5 Ingredients or Fewer

No-Churn Mango Sherbet (Sorbet, Frozen Yogurt, or Ice Cream!)

July 12, 2018
4.3
11 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Makes About 2 cups
Author Notes

Nothing could be easier (and so much fun to play with) than food processor (aka no-churn) mango sherbet. With simple ingredient swaps you can make a vegan sorbet, frozen yogurt, or a rich mellow ice cream. If you keep a bag of pre-prepared mango chunks in the freezer, you’ll be all set to go. Mango sherbet is ultra refreshing spooned out of a dish—but don't forget to turn it into popsicles or float scoops in a glasses of prosecco like tropical bellinis. Sherbet or ice cream also makes luscious sandwiches pressed between ginger cookies or coconut cookies.

Making sherbet (etc) in a food processor means you can taste and correct the flavors and sweetness as you go without having to second guess what it will taste like after it's frozen—because the mixture is already mostly frozen in the processor. Mangoes, like bananas, have loads of soft fiber, which makes for ultra-smooth frozen treats without the need for fat or large quantities of sugar. —Alice Medrich

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Ingredients
  • 9 ounces (255 grams) frozen mango chunks (or 1 cup mango puree that has been frozen and chopped into chunks)
  • 2/3 cup milk (non fat, low fat, or whole)
  • 5-6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-2 fresh limes
  • pinch salt (I use fine sea salt)
Directions
  1. Put the frozen mango chunks into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Grate the zest of one lime directly into the bowl. Add the milk and 5 tablespoons of the sugar. Squeeze the lime(s) and add 1 1/2 tablespoons juice to the bowl with the salt.
  2. Pulse and process until the ingredients are completely blended and resemble soft-serve ice cream. (If chunks are too frozen or large to process at first, let the contents of the bowl stand for a couple of minutes to soften very slightly before continuing). Taste and pulse in more sugar, lime juice, or salt as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop, or until needed. If the sherbet becomes too hard to serve, let it soften for a few minutes in the fridge or on the counter, or soften carefully in the microwave on low (or defrost) a few seconds at a time until scoop able.
  3. Variations:
  4. Mango Sorbet: Swap the milk for water.
  5. Mango Frozen Yogurt: Swap the milk for plain yogurt.
  6. Mango Basil Sherbet: Chop a handful of basil leaves and add them to the processor with the other ingredients.
  7. Mango Jalapeno Sherbet: Make Mango Sherbet or Mango Basil Sherbet, adding 1/2-1 teaspoon minced jalapeno to the processor with the other ingredients.
  8. Mango Ice Cream: Stir 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract into 1/2 cup heavy cream. Let the cream stand for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar. Omit the lime zest (but not the juice) and use the sweetened vanilla cream in place of the milk and sugar.
  9. More ideas to play with: Trade the citrus juice for some fresh grated ginger or ginger juice. Infuse the milk with saffron. Flavor with rose water and or cardamom. Sweeten with piloncillo (panela), or honey, or agave, instead of sugar. Consider a little cinnamon or cardamom...

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My career was sparked by a single bite of a chocolate truffle, made by my Paris landlady in 1972. I returned home to open this country’s first chocolate bakery and dessert shop, Cocolat, and I am often “blamed” for introducing chocolate truffles to America. Today I am the James Beard Foundation and IACP award-winning author of ten cookbooks, teach a chocolate dessert class on Craftsy.com, and work with some of the world’s best chocolate companies. In 2018, I won the IACP Award for Best Food-Focused Column (this one!).

3 Reviews

Nancy H. June 3, 2023
Used 2% plain Greek yoghurt and frozen mango pieces for a spur of the moment, mom-for-dinner dessert - super easy and set up really quickly. So glad I found this at the beginning of the summer! Thank you to Alice!
SShoults May 19, 2020
This was amazing! I used a tin of alphonso mango puree, frozen in an ice cube tray (no pesky chopping of frozen things required). The puree was sweetened so I skipped the sugar, and used just 2/3 cup soya milk to 500g mango. It was perfectly thick and delicious!
Esti August 15, 2018
Can the milk be swapped with almond milk?