Mango Cranberry Sherbet

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Yes, it can be publicly known that I have a severe weakness for ice cream – especially the rich, creamy ones. And who can resist a cold treat when the weather is so dang hot? (I love hot weather, by the way, but then again, I also love ice cream. 🙂 )

Years ago, I thought homemade ice cream was just for snooty gourmands or those who wanted crazy wacky flavors you couldn't find in the store. But since I started reading labels to really know what's in the food I feed my family, I have become seriously turned off by the vast majority of store-bought ice creams – even the organic ones.

And as frustrated as I am that there aren't good store-bought options, I understand why even the “good companies” add in undesirable ingredients. I get it – I really do. Companies have to provide a consistent product that's easily scoop-able, creamy with no ice crystals, and able to stay fresh (and homogenized) for months at a time, and the only way to do that when you're shipping your product to both Alaska and Florida is to add in artificial stabilizers, preservatives, chemical emulsifiers, and thickeners. It's good business and I don't blame those companies for choosing that route in the slightest (even though I don't respect them for it, most definitely).

But the problem is – no matter how much I understand WHY companies add in the ingredients that they do, I still don't want to eat those items. Even less, I don't want my kids eating them.

Suddenly homemade ice cream takes on a whole new meaning.

Homemade ice cream, here we come!

So, yes, we've made pretty much all our own ice cream in the last few years – and it's much quicker and easier than I originally envisioned. Most recipes take just a couple of minutes to whip together before churning, like when I make classic strawberry ice cream or this Mango Cranberry Sherbet, so it's just a matter of making sure you've always got a chilled ice cream bucket so you can make ice cream whenever the craving (or the heat) hits.

And this Mango Cranberry Sherbet is soooo absolutely delicious! My goodness – it's got the sweetness of fresh mangos coupled with the pop of tart from the dried cranberries with a perfect slight background note of tart lime. It's a lovely, refreshing balance that will make your taste buds sing. I know that because I've made it more than six times in the last three weeks and I almost always start singing after the first bite – or at least give that deeply satisfied groan of ice cream pleasure.

And maybe a new Thanksgiving dessert is in order if you're looking to do something new with all those cranberries! Cut and freeze mangoes whenever they're in season (and thus on sale) near you and you'll be ready to roll late in autumn. 😉

Edited to add: This post has only been up for a couple of hours and I've already gotten three e-mails asking which ice cream maker we use, so I apologize that I didn't include that info right off the bat. We use this one, which we purchased nearly a decade ago with wedding gift certificates. We also purchased an extra freezer bowl, which has been worth it many times over and if it's in your budget, I HIGHLY recommend.

This Mango Cranberry Sherbet recipe hails from the e-book, Just Making Ice Cream, by Marillyn Beard and I would be absolutely lying through my teeth if I said this book wasn't the most helpful and inspiring book through all our homemade ice cream ventures of the last couple of years. Truly, it has been indispensable and has been my go-to source for both inspiration and how-to's when wanting a frozen treat.

The e-book is now in its second edition and both the recipes and the photos make me want to make ice cream even when it's snowing outside!

Here's just a sample of a few of the 70+ recipes (which include a host of dairy-free and allergy-friendly recipes, as well):

• German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream
• Merry Minty Ice Cream
• Almund Joye Ice Cream
• Lemon Lavender Sherbet
• Orange Blossom Sunshine Sherbet
• Creamy Vanilla & Fig Sorbet
• Honey Green Tea Ice Cream
• Carrot Spice Cake Ice Cream
• Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
• Crunchy Pistachio Gelato
• Mango Lassi (with rose and cardamom! I seriously swooned over this one)

By the way – do you know all the differences between gelatos, granitas, sherbets, sorbets, and French-style ice cream? I didn't! (Perhaps I was just naive, but it certainly felt enlightening to finally learn the distinctions!)

And even if you don't have an ice cream maker, Marillyn shows you how to make any of these recipes without one, so there's no stopping you from enjoying your favorite real food treat. Wahoo!

Get a sneak peek at all the recipes and all the good stuff in Just Making Ice Cream.

And just so you know, I'm not getting paid to tell you about this book and I earn no commissions when you click over. One of my greatest joys is getting to share products and ideas with you that I truly love, whether I receive a compensation or not, and this is one of those products that's worth MORE than the suggested donation to download it.

Plus, I deeply appreciate Marillyn, its author, for her passionate knowledge of traditional foods, for the ministry she and her husband share in Central America, and for the light spirit she brings to the natural living blogosphere.

So, here's my challenge to you today: Promise you'll make homemade ice cream at least once this summer (whether you use a recipe from Just Making Ice Cream or not).

Then tell me below what your favorite ice cream flavor is OR what flavor you suspect you'll make. 🙂

Print Recipe

Cranberry Mango Sherbet

Prep Time10 minutes

Inactive Time4 hours

Total Time4 hours 10 minutes

Author: Kresha Faber

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped mango, about 1 lg. mango
• 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot, optional
• ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix everything together and let it chill for a couple hours.
• Once chilled, freeze mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (Or use one of the no-maker methods listed in the author's book, Just Making Ice Cream).
• When the sherbet is done, quickly scoop it into a container or bowl. Serve right away or let it firm up in the freezer for a couple hours before serving.
• Tips: Fresh mango is the best, but frozen is fine too!
• Extras: If you are looking for some crunch, chopped macadamias are fantastic with this!

Notes

Note from Kresha: A couple of times when I've made this I've been out of the dried cranberries, so I've substituted an equal amount of fresh or frozen cranberries, which still tastes sublime, although it doesn't give the same distinct pop of tart flavor in the midst of the sweet ice cream.