Lemon Granita with Ginger and Mint

This lemon granita is the perfect fresh and zesty dessert for a hot day, with a mild flavor of ginger and mint.

Actually, in Sicily they eat granita for breakfast on a hot summer’s day. So really, when it comes to this particular treat, there are no rules! Enjoy whenever you want it. Me? I love this lemon granita poolside.

Never heard of granita? It’s a frozen dessert that’s similar to a snow cone, but with natural flavors, not artificial syrups. A crunchy ice mostly flavored with different fruits, but could also be made with espresso or almonds.

It’s super refreshing and very light. I love serving it in scooped out frozen lemon cups, which are a little more work but look very pretty. However, you can dish it up in any bowl you’d like. Feel free to garnish with small leaves of fresh mint, too.

Ingredient Notes:

• Ginger – If you like it extra gingery, use a larger piece.
• Fresh Mint – There’s some mint that’s used whole to flavor the base of the granita, and then some minced and swirled in before freezing.
• Lemon Zest – Very easy to prep if you use a microplane, which everyone should have in their kitchen.

Lemon Granita with Ginger and Mint

This lemon granita is the perfect fresh and zesty dessert for a hot day, with a mild flavor of ginger and mint.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Cooling/Freezing Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Servings 10

Equipment

• 1 Medium Pot
• 1 Large Freezer-Safe Container

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 4 cups water
• 2- inch piece ginger peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh mint
• 8 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
• 5 lemons optional – to make as lemon cups, cut in half lengthwise, pulp scraped out with a spoon and can used for juice, peel/skin frozen and used to serve granita in

Instructions

 

• Place the sugar, water, ginger, mint, and Kosher salt into a medium pot. Set over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and mixture starts to bubble. Let cool completely.
• Once cooled, remove ginger and mint and discard. Stir in fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and minced fresh mint.
• Pour mixture into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. Stir mixture every 45 minutes with a fork, scraping mixture once it gets icy. Repeat until solid ice crystals form.
• Serve in glasses or in frozen lemon cups.

Notes

Granita can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.

Keyword fresh, refreshing, summer, sweet, zesty

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