What can I say? I’m a sucker for any fruity, icy summer treat. We’re big fans of granita at our house and of all the frozen desserts, granita is probably one of the easiest to make. This homemade red, white and blue granita recipe is really three in one – strawberry, coconut-lime and blueberry, festively layered in a pretty dessert cup. Make sure you use transparent containers, to really show off that layered beauty. The flavors go surprisingly well together, and with 4th of July just around the corner, this is a fun dessert for the whole family to celebrate with.
Red, White + Blue Granita Recipe
Granita is so easy to make, I’m not sure this should even qualify as a recipe. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and depending on the sweetness of the fruit, you can reduce the amount of sweetener to make it even healthier.
Simply puree the ingredients in a high speed blender (I use my Vitamix because it’s able to puree the seeds as well), pour into a shallow pan, freeze, and in a few hours you’ve got granita! This recipe is a little more fruit-heavy than others, so the granita is a little more like sorbet. But if you prefer an icier granita, use half the fruit and add more water and simple syrup. Also and feel free to decrease the honey to your liking.
Once the fruit puree has frozen a bit (you don’t want it to be completely solid, just starting to freeze), use a fork to gently scrape it into a light, fluffy ice mixture, almost like a slushy. Then layer the different ices in a glass to get a red, white and blue affect. All done and ready to celebrate!
Red, White and Blue Granita
Ingredients
Simple Syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Strawberry Granita:
- 16 ounces fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- juice of 1 lemon
Blueberry Granita:
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coconut Lime Granita:
- 14 ounces light coconut milk
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
Simple syrup
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Stir sugar and water together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Makes 3 1/2 cups of syrup.
Strawberry Granita
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Place all ingredient into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a freezer safe pan and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, scrape a fork across the surface to create shavings.
Blueberry Granita
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Place all ingredient into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a freezer safe pan and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, scrape a fork across the surface to create shavings.
Coconut Lime Granita
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Place all ingredient into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a freezer safe pan and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, scrape a fork across the surface to create shavings.
To assemble
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Layer the granita in small dessert cups and serve immediately. To prepare ahead, layer in freezer-safe cups and freeze until ready to serve.