Root Beer Sherbet Recipe

Root beer plus vanilla ice cream all in one scoop.

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Photograph: Max Falkowitz

I don't know of a more divisive soda than root beer, and I get it;"rootsy," "medicinal," and "minty" may not be what you want from a soft drink.

But I think more of us can agree that the root beer float was a pretty smart idea: tame root beer's bite with some creamy vanilla while making your ice cream experience a little more exciting.

The problem is that a root beer float is pretty hard to drink right. Start too soon and you just have wet ice cream that doesn't melt into its root beer base; wait too long and you lose the foamy head and any textural contrast that comes from the ice cream slowly seeping into the soda below.

So what if you could take the best qualities of a root beer float—its deep root beer flavor, its mellow notes of cream and vanilla, and its subtle effervescence—and make it into a scoopable dessert all on its own? One that's everything good about a root beer float with none of the downsides? Enter root beer sherbet.

This sherbet derives its flavor from root beer but its body from cream and corn syrup.* It's creamy and rich, and rather on the sweet side, but since it only has a fraction of the fat of ice cream, it's far more refreshing, just like the root beer float that inspires it.

Yes, corn syrup, that ruinous product of modern American industrial agriculture that's killing us all. By which I mean a totally acceptable form of sugar with handy chemical properties that help resist iciness in sorbets.

Recipe Details

Root Beer Sherbet Recipe

Active 45 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

  • 2 cups root beer (see note), chilled

  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled

  • 1 cup "light" (clear) corn syrup

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 3/4 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together root beer, cream, corn syrup, sugar, and vanilla until very well combined. Whisk in salt to taste. The root beer bubbles may form a fizzy raft in the bowl when combined with the cream; this is fine, and churning will fully incorporate it into the base.

  2. If root beer and cream were not chilled, refrigerate mixture for 2 to 3 hours until very cold. Churn mixture according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sherbet to container and chill in freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Notes

Keep your root beer chilled in the refrigerator and you'll be able to enjoy this in under an hour.

The bolder your root beer for this sherbet, the better. We're big fans of Barq's; see our root beer taste test for details.

Special Equipment

Ice cream maker

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
296 Calories
11g Fat
53g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 296
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 7g 34%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 161mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 19%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 53g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 28mg 2%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 30mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)