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Watermelon Granita is the ultimate refreshing summer dessert! Made with just three ingredients and minutes of prep, this simple granita recipe is a creative and delicious way to use fresh summer watermelon!
Refreshing (and Light) Summer Dessert
On a hot summer day, we are all tempted to reach inside the freezer for a frozen treat. Whether a drumstick ice cream cone, a fudgesicle, or a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream, an icy cold treat is the ultimate way to cool down.
But when you want something a little lighter, watermelon granita is the perfect treat for you!
A granita is a semi-frozen dessert that is typically made with water, sugar, and flavorings of some sort. The mixture is frozen until partially solid and then scraped with a fork to form flavored ice crystals that melt in your mouth--sort of like a sophisticated version of flavored ice.
This recipe for Watermelon Granita swaps out the water for watermelon and uses a bit of honey and lime juice to round out the flavors. It is sweet, bright, and uber refreshing--the perfect summer dessert!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Recipe Highlights
Notes on Ingredients
For the granita itself, you only need three key ingredients and you will end up with a delicious treat. But if you want to take this watermelon granita over the top, finish it with a bit of mint lime sugar. WOW! This dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free dessert is truly a show-stopper!
- Fresh Watermelon: You want to be sure your watermelon is REALLY ripe so that your granita is super sweet. In fact, Watermelon Granitas are a perfect time to use watermelon that has been sitting in your fridge for a couple of days.
- Fresh Limes: The zest and fresh juice of the lime will really make the flavors pop in this simple dessert.
- Honey: The sweetness of your watermelon will determine how much sweetener you will need to add to the watermelon puree. I love using honey, but maple syrup can be used to keep this dessert vegan-friendly.
- Mint Sugar: Made with lime zest, fresh mint, and granulated sugar, this optional topping really makes this dessert memorable.
How to Make Watermelon Granita
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Blend Watermelon. Add the lime juice, watermelon and honey to a blender (or food processor fitted with an s-blade) and process until smooth.
- Strain Mixture. For best results, you want to pour your watermelon mixture through a fine mesh strainer right into a freezer safe shallow dish. This will remove any seeds and keep the granita super smooth.
- Freeze and Scrape Granita. To get the ice like crystals that make a granita a granita, you want to remove the mixture from the freezer every 2 to 3 hours and use a fork to scrape the top layer of the granita. Once you get to the less frozen parts, stop scraping and return to the freezer for at least 2 more hours. Repeat the process up to three times, or until the granita is fully frozen.
- Prepare Mint Sugar (Optional). While Watermelon Granita has a fabulous flavor all on its own, I love topping the granita with sugar that has been flavored with fresh mint and lime zest. It really adds an element of WOW and freshness and couldn't be easier to pull together and is as simple as mixing granulated sugar, minced mint, and lime zest together.
- Serve. Scoop the icy granita into serving dishes and top with mint lime sugar if desired.
Storage Tip
How to Store Granita
Once the granita has been fully scraped, it will keep in its beautiful icy consistency for up to 2 months, if stored in the freezer in an airtight container.
More Summer Dessert Recipes
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Watermelon Granita
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless watermelon, Cut Into Chunks
- 2 medium limes
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, more if desired
Mint Lime Sugar (Optional)
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- dash sea salt
Instructions
- If preparing the mint lime sugar, zest the limes and add to a small bowl. Add the mint leaves, sugar, and dash or salt and mix well. Cover and store at room temperature until ready to use.
- For the granita: place watermelon and honey into the blender. Add the juice of both limes and blend until well combined. Give the mixture a quick taste test to see if additional sweetener needs to be added.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the watermelon mixture over a 9x9 freezer safe container.
- Freeze the watermelon juice for two or three hours, then begin the process of lightly scraping the top frozen layer with a fork. Return pan to freezer with the shaved ice on top; remove a couple of hours later and continue scraping. Repeat the occasional, two to three times, scraping process until the entire mixture is shaved.
- Scoop out granita into serving dish and sprinkle with a teaspoon of the mint lime sugar mixture.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was such a cool and refreshing treat that does not disappoint! The best way to enjoy watermelon, indeed!
So happy to hear you enjoyed, Sara! Thanks for sharing.