Sherbet is a frozen dessert made from fruit juice or puree, sugar, and a small amount of milk or cream. It sits somewhere between ice cream and sorbet: creamier than sorbet but lighter than ice cream. When you taste sherbet, you get intense fruit flavor with a smooth, icy texture that melts quickly on your tongue.

People have enjoyed frozen sherbet-like treats for centuries. In America, rainbow sherbet became especially popular: swirls of orange, raspberry, and lime sherbet packed together in one container, giving you three flavors in every spoonful.

Sherbet makes a refreshing treat on hot summer days because it tastes bright and fruity without being as heavy as ice cream. You might see it served between courses at a fancy dinner to cleanse your palate, or just enjoy it as dessert. Common flavors include orange, lime, raspberry, and lemon.

Note that some people confuse sherbet with sorbet, which contains no dairy at all, just fruit and sugar. Sherbet's small amount of milk or cream gives it a slightly richer, creamier quality than pure sorbet.