By now, you know that gelato traditionally uses milk and cream as its main ingredients, and that sorbet primarily contains fruit juice or fruit purée and does not use dairy products or eggs. Sorbet is less creamy.
The Healthiest Choice
Gelato has more calories and fats, which makes people feel satisfied in smaller portion servings. On the other hand, sorbet does not contain fats, but have lesser calories, making you want to eat more.
Sorbetto is also called sorbet. Unlike like gelato, sorbetto is always a dairy and egg free frozen treat. It is, therefore, the lowest fat content of the three treats. Sorbetto is made with sweetened juice, fruit puree, or water and it is denser than gelato.
Sherbet and sorbet are both fruity frozen treats whose names are often incorrectly used interchangeably. The main difference? Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet has no dairy.
A sorbet does not contain any dairy products and is more acidic, which results in tart flavors. Another difference between sorbet and ice cream is it is a sweet alternative for those with non-dairy* dietary needs or lifestyle preferences.
Gelato typically offers fewer calories, less sugar and lower fat content per serving than ice cream. The typical 3.5 oz. serving of vanilla gelato contains 90 calories and 3 grams of fat, compared to 125 calories and 7 grams of fat in the average vanilla ice cream.
Sorbet and sherbet are both lower in calories than the rich, high-fat “gourmet” ice creams. However, their high sugar content means they may have about the same amount of calories as light ice cream or frozen yogurt, or some store-brand ice creams.
Sherbet has been used in parts of both the UK and Australia as slang for an alcoholic drink, especially beer. This use is noted in a slang dictionary as early as 1890, and still appears in list of slang terms written today (especially lists of Australian slang).
This delicious sorbet includes whipped egg whites, which gives the frozen results a thicker and creamier texture. Make it in an ice-cream machine, then simply serve and enjoy!
Sorbet is a French word, and it's pronounced that way too, with a silent t. It comes from the Italian sorbetto, with its roots in the Turkish serbet, which makes clear the relationship between sorbet and its close relative, sherbet.
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream derived from the Latin word “gelātus” (frozen). Gelato is lower in fat because it contains less cream and more milk, and is churned slower resulting in less air and a richer flavour.
While the word "gelati" is simply the plural of gelato, it's also considered its own dessert. It's a mixture of Italian ice (a sweetened dairy- and egg-free fruit-based dessert) and custard.
Gelato is custard-based and made with dairy (milk, cream, or both), sugar, air, and flavorings. Some gelato contains egg yolks, as this is a traditional way to make it, but most recipes today are milk-based (1, 2).
I used to think sorbets were the healthier treat of the summer. But Joy explained they tend to contain more sugar than ice cream or gelatos.
Gelato is healthier for you.
SFGate reports that while ice cream has 14 to 17 percent milkfat, gelato contains just 3 to 8 percent. That's because ice cream uses lots of heavy cream, while gelato uses milk. Gelato also uses far fewer egg yolks than ice cream—in some cases none at all.
Because it contains little other than water, sugar and some form of fruit, sorbet tends to be much lower in calories and fat than ice cream.
If you don't know the exact sugar content of your fruit, the best thing you can do is play it safe. A sugar concentration between 20% to 30% will generally produce a scoopable, creamy sorbet. * Add less and your sorbet is too icy to scoop; add more and it may never freeze.
Keep in mind, fleshier/softer fruits (like mangos, peaches, berries) will yield softer sorbet, while fruits with a higher proportion of water (melons, grapes, citruses) will generally create a more firm texture. This can be adjusted with more sugar or by creating a blend of fruit, such as mango-orange!
People from the UK prefer to call it 'sorbet', Americans prefer 'sherbet'. Both of these are borrowed words but they mean the same thing.
On the flipside nutritionally, sherbet and sherbert will have more nutrients (even if more saturated fat) than sorbet. "Sherbet generally has some addition of dairy, though less than ice cream, and therefore, it will have more protein and minerals like calcium than sorbet," she says.
Common sherbet flavors include orange, raspberry, lemon, and lime. There's also a variation called rainbow sherbet, which is made by combining layers of raspberry, lime, and orange sherbet.
Restaurants use sorbet as a palette cleanser during multi-course meals because its intense fruit flavor is extra refreshing.
Sorbet is made up of fruit juices, syrup and water.
One cup of an all-fruit sorbet has 184 calories, 34 grams of sugar, 46.2 grams of carbohydrates and no fat. While no fat is good, sorbet is high in sugar and doesn't have any calcium, like milk-based frozen treats do.
Sorbet: A delicious dessert with palate cleansing properties
It is neutral tasting, made with simple ingredients that don't over power, that cleanse the taste palate in between two meal items. This means that you are ready to taste the next course of the meal with a brand new freshness.