and smooth. Let it harden for a few hours.
And don’t forget to check out how I used this Salted Lime Sherbet in this DELICIOUS Hibiscus Strawberry Margarita Ice Cream Float!
And here’s today’s little knowledge bomb – Frozen Desserts!
There are a variety of frozen desserts out there – ice cream, gelato, sorbet, sherbet, granita, frozen slushies etc. Here’s a very brief overview of each.
Ice cream – Usually made with a custard that’s combined with heavy cream and then churned to perfection. The richness of ice cream depends on how many eggs (or egg yolks) are added to the custard base. The more egg yolks you add, the richer it is. And of course the amount of cream that’s added makes a difference too. Usually the ratio is 1:2 of milk to cream. The richer ice cream use up to 6 egg yolks per cup of milks, but I prefer about 3-4 egg yolks per cup of milk (or sometimes half and half).
Gelato – I love gelato! Usually slightly denser than ice cream because it’s churned more slowly and has less air incorporated into it. Ice cream makers are different compared to gelato makers because of the churning speed. Also gelato has less cream. In fact the ratio is usually the opposite of ice cream, 1:2 of cream to milk.
Sorbet – This is when you have a churned frozen dessert with NO dairy. The base is usually fruit (although you can make something like chocolate sorbet by mixing chocolate and water and then churning it), sugar and water. Perfect for those who can’t eat dairy. Some sorbet recipes include egg white in ’em, because beaten egg whites can create a lighter sorbet. You can also replicate this (to an extent) without using egg whites, by adding soda instead of water. It’s not the same, but you’ll still end up with a sorbet that’s lighter in texture.
Sherbet – Like this salted lime sherbet that I’ve shared here. Includes dairy (like milk), but NO eggs. One could argue that Philadelphia-style ice cream is a form of sherbet because it doesn’t contain eggs, but I’d disagree. I think sherbet is less creamy than that, because you don’t add nearly the same amount of cream.
Granita and Frozen Slushies – like this red wine granita that I made recently. These are like sorbets, but even easier to make! Granita requires the base to be completely frozen and the flaked with a fork to create icy flakes – as opposed to fine, smooth ice crystals that you get with churned sorbets. Slushie is when either a granita or a sorbet is half frozen, so that you can either eat with a spoon or sip it through a straw.
Cherry and Blackberry Red Wine Granita with Black Pepper Sour Cream
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Taylore says
Would it be possible to make a dairy free version or will it not set properly? Thanks so much!
Brenda Boyd says
Delicious! Wanted margarita flavor without alcohol for office celebration. This was a big hit. So glad it can be made without ice cream maker!!
Swader says
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and every person who tries it adores this ice cream! So easy to make and eat … One of my favourite treats
Michele Pappagallo says
Is it crazy that I am thinking about making ice cream at 1am after reading this recipe? LOL This sounds seriously amazing! Can’t wait to try it! Sharing on Pinterest!
Megan says
Hi Dini! This looks totally refreshing, i’m definitely going to give it a go! But before I do I want to clarify that the “small limes” that you used were not key limes. I make a lot of key lime pie so I usually have them on hand, however if you use regular limes i’ll have to run out and grab them!
Dini says
Hi Megan! Thank you so much 🙂 I did use regular limes for this recipe (though they were smaller than some other limes I’ve used). You can absolutely use key limes instead of regular limes for this recipe – I think it would be absolutely wonderful with the taste of key limes! 🙂
Sommer @aspicyperspective says
I want a few scoops of this sherbet asap! Perfect a summer party.
shanna Wimpee says
And do we add the salt at the end when we garnish with lime zest or before it goes in the ice cream maker? We are making it for friends this afternoon.
Dini says
Hi Shanna! Thank you for pointing that out!
The salt is added along with the sugar to make sure it dissolves with the milk before being churned. And the mix is churned in the same way as you would ice cream in an ice cream maker 🙂 I filled the churner the same point as I would with Ice cream Custard, just the chilled mix. And just like ice cream, it may require a few hours to set properly in the freezer after being churned.
I hope that helps!
Very excited that you are trying this and I would love to know how it came out! 🙂
xo Dini
Shanna Wimpee says
Thank you!!! I will let you know how it turns out. I guess I will have to do the salt next time b/c it’s in the fridge chillin. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Dini says
I hope you do enjoy it Shanna! You can sprinkle some sea salt flakes before serving instead which will give nice salty flavor explosions 🙂 (and those who don’t want it can leave it out too!)
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
This looks soooooooo good Dini, I love that it’s salted! Salt is like a magic flavour enchancer, and I imagine it ups that margarita taste completely! can’t wait to try it
Scarlett says
Omg, that looks absolutely delicious and refreshing. Thanks again for sharing at FF.
Julianna says
Wow Dini! I am all over this recipe! I have plans to buy an ice-cream machine this summer and I just can’t wait to try this recipe!! I have bookmarked it and this will be the first recipe that I make for sure, as I am head over heels for lime! 😀
Julie says
I love everything about this icecream!
Frugal Hausfrau says
Now you’re just slaying me with another drink/dessert! Gorgeous! Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday!
Mollie
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says
When I was just freshly 21 and first going to bars I used to order margaritas with NO SALT! I’m so glad a bartender friend showed me the error of my ways because lime and salt is such a natural combo. This sherbet looks divine! I don’t own an ice cream maker so I’m glad you included a way to make it without one. I’m gonna give it a shot on my next lazy day at home 🙂
Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess) says
This sounds so refreshing and delicious! I make a really lovely simple lime ice cream which is just a mixture of lime juice and zest, cream and condensed milk, but yours sounds like it would be much more zingy and refreshing; I like the idea of mixing it with tequila as well! 😛
Dini says
Thank you Hannah! 🙂 This has a slightly different texture than ice cream, because it doesn’t have as much fat content or air whipped into it as ice cream, and definitely packs more zing! 😀 I hope you get to try it soon too especially with Tequila :p hahaha!!
Shanna Wimpee says
Does anyone know if you add milk to the fill line on the ice cream maker? Or is it different since it’s sherbet?