No-Churn Hibiscus Sherbet

Anyone who knows me knows that I love going all out on holidays. My birthday is on Valentine’s Day, and for the third year in a row I dyed my hair a shade of either pink or red paired with a matching outfit, matching nails, and matching make-up⁠ — the works! Juneteenth is certainly no different. In fact, I’m even more inclined to celebrate because this holiday holds a lot of weight for me as a Black American.  

If you’re unfamiliar with the holiday, Juneteenth commemorates the Union troops arriving in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to announce the abolition of chattel slavery, which freed enslaved African Americans in the United States. The most significant color for Juneteenth is red. The color red symbolizes the blood that was shed by the enslaved. Red drinks, like hibiscus punch, along with watermelon, strawberries, and red velvet cake are commonly found throughout Juneteenth celebration meals.

I like to put a personal stamp on the holiday by filling the celebration table with recipes of my own. Inspired by traditional hibiscus punch, I came up with this hibiscus sherbet. Sherbet always appeals to the little kid in me, but adding a bit of spicy ginger elevates this for the grown-ups. It’s tart, creamy, and incredibly refreshing — perfect for a hot June day and totally on-brand for Juneteenth. 

This sherbet is pretty and refreshing, but it’s also easy because you don’t need an ice cream machine to make it. One issue with no-churn ice creams is that they can have an icy texture, but I’ve solved for that here by adding sweetened condensed milk to the sherbet base. The thick, creamy condensed milk helps give the sherbet a smooth texture.

The combo of the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and coconut milk adds richness and a creamy flavor that helps balance out the tartness of the hibiscus. A few strawberries go into the mixture to bump up the red color.

• Protect your leftovers: If you have leftover sherbet, press a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap against the surface to protect it from freezer burn.
• Get creative: The sherbet is great served in a bowl and eaten straight-up, but the pretty, tart dessert would also be great in a float (top with ginger ale or even red wine!), sandwiched with soft ginger cookies for a stunning ice cream sandwich, or used as one of the layers in an ice cream pie or ice cream cake.
• Use up that hibiscus: Dried hibiscus flowers are often sold in large packages, so you’ll likely have some left over. That’s a very good thing! Now you have what you need to make hibiscus cold-brew tea, a sparkling hibiscus mocktail, or a hibiscus mezcal pitcher cocktail (don’t forget the Tajín rim!) that’s tailor-made for summer parties.