Watermelon Granita

Cool, slushy, and refreshing, granita is what you’d get if your favorite fruit and a snowball had a baby. Allow this “recipe” to be a canvas for your creativity – the only non-negotiable part is to use a fruit you like. Feel free to swap something out for the watermelon (frozen fruit works just as well as fresh, and if you don’t have a blender, you can use store-bought or fresh-squeezed juice!). Use the fruit on its own or combine it with lemonade, limeade, orange juice, or even coconut milk. Decrease the lime juice or honey, or skip them altogether to let the fruit’s flavor stand on its own. And if you’re feeling inspired, try blending a handful of fresh mint or basil with the fruit! Hopefully this gives you some inspiration, but I’ve listed a few of my other favorite combos that you can use in place of the watermelon. Have fun!

What You’ll Need

Directions

1 Combine the watermelon, lime juice, and honey in a blender (do this in batches if it won’t all fit) and purée on high until it’s completely smooth. Two quarts of watermelon will make 4 to 5 cups of juice, but don’t worry how much liquid you have – it’s all going to freeze anyway!

2 Try a sip: do you want to add anything? Stir in a little more honey if you want more sweetness, more lime juice for more tartness, and a little water if you want to dilute the flavor a bit. Once it tastes good, it’s ready to go – tasty juice makes tasty granita.

3 Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and place in the freezer. Every 45 minutes or so, give the whole thing a stir with a fork. You’re doing this to break apart the ice crystals, which is what makes it slushy, and prevent a solid ice cube from forming.

4 After 3 or 4 hours, all of the juice should be frozen. Give it another good stir until it looks fluffy. Granita! Eat right away or store in the freezer (once it’s frozen, you don’t need to keep stirring it).

Rémy Robert

(it rhymes with Amy Snowbear) is a born and raised New Orleanian who was thrilled to move home after a few years of living in New York and New England. Like most New Orleanians, she is food-obsessed and always thinking about her next meal. As a professional recipe tester for cookbooks, she basically lives in the kitchen and is constantly feeding loved ones.

A huge thanks to Sarah Becker for the gorgeous granita pics!