Watermelon Granita, a 3-ingredient, ultra delicious and easiest frozen dessert you can make!
Have you ever craved for something frozen and divine to enjoy after your dinner or even as a healthy snack?
Do you need something fresh, fruity and a totally vegan, gluten free and dairy free alternative to ice creams?
Then look no further! I have just the thing for you….an easy to make watermelon granita with just 3 ingredients! Yes, just 3 ingredients – watermelon (duh!!), sugar and lemon/lime juice (optional, but adds a lovely tang)!
Although summer is almost over, no one can stop me from having a frozen, brain-freezing dessert! So, when we got a huge watermelon recently, a granita it was!
Using just any fruit, you can make a lovely and easy granita in a jiffy! No churning, no beating, no cooking and no baking!!
WHAT IS A "GRANITA"
Granita is a semi-frozen Italian dessert using fruits, sugar and any other flavoring you prefer. Fruit juice and sugar are blended well and frozen (with added flavors if needed) and flaked with a fork into icy, crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth shavings of fruity ice! Kinda like the street food “Ice Gola” we get in India with different fruit juices/syrups slathered over crushed ice balls!
WHAT FLAVORS OF GRANITA CAN YOU MAKE
You can make these in any flavor you choose, like lemon, watermelon, mango, pineapple or any juicy fruit of your choice; even berries!
WHAT IS THE ADDED SWEETENER
To get the perfect crunchy, flaky, melt-in-your mouth texture, sugar is the only preferred sweetener (no honey or maple syrup please; some science involved here!) Just add the required amount of sugar and blend with the juice. Or, you can add prepared sugar syrup.
I always have sugar syrup in my refrigerator to add to different drinks like fresh lime soda! You can make your own syrup; it is very easy. Just melt sugar and water (1:1 ratio) until the sugar has just melted. Remove from heat and cool. Use this in any dessert, drink etc. This can be stored for a few weeks in the fridge.
The amount of sugar syrup depends upon the sweetness of the fruit used. But the general ratio to add is about 25% or 3 tablespoons of syrup to 1 cup of liquid. If you add more syrup, the granita tends to get too "icy".
Just mix the juice, syrup and lime/lemon juice if you like and freeze! Just scrape with a fork every 30 minutes to an hour to form icy crystals and continue until the whole pan is filled with crunchy, glistening fruit crystals!
Serve frozen, crunchy, icy, fruity, melt-in-your-mouth, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, 3-Ingredient Watermelon Granita as a fancy dessert at any party or a fun fruity snack for adults and kids alike!
Enjoy and Happy Freezing!
If you love frozen desserts like this, be sure to check out:
and many more like this on the blog!
Now, let's freeze some granita!!!!
Watermelon Granita, a 3-ingredient, ultra delicious and easiest frozen dessert you can make!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped watermelon (about 3 cups juice)
- 1 cup sugar syrup (less or more depending upon how sweet the watermelon is)
- ½ lemon/lime
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Mint leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Chop, deseed and blend watermelon cubes to make about 3 cups juice.
- Stir in sugar syrup; start with ½ cup and keep adding more to get the right sweetness. The watermelon I used was not too sweet, so I had to add 1 cup of syrup.
- Add juice of half lemon or lime and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a wide glass/metal pan and place in freezer to set for about 30 minutes to an hour. If needed, cover with a plastic wrap. This process is faster in a metal pan, so do check after 30 minutes if using metal pans.
- After sometime, you will start to see the edges and top freezing. Scrape this with a fork and mixing well into the rest of the mixture. Freeze and scrape again.
- Repeat the process of scraping the frozen portion every few hours or even less (depending upon freezer temperature) until all the mixture is scraped and the whole mixture is frozen and flaky. The idea is to prevent ice crystals from forming.
- Once ready to serve, scoop out the portion you want into a chilled serving glass/bowl.
- Garnish with mint to make it fancy and pretty and serve!
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store leftovers in the pan, covered in the freeze; you can make this 3 days ahead. Scrape again before serving.
Use the same procedure to make a variety of fruity granitas; vegan, dairy free, gluten free, paleo and eggless!!
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Have fun cooking, eating and sharing!!!!
Yummy!. Thanks so much ? ? Great to be part of FF!
Thank you 🙂 Happy to be part of FF too!!
I'm so much in love with the color of this granita. This is best low fat way to enjoy a frozen treat.
Thanks so much dear 🙂 🙂 Absolutely; it is a guilt-free treat!!
I love this recipe. I usually make it with no sugar syrup or added sugar as the watermelon is just too good, Will try the mint touch next time.
Thanks so much Seema 🙂 The watermelon I had was not too sweet, so had to add sugar 🙂
Love these so simple yet flavorful desserts aways ! The granite looks stunning !!!! never mind about the weather is goo or bad for it 🙂 so refreshing.........
Absolutely dear!! I can have it any time!!! Thanks so much!!!! 🙂 🙂
Watermelon granite sounds very refreshing. Yours looks absolutely smashing! Pictures are perfect too.
Thanks so much Nandita 🙂 🙂
you nailed this photography Vanitha, watermelon granita looking so chilled and refreshing. I will also make it soon.
Thanks so much dear 🙂 🙂 You are going to love this refreshing, cool, fruity, icy delight!!!!
Love the fluffy texture of this granita so tempting just bursting with refreshing flavours best desert to enjoy the summers or cleansing the palate between meals.
Thanks so much Soma 🙂 😉
What a refreshing and yummy looking granita. Would love to make it when watermelon season is back...till then bookmarking it
Thanks so much Anshu 🙂 🙂
You can try this with any fruit in season too!
Watermelon season is over here but this yummy recipe is definitely a keeper! So bookmarking it. I love strawberry and lychee granita too, among non fruity versions, coffee granita is a favourite.
Thanks so much Maria 🙂 Ooo, need to try the coffee one!!!
Dessert looks so tempting, eagerly waiting to try it soon.thanjs for the recipe.
My pleasure dear and thanks so much 🙂 🙂
Absolutely!!! I can have this any time of the day or year! Thanks so much Priya 🙂
Wow..dessert with only 3 ingredients! sold, what a refreshing and delicious granita.
I know...amazing isn't it? Thanks so much Jagruti 🙂 🙂
I dont bother to enjoy this granita even the weather is not good here.. Such an irresistible dessert to enjoy after a heavy meal na.
Absolutely!!! I can have this any time of the day or year! Thanks so much Priya ?
Love such simple yet flavorful desserts ! The granite looks stunning !
Thank you so much Poonam 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks so pretty and so apt for hot summers. I loved the flavours of it.
Thanks so much Lata 🙂 🙂
Looks just so perfect! Loved the colour. A must try during summer.
Thanks a bunch 🙂 🙂
The color and texture of this granita is beckoning me...not to mention the flavor! Yummy share indeed!
Thanks so much Sandhya 🙂 🙂
I am a granita lover you know 🙂
Thanks so much Priya 🙂 🙂 So you must know how yummy this is! I loved it too....rain, winter or summer, I can have this any time!