We’ve shared the best chocolate dairy free ice cream you can buy. We’ve also shared our favorite homemade soy ice cream recipes – but what about dairy free sherbet?
If you’re more of a fruity dessert person, this one’s for you. Sherbet, or sorbet, is a delicious, frozen, fruity dessert you can usually find at your local ice cream shop or in pints at the grocery store.
Is sherbet dairy free?
People often use sherbet and sorbet interchangeably, but there are some differences. Sorbet is technically just fruit, sugar, water, and sometimes flavorings or acid – sounds basic, but it’s so tasty.
Sherbet, on the other hand, takes the basic sorbet recipe and adds egg whites, gelatin, and dairy to the mix. Did you read the word dairy and cringe? Us too.
The dairy used can be either milk, cream, or buttermilk. So, technically sherbet is not dairy free – but sorbet is. People often confuse the two, so it’s important to read labels or ask about nutritional information if you’re buying at an ice cream shop.
The Best Dairy Free Sherbets and Sorbets
Lucky for you, we’ve done the research so you don’t have to. We’ve put together a list of our absolute favorite dairy free sherbets and sorbets that you can find right at your local grocery store. Let’s get into it (we’re drooling already.)
1. Ciao Bella – This brand makes gelato and sorbet. While their gelato is not dairy free, the sorbet is certified vegan. If you’ve read our article Does Vegan Mean Dairy Free? you’ll know that vegan does, 99% of the time, mean dairy free. So all Ciao Bella sorbet is dairy free – no need to read the label! Considering the amount of time we spend reading labels, this is a big win. You can find Ciao Bella at most grocery stores, including: Whole Foods, Publix, Gleason’s, The Fresh Market, Shaws and Kings.
Flavors we love: Blueberry Passionfruit, Blood Orange, Strawberry Fragola, Tangerine
Other dietary notes: As mentioned, sorbets from Ciao Bella are certified vegan. They’re also Non-GMO Project Verified and gluten free, if that’s your thing.
2. Jeni’s Sorbet – Jeni’s is a popular ice cream shop with locations around the country, but you can find their products for purchase in pint form as well. They recently came out with a line of dairy free ice cream – but we’re here to talk sorbet. Their sorbet is made with as much fruit as possible and sometimes mixed with wine, beer, and spirits if it compliments the fruit. It’s sorbet with sass. You can find these sorbets at one of Jeni’s scoop shops or on their website. Check your local Whole Foods, Target, The Fresh Market, and Mejer, as well!
Flavors we love: Blackcurrant Lambic, Hot Toddy, Riesling Poached Pear, Frosé
Other dietary notes: All sorbet flavors are dairy free, gluten free, and soy free. At this moment, all of their flavors appear to be nut free, but you might want to double check the label if you have a nut allergy.
3. Talenti Dairy Free Sorbetto – Talenti is known for decadent gelato and sorbets. They have a full line of dairy free sorbets – and not just plain ol’ fruit flavors, either. They offer flavors like Coconut Chocolate Cookie Sorbetto and Peanut Butter Fudge Sorbetto, and they’re somehow dairy free. Of course, they also offer the traditional fruity flavors, as well. You can find Talenti in stores or purchase online. You can also find it at most major grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kroger, and Target.
Flavors we love: Alphonso Mango, Strawberry Hibiscus, Roman Raspberry, Cold Brew Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter Fudge, Coconut Chocolate Cookie
Other dietary notes: Talenti’s sorbets are vegan, gluten free, and made without the main allergens. They’re also certified fair trade and organic.
4. Haagen Dazs – Yes, this ice cream giant has dairy free sorbet, in addition to tons of dairy free ice cream options, and that includes ice cream bars. Honestly, don’t even look at the dairy free page on their website unless you’re prepared to go out and buy a pint right now. It’s that drool-worthy. Whether you go fruity or chocolatey, you won’t be disappointed.
Flavors we love: Mango, Raspberry, Lemon
Other dietary notes: They’re not certified vegan, so you’ll want to double check the nutrition label. Based on our research all ingredients look to be vegan, gluten free, and made without common allergens.
5. Whole Fruit – For wholesome sorbets, fruit bars, and fruit pops – look no further. Whole Fruit’s products have fruit as the first ingredient, rather than sugar like some other brands. They can be found across the US, though they are a smaller brand so you’ll want to check their store finder to see if they’re in a store near you that carries their products.
Flavors we love: Black Cherry, Watermelon, Mango, Strawberry, Coconut
Other dietary notes: All products are vegan and gluten free, based on the ingredients. They also have an organic line.
6. Sambazon – If you want superfood and dessert wrapped in one package, look no further. Sambazon specializes in Acai, so they only offer one flavor of sorbet – Acai Berry. That means that they do it right! Top it with granola, peanut butter, and fruit and you have your own sorbet-acai bowl at home. They also focus on sustainability in the Amazon, which is a major plus. Find it at Jewel, Target, and Whole Foods in major cities.
Flavors we love: Acai Berry
Other dietary notes: Their sorbet is organic, dairy free, gluten free, and vegan.
7. Open Nature – Open Nature is a Safeway brand, which focuses on producing minimally processed, high quality food that is free from 110 ingredients and allergens. Their sorbet is most importantly tasty, but also affordable and easy to find. Look for it at your local Safeway store.
Flavors we love: Passionfruit, Mango, Raspberry, Lemon, Peach, Blueberry Acai
Other dietary notes: Open Nature prides themselves on having no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. Their sorbets are kosher and dairy free.
8. Sorbabes Sorbet – Sorbabes is known for offering a creamier, less sweet version of sorbet. It’s more like a sherbet, that’s dairy free, and they have flavors for everyone – from fruity to chocolatey. They even have sorbet bars that each have a unique, crispy, crunch coating. Yum! Find it online or in stores at Walmart, Safeway, and Whole Foods.
Flavors we love: Peanut Butter Luva, Raz ‘n ‘berry, Lemon Sorbets; Cherry Almond, Lemon Strawberry Crunch, Chocolate Orange Sorbet Bars
Other dietary notes: Sorbabes is vegan, non GMO, gluten free, and kosher.
9. Charlie’s Sorbet – Charlie’s is fairly new on the scene. They take extra care when sourcing their ingredients, noting that even the chocolate they use is certified manufactured in a plant that does not make any dairy products. Find their products in grocery stores in the Northeastern US.
Flavors we love: Midnight Chocolate, Double Coconut, Pineapple Vanilla
Other dietary notes: Their flavors are all natural, dairy free, vegan, gluten free, soy free
10. Revolution Gelato – Ok, this brand is technically a gelato brand but we had to include it. ALL of their flavors are dairy free, so you can go wild. They focus on using high quality ingredients and pride themselves on being transparent about where their ingredients come from. You can buy their products online, at Whole Foods, and at smaller natural markets.
Flavors we love: French Press Coffee, Cardamom Spice, Darkest Chocolate, Full Throttle Vanilla, Majestic Mango
Other dietary notes: Revolution Gelato is plant based and organic.
11. Honeysuckle Gelato – Honeysuckle is a predominantly gelato focused company, but they do offer some sorbets as well. They have a great variety of dairy free gelatos and sorbets. If you’re in Atlanta, they even offer vegan, dairy free gelato cakes. You can shop for their products at their shops, online, or in the Southeast US at Whole Foods and other smaller grocers.
Flavors we love: Chocolate Brownie Chunk, Peanut Butter Cup, Mint Chocolate Cookie, Mango Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet, German Chocolate Cake
Other dietary notes: No additional dietary notes, but they do deserve a special mention of their charity work. They donate 5% of all sales to Feeding America Network which provides meals to food banks.
12. Julie’s Organic – Julie’s Organic has morphed with its sister company, Alden’s Organic. Not to worry, they still offer several awesome dairy free sorbet options, plus some dairy free ice creams. Find them at most major chains, including Whole Foods and Meijer.
Flavors we love: Mango, Raspberry, Key Lime, Mint Chip, Muddy Brownie
Other dietary notes: All sorbets are vegan and gluten free
There you have it, our top sorbet (and gelato, and ice cream…) picks that you must try. Whether you’re looking for sherbet, sorbet, ice cream, gelato, ice cream bars or fruit bars, there are tons of dairy free options out there for you. What will you try first? Drop a comment below and let us know!
