Leafy Green Mint Chocolate Chip Sherbert (dairy-free, 5-ingredients, no-churn, vegan)

Leafy Green Mint Chocolate Chip Sherbert (dairy-free, 5-ingredients, vegan)

And The Difference between Sherbert, Sorbet, Granita and Ice Cream

This recipe relies on SCIENCE..

I detail this below, but in a nutshell, I will say, these are frozen ingredients blended and frozen into ice cube trays and blended again.

No churning involved. Instead, this is a tricky recipe that depends on ice cube trays. And this one works perfectly.

It is also a bit of an unusual recipe because it is a frozen dessert which includes leafy greens and yet it does not taste like a salad.

Hey, leafy greens are a mainstay addition to healthy smoothies, so why not to healthy ice cream recipes, right? Actually this is a sherbert, not ice cream. Do you know the difference? Well pull up a chair, or your screen, haha.

• Sherbert: Sherbert (or spelled “Sherbet”, both variations are correct according to Merriam Webster) is like sorbet with a creamy ingredient added. In the vegan world, we often add yogurt, cashew cream or coconut cream or even avocado.
• Sorbet: The definition of sorbet is a frozen treat made of only fruit and sugar. And in my world, “fruit” can sometimes be a veggie😍
• Granita: And then there is granita, which is basically sorbet only in icy flake form.
• Ice Cream: And of course plain old ice cream, which is supposed to have at least 10 percent fat to earn the name. Vegan recipes typically use either cashews or coconut cream for that fat.
• Nicecream: Well, this term generally means a frozen treat that is made with wholesome vegan plant-based ingredients, often bananas but also coconut cream or other plant-based ingredients. The “N” stands for both bananas, but also “nice” in that no animal was harmed and the recipe is “nice” and healthy. So I suppose this recipe could also be a nicecream, and so could this my Blueberry Citrus Sherbet and this my Cauliflower Ice Cream.

Okay, class, now put away your dictionaries, and let’s move on to science.😂

To give this recipe the icey texture needed to call it a sherbert, there are a few tricks.

Be sure your leafy greens and mint leaves are frozen. I mean crispy frozen. I always keep baby kale and baby spinach and chopped chard leaves frozen in the freezer for many recipes, including smoothies. Then crush them into confetti just before blending.

Using crispy frozen leaves crushed into confetti will help provide the quintessential crystal texture you want in a sherbert or even a sorbet.

Also, your bananas must be very ripe (to be sweet) and must be chopped and frozen overnight.

Finally, you must freeze the yogurt into cubes in ice cube trays – don’t just dollop creamy yogurt into the blender. I often keep plain yogurt or even plain cashew cream frozen in ice cube trays to use for smoothies and these frozen treats.

And for color, the leaves will green it up somewhat, but I also added a tsp of ceremonial grade matcha powder to control the shade and increase the nutrition. It’s expensive though – quality matcha powder runs in the $25-$35 dollar range, but it lasts a long time if you don’t mind the investment. Otherwise, leave it off! The green will depend on your leaves and that’s just fine.

My favorite ice cube tray is recommended below, the same one I use in my Make-Ahead Smoothie Ice Cube Concentrates Recipe here.

I love it because mixtures freeze fast, and the odd half-moon shape is blender-friendly. Each cube in this tray holds 1 ounce so each tray holds about 1 1/2 cups.

I hope you enjoy this recipe – it is one that depends more on chemistry than ingredients, wouldn’t you say?

And the result is both fun and nutritious.