10-Minute Strawberry Granita Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: This Strawberry Granita is a burst of sweet, icy perfection that melts in your mouth. Imagine indulging in a refreshingly cool dessert that’s incredibly easy to make. It’s the ultimate treat for those scorching summer days!

• Quick and Easy: With just 5 ingredients and minimal equipment, this recipe is effortless. All you need is a blender and some freezer time.
• Versatile and Refreshing: Use fresh or frozen strawberries for a cool, icy treat that captures the sweet taste of summer. Perfect for impressing guests and pleasing kids.
• Customizable Flavor: Adjust the sweetness and tartness to your liking, or switch up the fruit for endless variations. Each bite bursts with intense, fruity goodness.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 6/23/2024, to include explanations of key ingredients, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips. 

Table of Contents

• What is a 10-Minute Strawberry Granita? 
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients
• How to Make Strawberry Granita
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Frozen Desserts Recipes

What is a 10-Minute Strawberry Granita?

Granita is a popular Italian frozen dessert made with a few simple ingredients like fruit juice, sugar, or coffee, mixed, frozen, and scraped to form coarse, crunchy ice shards. This refreshing Italian ice is perfect for hot days and is a delightful alternative to shaved ice.

For this strawberry granita recipe:

• Ingredients: We’ll use strawberries, a small amount of sugar, fresh lemon juice for brightness, and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavors.
• Method: The mixture is frozen and scraped with a fork to create the perfect texture of icy, fruity goodness.

Tools You Need

• Measuring cups
• A small saucepan
• A 9 x 13″ baking pan you can put in the freezer
• A fork
• A fine sieve
• A lidded, freezer-safe storage container
• A blender or food processor

Key Ingredients

• Water

  • Water is used to make a simple syrup with sugar, which provides the base liquid for mixing with the other ingredients.
  • It helps dissolve the sugar and contributes to the freezing process when mixed with the fruit puree.

• Granulated sugar

  • Sugar sweetens the granita to enhance its flavor and balances its natural tartness.
  • It also helps to create a smooth texture by lowering the freezing point of the mixture. Note that Sugar-free sugar substitutes won’t work the same.

• Strawberries (hulled, thawed if frozen)

  • Strawberries are the main flavor and ingredient of the granita to provide natural sweetness, vibrant color, and fruity taste.
  • When blended, their juice and pulp form the base of the frozen dessert.
  • Other fresh berries such as raspberries will work wonderfully.

• Lemon juice

  • Lemon juice adds acidity to balance the sweetness of the strawberries.
  • It also enhances the overall flavor profile of the granita, making it more refreshing and bright.

• Salt

  • It helps to round out the sweetness and acidity, providing a more balanced taste to the granita.
  • Additionally, salt can slightly lower the freezing point of water, which may affect the texture of the granita by preventing it from becoming too hard when frozen.

How to Make Strawbery Granita

Make a simple sugar syrup:

• In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves (about 2 minutes). Let cool for 5 minutes.

Make the Fruit Purée:

• In a blender or food processor, blend strawberries, simple syrup, lemon juice and salt until pureed.
• Taste the mixture: it should taste sweet, a little tart and intensely of strawberries. Add a squeeze more lemon juice or a touch more sugar if needed, and blend to combine.

Freeze the Strawberry Granita Mixture:

• Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and directly into a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) metal baking pan. Place in the freezer.
• Every hour, run a fork through the puree, scraping up the frozen bits from the edges and stirring to incorporate them with the still-liquid mixture.
• After about 4 or 5 hours, the granita should be fully frozen in flakes.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• You can use this recipe and replace the strawberries with any in-season juicy fruit of your choice to make a different flavor. Be sure to taste the puree before you freeze, as you might need to adjust the amount of sugar or lemon juice.
• When tasting the puree before freezing, be sure the flavor is intense. Freezing will dull the taste a bit so the more flavorful the puree, the better granita you will have. If your fruit is not quite at its peak, a little extra lemon and sugar can help.
• If, after a few days, your granita has frozen into a solid block, you can re-scrape it with a fork, let it soften for a few minutes and run it through a blender, or re-melt it and start the freezing process again.
• Out of ice? Add a spoonful of this to your favorite cocktail for a fresh, summery drink. Tequila and vodka would be perfect.
• Go the extra mile and serve granita with a big dollop of our 2-ingredient vanilla ice cream and a few fresh mint leaves on top. You get refreshing, sweet creamy, soft, and crunchy. The best of both worlds!

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Store the prepared Strawberry Granita in the freezer in a lidded, freezer-safe container or tightly covered with plastic wrap.
• It can be stored for up to 3 days in the freezer.

FAQs

Can I make granita without a blender?

• A blender or food processor is recommended for blending the strawberries smoothly. Hand-mashing may work, but it won’t achieve the same consistency.

Can I garnish Strawberry Granita with fresh herbs?

• Yes, mint leaves or basil can add a fresh, aromatic touch to your granita servings.

More Frozen  Desserts

• Tiramisu Ice Cream (No Machine)
• Blood Orange Granita
• Sicilian Eggless Gelato
• Frozen Vanilla Custard
• Homemade Sorbet in 5 Minutes (No Machine)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe was improved and updated on 6/23/2024, to include explanations of key ingredients, answers to the most frequently asked questions, and more Pro Chef Tips.

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