12 Store-Bought Sorbets, Ranked Worst To Best

Ice creams, sherberts, sorbets, oh my! Although the summer season is filled with frozen desserts of all kinds, we're shifting our focus here to the lovely, fruity sorbet. Sorbet is different from its other sugary companions because, although it also contains fruit juice, it doesn't have any dairy in it. And, if you were wondering, sherbet is like an intermediary between sorbet and ice cream; it contains just a little bit of fat and has a creamier mouthfeel. 

A sorbet's ingredients, and mostly the fact that it's made with dairy-free ones, gives it a more refreshing mouthfeel and makes it perfect for spooning into on a hot day. And while you can make a refreshing sorbet at home, why would you ever want to? Especially considering how there are so many different brands and flavors on the market, just waiting to be snatched up from the frozen aisle at your local grocery store. In order to decide which sorbets are worth spooning, I did the hard work and tasted some of the most popular brands and flavors I could find at my local grocery stores. The perfect sorbet has a smooth mouthfeel, popping flavor, and juicy consistency that is bright, yet decadent. 

If you've ever wanted to know what lemon Pledge tastes like, eating this limone (lemon) flavor from Taste of Inspirations would be a good start. I like a subtle lemon treat here and there, since it can really provide a shivery, citrusy flavor that will curtail some of the sweetness inherent to a sorbet. But this Taste of Inspirations flavor was far too synthetic.

The lemon essence of this ice cream, like the strawberry from the same brand, was really artificial, and tasted almost like someone dumped an entire container of lemon extract into mousse, gave it a stir, and served it in a bowl. There's no "hint" of lemon here — it hits you like a truck the second you take a bite and sticks around until far after you've finished your spoonful. 

Lemon, as a whole, is a flavor that you have to be very light-handed with because it can get syrupy rather fast. It's clear that Taste of Inspirations missed the memo on that one, because this sorbet just ain't it. I could foresee blending this treat with water and ice to make a frozen lemonade, but as it is now, it's far too concentrated to eat with a spoon from the container. Take its highlighter yellow color as a warning and leave this one in the freezer aisle. 

This Taste of Inspirations Strawberry Sorbetto looks like big top tents at the local carnival. The swirls of strawberry sorbetto, interlaced with swirls of what looks like strawberry puree, were just as tantalizing to look at as they were to stir. When I dove into this container, though, I was immediately put off by the fact that this sorbetto had a texture similar to that of Marshmallow Fluff. It's like the brand pumped it full of air to give it a pillowy, delicate lift that wasn't far off from a strawberry mousse. 

When I tasted this sorbet, I immediately recoiled. It was like bubblegum had just laced my lips, or like the company had made a hodge-podge of every sugary, kid-friendly sweet flavor it had in stock and labeled it as strawberry. The artificial strawberry flavor in this sorbet was deafening — and not in a pleasant way. It leaned far too syrupy and borderline medicinal, and I reckon I probably could have mixed it up with some carbonated water and made a strawberry Fanta. Plus, the sorbet left a plasticky consistency on my lips. 

While I applaud Taste of Inspirations for not making its sorbet too icy, I think the company went a bit overkill in terms of the strawberry on this one, which earns it a low spot in the rankings. It's still better than being reminiscent of lemon Pledge, but not by much. 

The plasticky brand is back for round three with its Summer Raspberry Sorbetto. The label promises that each bite is "bursting with refreshing raspberry," but I think whoever made and tested this product really missed the mark as to what raspberry is supposed to actually taste like. This sorbet came off, certainly, as being one that was berry-forward. But I simply didn't get that refreshing groundedness that I got from other raspberry sorbet brands. It was syrupy, stale, and as I've come to know with this brand, artificial. 

Granted, this raspberry sorbet was leaps and bounds above the lemon and strawberry offerings from Taste of Inspirations. It was still light and airy, and almost like ice cream in consistency, but it still had that predominant fruit flavor that brought it into sorbet territory. I would have also liked to see this brand dial it back with the sugar, because the aftertaste I was left with made me feel that I needed to run to the bathroom to brush my teeth before I forged on in the tasting. It doesn't come close to any of the top-ranking raspberry sorbet brands. But if you forced me to eat the Taste of Inspirations sorbettos, this is the one I'd have to choose. 

While Talenti and Häagen-Dazs were like two kids brawling at recess in this contentious competition, the mango selection from Halo Top was playing with the flowers and the bugs on the edge of the concrete. The flavor of this ice cream is, oddly, a sorry and half-hearted excuse for mango. I had an inkling that the flavor would be rather weak after I opened the seal and saw that the color of this sorbet was more like a tropical sunset rather than an unequivocally mango sorbet. In fact, the color could have probably passed for orange sherbet — and possibly, the flavor too. 

The sorbet base is certainly sweet, and I noticed more of a tangible aftertaste from this pint compared to any of the other ones I sampled. It was still creamy, but not nearly as dense and unctuous as Häagen-Dazs'. While mango led the charge of this ice cream, I also detected some other lingering tropical flavors, like a little bit of orange and what I could decipher was oddly passion fruit-leaning. 

If Halo Top marketed this pint as "Tropical Sunrise," I would have been more sold on the idea of it. But it doesn't hold a candle to the top brands, in the mango category or the sorbet selection at-large, earning it a ranking on the low end of the sorbet spectrum. 

I've never been a big fan of strawberry anything, so I was a bit wary to see how Talenti would distill the flavor of fresh, popping summer berries into its gelato base. However, I am quite familiar with Talenti's other sorbets; given the brand's reputation, I could easily see how it may out-berry its competitors. Plus, this sorbet is made with actual strawberries and strawberry juice, which gave me high hopes for its performance.

This strawberry was rather pleasant. The color of the pint was a light salmon hue that didn't give off the vibes that this sorbet was going to be glimmering with medicinal strawberry notes. Rather, the flavor was a soft shimmer of strawberries that lingered on the top of your tongue. However, this lackluster flavor wasn't what this pint deserves. And because the strawberry wasn't potent enough, there also wasn't enough sweetness to carry the flavor of the sorbet to the finish line. The whisper of sweetness might be pleasant for some folks, but I think it was this pint's downfall in the long run.

This is a pleasant sorbet; don't get me wrong. But it just falls behind Talenti's other selections. And in a brand known for the flavor of its sorbet and other frozen desserts, there simply cannot be a weak link. 

Halo Top seemingly tried all of its might to mimic the same punchy flavors as the Talenti Roman Raspberry sorbet. But, as I suspected, it failed. This flavor definitely has the smooth mouthfeel that I was seeking, despite the ice crystals littering the top of the pint when I slid off the seal. But it lacks the same creaminess as the Halo Top Strawberry Sorbet or the Roman Raspberry selection from Talenti. 

This sorbet didn't have the artificial sweetener flavor that I expected it would, but it did seemingly lean too much into the tartness of this flavor. It seems like the brand started with a lemon base before it realized its mistake and tried to add in just a soft, subtle kiss of raspberry in the background. The lemony, citrus overtones stick in the back of your throat and counteract any of the would-be sweetness from this sorbet pint. It's not unpleasant, but I don't think it could fairly pass as a raspberry sorbet. A little more sweet flavor and floral undertones from the raspberries would have boosted this product up in the ranking. 

I hate to admit it, but lemon sorbet wouldn't be my pick of the litter. Whenever I think of it, I immediately think of Del's Frozen Lemonade (it's a Rhode Island thing) or a lemon granita. Overall, I find that lemon sorbet is rather icy; it doesn't have that smooth mouthfeel that I look for in a good sorbet. 

This Talenti Zesty Lemon Sorbetto was just what I was craving on the hot summer day that I did this tasting. It was like someone had, in fact, taken a Del's lemonade, froze it until it was completely solid, and slapped the Talenti logo on it. The flavor was balanced; it wasn't overtly sugary and sweet, but still had those tangy and zesty notes that the label promised. 

While the taste of this sorbet was pleasurable, I don't think that I can entirely call it a sorbet. The texture was quite icy and hard, which didn't measure up to the creamy, soft mouthfeels of the other brands. I don't want something creamy and airy, like Taste of Inspiration's sad attempt at lemon sorbet, but I do want something that scoops easily and doesn't come out gritty. Unfortunately, Talenti's Zesty Lemon missed that mark. But I would totally consider adding this sorbet to a margarita or shaking it with some lemonade to help it become less icy. 

Halo Top, admittedly, hasn't been my favorite brand in the past. Its chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream lacked any assemblage of flavor and couldn't stand up to the big dogs of the ice cream world. This brand markets itself as a light ice cream, and only has 90 calories for each ⅔ cup serving, but it also boasts a much longer ingredient list than other brands. Halo Top uses gums and additives to keep this frozen dessert sweet without packing on the calories, which might be something that some eaters can appreciate. 

Where Halo Top has faltered with its light dairy-based ice cream is where its sorbet shines. Since there's no dairy in this ice cream, you won't have to worry about the taste of it coming out gritty or especially artificial tasting. Despite containing both erythritol and stevia in addition to sugar, the taste of this sorbet doesn't come off as riddled with artificial sweeteners. Rather, there are some subtle strawberry notes and an ease of scooping that I didn't notice with the lower-ranking brands. I really wish the flavor on this sorbet was just a little bit more punchy and bright, because it easily would have had a spot among the big dogs of this particular ranking. 

I admit that I have adored Talenti's Alphonso Mango Sorbetto in the past, which gave me some high hopes about how this brand would perform in this roundup. I can recall the juicy, sweet notes of this sorbet, and I was interested to see if it has changed that much since when I first tasted it all those years ago. The best part about this sorbet is that it's not icy. Although it's not made with dairy, it has a creamy, smooth feeling on my palate that makes it feel like there is some sort of emulsifying ingredient thrown into the mix. And if I had only one word to describe the flavor of this gelato, it would be "juicy." Each bite is brimming with a bright brush of mango that makes its presence known. It's not like a mango ice cream that uses the tropical fruit flavor as an afterthought. It's prominent, it's bold, and it's here. 

Despite all these positives, I would still put it a hair outside of the top three. The other top options offered more cohesive flavor with more nuanced complexities than this sorbet. It gets the job done, surely, but it's not the Talenti that I would reach for in the freezer. 

The Häagen-Dasz Raspberry Sorbet was nothing short of lovely. Scooping into a pint of this sorbet was like slicing a knife through butter. It slid down my throat just as effortlessly and filled every crevasse with that distinct, creamy, and unctuous consistency that I had come to expect from such a reputable ice cream brand. 

Although raspberry was surely the most dominant flavor profile here, I also detected some other fruity and juicy notes, which came onto the palate as pear and apple. This sorbet wasn't as juicy as Talenti's Roman Raspberry flavor, which kept it out of the top spot. I also don't think it had the same punchiness as the Häagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet, which means that it didn't beat out another of its own, either. But I think that this raspberry sorbet can clearly holds its own, especially thanks to its ice cream-like mouthfeel and strong, fruity notes. I wouldn't complain if I was served a scoop of it on a hot summer day — and I don't think you should either. 

Talenti's biggest competition in this race is undeniably Häagen-Dazs — and for good reason. This brand is about the same cost as a pint of Talenti, and it comes in similar flavors. So, how does the Häagen-Dazs brand stack up against Talenti, specifically in the mango department? 

Häagen-Dazs packs in extra pumpkin and carrot juice concentrates to accentuate the orange hue of this mango sorbet, but as expected, this pint is full-frontal mango. It's the kind of strong fruity flavor that makes you feel like you're ordering a mango smoothie and sipping it down with a few gulps. This sorbet is rather thick, more so than both Talenti and Halo Top, and it has a sweet mouthfeel that covers on your tastebuds and just seems to linger in the background. This Häagen-Dazs sorbet pint is very tropical in nature and exactly what I would order for dessert if I wanted something refreshing and palate cleansing. 

The one complaint I do have about this pint of ice cream is that it comes out oddly pumpkin-y. It definitely is made with a ton of mango, but it seems that there's something autumnal brewing in the background. I don't think that this undertone would be something someone would be easily able to decipher if they were wolfing this sorbet down, but it did give me pause for a quick second. 

I love a good raspberry sorbet on a hot summer day. If you find a good brand that just rolls off the tongue, it can almost seem like you're enjoying an açaí bowl — just don't forget about the toppings. 

This sorbet has the lovely raspberry flavor that I always dream about when it comes to these types of frozen desserts. Like the Alphonso Mango from the same brand, this sorbet has that roll-off-the-tongue quality to it that makes it a top contender in the race for the best sorbet brand out there. It also makes it very clear that it's a sorbet — not an ice cream. But, like other selections from the Talenti brand, it's not overtly icy or granulated. The consistency is slick and thick at the same time, which makes it perfect for enjoying straight out of the container or with some extra toppings stacked on it. 

The best thing about this sorbet flavor isn't just its consistency; it's also the floral, fresh qualities that add complexity to its flavor. While Halo Top's sorbet has a rather muted flavor, this Roman Raspberry selection from Talenti had very clear, very evident herbaceous notes and undertones of honey that were as unexpected as they were pleasant. This sorbet tells a multi-dimensional story, which is not something I got from the other brands, thus earning it the rightful spot as the best sorbet. 

I purchased popular sorbet brands that were available at grocery stores in the Rhode Island area. But many of these brands are also available at retailers around the country. In order to get the most unadulterated flavor for each of these sorbets, I tasted each straight from the container with a spoon.

I looked for several factors to decide which brand and product would come out on top. Overall, I wanted a fruit-forward flavor that had a balanced sweetness and nuances that elevated it beyond just a ball of frozen sugar and fruit juice. The texture should also be easily scoop-able. This means that, although these products don't contain dairy, they should easily scoop up on the spoon rather than splinter in the container. Each bite should be smooth, creamy, and not overtly icy.