Every summer I strive to create recipes inspired by our favorite seasonal produce. Plums are one of those fruits that we tend to eat mostly fresh just as they come off the tree. This year, we have had such a bountiful harvest of plums from our tree that I absolutely had to create something unique with these summer jewels. Because plums ripen at the height of summer, I wanted to turn our plums into something refreshing which led me to create this simple plum sherbet.
WHAT IS SHERBET exactly?
Sherbet (commonly mispronounced as “sherbert”) is lighter than ice cream and creamier than sorbet. If you ask me, sherbet is most definitely the superior summer frozen treat. I also think that sherbet is very under-appreciated in the food world. Why exactly, I am not sure. But hopefully in sharing my simple plum sherbet recipe with all of you sherbet will experience a much-deserved revival ;)
HOW TO MAKE PLUM SHERBET:
Sweet with a touch of tartness, plums have the ideal flavor balance to be used in sherbet. Plums get simply cooked down with some sugar and a splash of water and then blended until super smooth. To this plum pureé, you simply add a touch of vanilla extract and a cup of sour cream. Yes, you read that right, sour cream! The gentle tartness of sour cream makes for a truly incredible sherbet. Creme fraîche also works beautifully or you could even make a dairy-free version by using vegan sour cream (*see recipe below for how to make a simple vegan sour cream).
When I took my first taste of this simple plum sherbet it immediately reminded me of the rainbow sherbert I used to eat as a child. Specifically the pink layer in the rainbow! It also helps that this plum sherbet is a gorgeous shade of pink which is absolutely beautiful to behold <3
Easy, fresh, and absolutely delicious – this simple plum sherbet truly deserves to be a part of your summer! And the greatest thing about this recipe is that you can use it as a guide to making any summer fruit sherbet that your heart desires!
SIMPLE PLUM SHERBET
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 mounded cups of plums, pitted and quartered (or substitute with another stone fruit like peaches, nectarines, or apricots – berries are also a great choice for sherbet)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche (or substitute with non-dairy sour cream for vegan option)
Instructions
- Add plums to a medium saucepan along with sugar and water. Cook over medium low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the plums have broken down and become jammy.
- Allow plum mixture to cool down before adding to a blender. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add in the salt, vanilla extract and sour cream and blend to combine.
- Pour sherbet mix into a shallow freezer safe container and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours or until the sherbet is completely set.
- To serve, let sherbet soften at room temperature 10 minutes, scoop and enjoy!
Notes
*SIMPLE VEGAN SOUR CREAM
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
½ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more if needed
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Heaping ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews until the water runs clear.
In a blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt.
Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
Ooooh Bella!!! This is one of the most gorgeous and stunning recipes I’ve seen so far. I can’t wait to try it. I love your beautiful plums and now with a fresh supply, I’m ready to make your Sherbet. You always have been and always will be my favorite blogger. Your way with words is tender and sweet and your photos are always mesmerizing. ♥️
Thank you SO much Michelle! That truly means so much to me…I put all of my heart into the recipes and photos that I create, so to have you acknowledge my work in this regard warms my heart! I can’t wait for you to try this sherbet!
Made this today and it is delicious!!!! A great recipe to include the kids in on as the prep was super easy. Will definitely be making a double batch next time.
Oh yay! I am so happy that you made my recipe and enjoyed it and that your kiddos got to be a part of it! Thank you so much for sharing with me!
I can’t wait to try this recipe (maybe using apricots instead, as you suggest). Also, love the photos! <3
Oh yay! Thank you Mako! Apricots would make the loveliest sherbet!
Never heard of sherbet before, but it sounds overly delicious! :-)
Just to be sure: no need to mix the sherbet every 30 minutes to crack up larger ice crystals? Just thinking of sorbet, where this is something to do when you don’t have an ice-cream maker on hand. Or does the addition of sour cream somehow inhibit the forming of larger ice crystals?
Hi Nina! No mixing needed! Between cooking down the fruit, the sugar content and the fat from the cream, all you need to do is simply let it freeze and then thaw a bit at room temperature before serving!
Yes, you read that right! No mixing necessary for a deliciously creamy sherbet! Between cooking down the fruit with its skin (which has natural pectin) to the sugar content & fat in the sour cream, you won’t have issues with large ice crystals forming!
How great is that?! <3 Can't wait to get my hands on it. Thank you so much, Bella!
Nice plums!! Can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
Thank you! We have had such an incredible plum harvest this year! I can’t wait for you to try this sherbet!
I went to the farmer’s market and scored some delicious plums for this sherbet recipe. It was so worth it!! The color, taste, and texture are out of this world! Thank you so much Bella for such an easy, healthy, and delicious recipe! I can’t wait to share it with all my friends.
Amazing! I am SO happy that you fell in love with my plum sherbet! It really is such an easy but out of this world delicious treat! SO grateful you will share it with your friends too! And thank you for commenting, it means so much!
1st off STUNNING photos like ALWAYS Bella!!!
thank you so very much!
2nd off, the ONLY reason we even tried this specific recipe is because of the INSANELY BEAUTIFUL plums in the photos and the hero shots, because as a family we have NEVER like sherbert to be completely honest!!
aw shucks, thank you so much!
3rd off, not only did we LOVE this recipe, BUT, this sherberty of yours has literally become our healthy ice cream replacement, the beauty of the natural fruit flavors and sweetness combined with the silky creaminess is just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G-!!!!!!!!!
that literally makes my day! YAY!
Oh, I almost forgot to thank you SO MUCH for this amazing healthy treat Bella, XILIA EUXARISTO, kai kiala XILIA EUXARISTO!!!!
You are SO very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to comment! Your support means so much!
I grew up eating plenty of orange sherbet, one of my favorite childhood memories. I can’t wait to make this, what a refreshing seasonal treat!
I too adored sherbet as a child! I know you are going to love this recipe!
We had a surplus of Rosa plums just before Christmas (live in Australia) and I found this recipe. I couldn’t believe how amazingly delicious it is!!! Then a friend gave us some apricots – wow again. I tried with passionfriut, using half as much fruit; it was nice but more icy. Just now cooking up some nectarines to make a new batch. So super easy and tasty. Wonderful to discover a creamy dessert that doesn’t require making a custard base 🥰. I do have an ice cream maker that I use for this but from reading the comments that wouldn’t be necessary.
Thanks heaps for the recipe.
Any suggestions for the passionfruit?
Hi Jane! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! I haven’t personally done anything similar with passionfruit, but here is a recipe that looks good:
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/passionfruit-sherbet-2/14b2a1d9-65b6-4703-9bd4-9b2fa2cd05ca
Can you estimate how many cups of plum juice 4 cups of mounded plums would be? I have cooled down plum juice in my freezer and don’t know how much to use.
It is about 4 cups of cooked plum puree. I am not sure if juice will yield the same result, but you can try!