Name: Frozen Margarita Lime Sherbet
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 tbsp lime zest (2 limes); 3/4 cup sugar; 1/2 cup hot water (just use the hottest water from your tap); 1/2 cup lime juice (4 limes); 1/4 cup tequila; 1 3/4 cup milk of choice (soy, almond, rice, 2%, etc); dash of salt; additional limes, coarse kosher salt, coarse sugar for garnish (opt)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

Lime sherbet marries a frozen margarita recipe to make a delicious, cool dessert! Make this easy sherbet recipe to enjoy this summer!

scoops of Margarita Lime Sherbet in a margarita glass with a wedge of lime

What would summer be without delicious frozen desserts to keep us cool during the hottest days of the year?

ADULT & KID FRIENDLY FROZEN DESSERTS

I like to have an assortment of kid-friendly favorites on hand, like Dr. Pepper Float popsicles, Banana Split Ice Cream Pie Jars, and of course good old fashioned popsicle rockets (bomb pops) for the 4th of July.

But the adults deserve something special, too – in other words, boozy!

Some of our most popular boozy recipes for summer are Boozy Horchata Slushies, Camping Margaritas, and Peachtini Cocktails.

But until now, we didn’t have any ice cream or sherbet recipes with booze in them.
So, using a frozen margarita recipe for inspiration, I created this boozy lime sherbet recipe!

frozen margarita lime sherbet in a margarita glass

Frozen margarita recipe ingredients

Adding a bit of milk to the ingredients for a frozen margarita recipe is all you need in order to create this lime sherbet recipe!

fresh limes – The type of limes you use doesn’t really matter, as long as you can get fresh juice from them.
sugar – Granulated white sugar is going to give you the best results. You can try using a cup for cup sugar substitute like monkfruit or Erythritol, but they may not freeze well. You will need to experiment.
tequila – You will only use 1/4 cup of tequila to make the sherbet, but without it, you won’t have the classic frozen margarita flavor. If you decide to leave out the tequila, replace it with an equal amount of milk.
milk or non-dairy milk of choice – almond, rice, 2%, etc.
salt – You will want to use fine grain salt to make the lime sherbet and coarse kosher salt to rim the serving glasses.
optional garnishes – additional limes, coarse kosher salt, coarse sugar for garnish

titled image (and shown): Frozen Margarita Lime Sherbet (photo shows it being scooped)

DO I NEED AN ICE CREAM MACHINE TO MAKE SHERBET?

I own a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, and honestly, I have not tried making this sherbet recipe without an ice cream maker.

That being said, I am pretty sure that it can be done. There are plenty of no churn ice cream recipes, so it’s possible that no churn lime sherbet is a thing, too.

So, if you decide to try making this recipe without an ice cream maker, please let me know how it turns out for you!

If you have a different type of ice cream machine, just adjust the recipe to fit your particular machine.

How to make sherbet

The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post, but here are the basic steps involved.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to place your ice cream machine’s container in the freezer for at least 4 hours before churning. Also, allow enough time to let it set up in the freezer after it’s churned.

1 – MAKE THE MARGARITA LIME SHERBET BASE

For the best results when churning, it’s important that the churning bowl, mixing paddle, and the sherbet base all be as cold as possible.

So, if possible, make the mixture the night before you plan to churn the lime sherbet and refrigerate it overnight.

Because it needs at least 4 hours to freeze, it’s also a good idea to place the bowl in the freezer the night before.

adding ice cream mixture to an ice cream machine

2. CHURN

Assemble your ice cream machine and pour the base into the frozen bowl. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

After about 20 minutes the sherbet will have the consistency of soft serve ice cream. At this point, you can stop the machine.

churning lime sherbet in ice cream maker

3. FREEZE UNTIL SET

Transfer the frozen margarita lime sherbet to the container you plan to store it in. I like to use a metal loaf pan. Not only does the metal help to keep the sherbet cold, but the shape also makes for easy scooping.

scooping homemade sherbet from a metal loaf pan

Tools needed to make the lime sherbet recipe

Ice Cream Maker
Ice Cream Scoop
Freezer Safe Container

If you like the flavor of a classic margarita, be sure to check out my other margarita recipes, too.

You will love the flavor in Margarita Cupcakes and Margarita Lime Chicken Wings!

dish of homemade frozen margarita lime sherbet

This recipe will yield 1 quart of lime sherbet.