Granita al Limone
Granita al limone is a Sicilian lemon ice scraped into bright, loose crystals for a refreshing dessert or snack.
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4 hr 10 mintotal
10 min hands-on4 hr hands-off
Prep 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- None
Ingredients
Quantities are for 4 servings.
Includes about 4 hours for freezing and scraping. Scraping several times keeps the granita granular instead of freezing into a hard block.
Method
Mix water and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely.
Stir in fresh lemon juice.
Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-safe tray.
Freeze until ice crystals start forming at the edges.
Scrape with a fork, then freeze again. Repeat until the mixture becomes fluffy icy crystals.
Serve in chilled glasses with lemon wedges if desired.
How to tell it's done
Granita should be icy, fluffy, and crystal-like, not smooth like sorbet.
Nutrition
Per serving, from 4 servings.
103kcal
Where the calories come from
- Protein0.1 g0%
- Carbohydrate27.1 g99%
- Fat0.1 g1%
- Sugars
- 25.7 g
- Saturated fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0.1 g
- Sodium
- 3 mg
- Potassium
- 32 mg
- Calcium
- 14 mg
- Iron
- <0.1 mg
Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.
Getting it right
Tip
A shallow tray freezes faster and makes scraping easier.
What to serve it with
Serve as a refreshing summer dessert or palate cleanser.
Common mistakes
- The granita freezes into a solid sheet.
- Scrape it every 30 to 45 minutes as it freezes and use enough lemon juice to keep the flavor bright.
Substitutions
- Use fresh lemon juice for the cleanest flavor.
- Do not freeze without scraping; it will become a hard block instead of granita.
- Adjust sugar slightly depending on lemon sourness.
Storing and reheating
Keep granita covered in the freezer for up to 1 week. Scrape again with a fork before serving; do not thaw and refreeze repeatedly.
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