Granita

Lemon Granita is a simple Italian dessert that is fruity and refreshing. This frozen treat uses no fancy equipment and is made from fresh fruit, and ice. Perfect as a zesty summer dessert, Granita is similar to a sorbet but much easier to make and flavored with natural ingredients.

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What is granita?

Granita is a popular Italian frozen dessert very similar to a sorbet or Italian ice. The main difference is that it’s made by hand with no fancy equipment, and contains no dairy or egg. Just simple natural ingredients so it’s the perfect gourmet frozen dessert to prepare at home. The texture of gourmet is coarser than sorbet, the ice crunchy yet delicate and it melts beautifully in your mouth.

Granita falls somewhere between Italian Ice and a snow cone, but more refined, and gourmet with no artificial sugar syrups. The texture is lighter and instead of crushed ice the ice is flakes and delicate.

Granita Variations

Granita is a super versatile recipe you can make with almost any fruit or flavour. Even flavors like coffee can make a delicious Granita.

Mango, peach, strawberry, blueberry, lime, orange, coconut, grapefruit, and watermelon all make absolutely delicious summer granita.

There are also a number of non-fruit flavour for granita you can try. Vanilla, chocolate, coffee, mocha, cucumber, even basil is a popular granita flavor.

Try my Orange Creamsicle Moonshine!

How to make a Flavored Granita

No matter what flavors you are working with there is a basic formula you’ll want to follow when making an Italian Granita.

1. Start with a simple syrup. Starting with a water and sugar base, dissolve the sugar in water over heat.
2. Add the flavors. For more delicate flavors like lemon and lime, you should add the juices after the syrup is off the heat. If you are using the actual pulp or puree of a fruit then add it straight to the syrup and cook down slightly before removing to cool.
3. Pour the flavour mixture into a shallow container. Choosing a wide shallow container will help chill everything evenly and make it easier to scrape the ice with a fork.
4. Scrape the granita periodically. After the first hour, remove the Granita from the freezer and scrape with a fork. You’ll need to repeat this every 30 minutes or so for the next 2-3 hours to make sure it doesn’t freeze into a solid block. If this happens, remove from the freezer, let it thaw slightly until it’s soft enough to scrape, then add it back to the freezer and continue the process.  
5. It’s done when the texture is flakey, kind of like a slushie or a snow cone.

Tips for Perfect Granita

• Cook the sugar and water until the sugar is completely dissolved for a smooth granita.
• Use a wide container so the layer of granita is shallow, this will help chill the mixture evenly and make it easier to scrape with a fork.
• Be sure to check the granita periodically in the freezer and scrape with a fork to achieve the light delicate texture.
• Serve garnita in a nice martini or wine glass as a fancy homemade gourmet dessert.

Best way to Store Granita

Leftover garnita needs to be stored in the freezer and can be made up to 1 week ahead of time.

Before serving, remove the granita from the freezer for a few minutes to soften and scrape again with a fork. 

Try my Orange Creamsicle Milkshake!