Watermelon Granita with Mint is a delicious and refreshing icy summer treat. Frozen and agitated over a period of hours, creates the perfect icy texture that is inherent in all granita recipes. If you’re looking for a watermelon recipe for the summer, granita is up your alley.
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One of the reasons I love summer so much is because of one fruit. I know that in a previous post, I said that my favorite fruit was peaches and they totally are. But a very close second would be watermelon! I get so excited when I see these in stores during the summer because I know that they’re going to be crisp, sweet, and super juicy! There really is nothing like it.
What is Granita?
A granita is an icy, sweet treat usually made from fruit juices, coffee or wine. What sets this apart from a sorbet is that granita has a coarse texture to it instead of being spun into a silky smooth frozen treat.
The coarse texture is achieved by occasionally stirring the mixture while it’s freezing. Because of the high water content, I thought that watermelon would be best served as a granita!
How to Make Watermelon Granita
Granitas are super easy to make at home because they don’t require any special equipment; you don’t need to buy an ice cream maker for this recipe (yay!). With all granitas, I create a simple syrup using water and sugar and then blend it with the fruit I want to flavor the granita with.
I cool the simple syrup in the fridge before popping it into the freezer because I don’t want to disrupt the temperature of the freezer too much by putting a super-hot liquid into the freezer right off the bat.
You’ll notice that in this recipe, I did opt for the fresh mint route to flavor my granita instead of the extract (as opposed to my mint and chocolate chip ice cream recipe).
The reason is that I didn’t want the mint flavoring to overpower the flavor of my watermelon too much. I want there to just be a nice hint of mint as it hit the back of your palate. I believe that the extract would have been too strong an option for this granita recipe.
Even though the texture of a granita is coarse, I still strained my mixture because I wanted the texture to be from the ice crystals that had formed instead of seeds and pulp from the meat of the watermelon.
How to Store Granita
Once the watermelon granita is done freezing, I move the granita to an airtight container and place it in the coldest part of my freezer. This keeps the ice crystals formed and all of the freezers smells out. I especially like these types of containers.
When kept in these containers, granita can keep anywhere from 3-6 months. Perfect to last you the whole summer!
How to Serve Watermelon Granita
When I want to enjoy some granita, I just run a fork over the top of the granita and scoop out the amount I want.
I also love serving granita as a fun mocktail by adding some fizzy drink to the granita! Try adding lemon-lime soda, club soda, or even ginger ale for a refreshing drink.
So grab a medium sized pan and start making delicious granitas!! They’re super easy and super fun to eat! If you have enjoyed this recipe, be sure to tell me all about it down in the comments (along with a rating)!
Happy eating.
Here are some other Summer treats to enjoy:
- Basil and Orange Sorbet
- Honey and Blood Orange Sorbet
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
- Baked Pineapple Sorbet
- Mexican Fried Ice Cream
- Lemon Genoise Cake with Fresh Berries
- Authentic Key Lime and Hibiscus Agua Fresca
This granita would be perfect with these other Summer Recipes.
More delicious Dessert Recipes here.
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Watermelon Granita with Mint
This refreshing dessert, watermelon granita with mint, is the perfect combination of sweet melon and herbs! Perfect for a warm summers eve!
Ingredients
- 24 ounces watermelon, cubed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- .5 ounce mint, leaves and stems
Instructions
- Cube watermelon into large chunks.
- Bring water, sugar, and mint to boil in small sauce pot, until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mint to steep in granita for at least 30 mints. Strain mint from simple syrup.
- Place cubed watermelon and simple syrup in blender and blend until smooth. Strain juice with a stainer.
- Pour granita base into a shallow pan and place in freezer.
- Every hour, drag a fork over the granita to create ice crystals. Continue for 3-4 hours or until granita solidifies.
- Serve in glass bowls or mix with lemon-lime soda for a refreshing mocktail.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 4 ouncesAmount Per ServingCalories 126Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 2mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 31gProtein 1g
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