Sherbet contains dairy while sorbet has no dairy.
Sherbet is also made with egg whites or gelatin to help stabilize the creamy texture. Sorbet is made with just fruit and sugar, so it’s dairy-free.
Sorbet tends to have an icier consistency; the more sugar sorbet contains, the less icy the texture. Sherbet has a creamier consistency.
Sorbet flavors are primarily fruit-driven. Sorbets also incorporate vegetables, such as cucumbers, or herbs, such as mint, basil or thyme.
Sherbet is made with dairy, so it contains a little bit of fat. Sorbet is made with just fruit and sugar and is therefore fat-free.
Since sorbets are usually mostly juice or puree, they are also a terrific place to play with interesting vegetable or herb flavourings, think watermelon basil, or beet pomegranate, or green apple celery, or peach thyme. Sherbets are often flavored with fruit that has an acidic punch, like lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, raspberry, or pineapple.