Lemon granita (granita al limone)
The most classic Sicilian granita: lemon, water and sugar. Tart, sweet and icy.
Lemon granita is one of Sicily’s traditional products, sipped and spooned as a refresher on a hot day. Zest simmered in the syrup brings the aroma; the juice goes into the cold syrup only at the end so it stays fresh.
Type: Granita · Servings: 6 · Difficulty: Easy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g water
- 190 g granulated sugar (sucrose)
- 5 g grated lemon zest (from 2 unwaxed lemons)
- 200 g lemon juice (fresh) (from 5–6 lemons)
Making the mix
- Simmer the water, sugar and lemon zest for 2 minutes. Leave to cool and strain out the zest.
- Stir the lemon juice into the cold syrup.
- Refrigerate the mix for at least 1 hour.
Method — No-machine method
- Pour the chilled mix into a shallow metal or glass container (2–3 cm deep) and put it in the freezer.
- After 45–60 minutes, once the edges have frozen, scrape them with a fork and mix them into the centre.
- Repeat the scraping every 30 minutes until everything has turned into loose, icy flakes (about 3–4 hours in total).
- Before serving, fork the granita through once more and spoon it into chilled glasses.
A metal container chills faster than glass. If you forget the granita for too long and it freezes into a block, let it soften for 10 minutes, then scrape it with a fork or pulse it briefly in a food processor.
Total time: 5 h 50 min
Method — Compressor ice cream maker
- Switch the ice cream maker on 5–10 minutes ahead so the bowl can pre-chill.
- Pour in the chilled mix and churn for 20–25 minutes until you have a thick, glossy, still flowing ice slush.
- Serve straight away — this is how the smooth granita is sold in eastern Sicily (Messina, Catania), from rotating dispensers.
An ice cream maker gives a smooth, creamy granita. Don’t churn it too long — granita shouldn’t be as firm as sorbet. Any leftovers will set in the freezer; fork them through before serving.
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Stages
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 5 min
- Cooling
- 1 h 30 min
- Freezer with stirring
- 4 h
- Total time
- 5 h 50 min
Plan: what to do and when
The whole recipe takes 5 h 50 min, of which 35 min is hands-on — the rest is waiting you can spend elsewhere.
The making itself fits into a single day — start at least 5 h 50 min before serving.
- Prepare the mix (weigh and stir the ingredients) — 15 min
- Cook the mix — 5 min
- Cool the mix down — 1 h 30 min
- Freeze and stir at intervals — 4 h
Serving and storage
Serve in chilled glasses with a mint leaf or with a brioche. After a heavy meal, it makes an ideal light dessert.
Granita is best on the day it is made. It keeps for a few days in the freezer but sets hard — let it soften for 5–10 minutes before serving and scrape it again with a fork.
Tips
- Granita should contain less sugar than sorbet — about 16–20 °Bx. A refractometer measures it precisely; without one, taste the mix: it should taste like a distinctly sweet drink, not like syrup. Fruit varies, so add a little more sugar if needed.
- For a Sicilian-style granita, use juicy, thin-skinned lemons; the zest must be unwaxed.
- Steep a few mint leaves in the syrup and you have granita limone e menta.
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How we calculate the composition · What PAC and POD mean · Balance this mix in the calculator