Strawberry Granita: the delicious recipe for the popular Italian frozen iced dessert

Few things scream summer like an ice-cold, fruity granita. Because it’s served cold, this strawberry granita is an easy Italian frozen iced dessert recipe. It’s super easy to make and is also a great way to use up leftover strawberries before they go to waste. Unlike a sorbet, which is usually smoother, the granita has an icy, granular texture. In Sicily, it’s even enjoyed as a breakfast sometimes!

To make it, you simply mix pureed strawberries with a sugar syrup and freeze. During the freezing period, the mixture is scraped to create small ice crystals. You will love this refreshing treat. It’s a welcome break from heavy, overly sweet desserts.

What Is Strawberry Granita? 

A granita is a frozen dessert made from water, sugar, and fruit. Many are confused about the differences between a granita and a sorbet. While they might seem similar, there is quite a difference in texture.

Both granita and sorbets are made with fruit and sugar as the main ingredients, but whereas sorbets are churned (making it smoother), the granita is scraped during freezing. This results in larger ice crystals, making the texture more grainy.

Strawberry Granita Ingredients

Water – use water that you would drink; in other words, if you won’t drink tap water, then don’t use it in the dessert, rather use bottled water

Sugar – use white granulated sugar

Strawberries – the strawberries don’t need to be super fresh. As long as they’re not moldy, they’re good to go; you can also use frozen strawberries.

How To Make Strawberry Granita

Start by making the syrup. Boil together the water and sugar, and then allow it to cool. Slice the strawberries into small pieces, then add them to the cooled strawberries.

Use a hand blender to puree the mixture. Transfer this to a large bowl and freeze. Scrape every 30 minutes until the texture becomes icy and grainy. Serve the granita in tall glasses.

Tips

Feel free to use any other high-moisture fruits for this recipe. Other fruits that will work are raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, kiwi, or blackberries.

You can add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime juice or lemon juice to improve the flavor.

This strawberry granita is great for making ahead of time. Simply place it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it!

How To Store Strawberry Granita

Store the strawberry granita in a bowl wrapped with plastic wrap. If it’s starting to freeze solid, you simply need to scrape it with a spoon or fork again.

Instructions

Add water, sugar to the pot, put it on the stove, and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

Cut the strawberries into small pieces.

Add the strawberries to the sugar syrup.

Mix with an immersion blender until strawberry syrup is formed.

Transfer to a bowl and add to the freezer for one hour.

Use a balloon whisk to stir the frozen strawberry syrup, and place in the freezer for another 30 minutes.

Repeat the procedure two more times for 30 minutes.

Serve the granita in tall glasses, enjoy!