Southern Watermelon Granita is the perfect summer cool-down treat. It's made with just three simple ingredients: fresh watermelon, frozen limeade concentrate, and Sprite. This refreshing dessert is as quick to prepare as it is beautiful to serve. Light, fruity, and full of flavor, it's the ideal no-bake recipe for hot days, backyard barbecues, and lively summer get-togethers.
When the temperatures soar, nothing beats an icy-sweet spoonful of watermelon granita. Originally from Sicily, granita is a semi-frozen dessert that's similar to sorbet but with a crystalline texture that melts in your mouth. This version celebrates the South's most iconic fruit, juicy, sweet watermelon. The watermelon is paired with the tartness of lime and a fizzy splash of lemon-lime soda. Best of all? No ice cream machine required.
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Recipe at a Glance
- Ready In: 15 minutes plus 8 hours freezing time
- Equipment: Food processor with steel blade
- Ingredients: Watermelon, sprite, and frozen limeade concentrate
- Makes: 10 servings
- Difficulty: Easy
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Yes
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Only 3 ingredients: Simple, fresh, and pantry-friendly.
- No special equipment needed: -Just a pan, freezer, and a fork.
- Naturally refreshing: Watermelon is 92% water, making it hydrating and light.
- Show-stopping gorgeous: Those pink crystals look as good as they taste.
- Make-ahead friendly: Perfect for parties, cookouts, and holidays like the 4th of July and Labor Day.
- Only 3 ingredients: Simple, fresh, and pantry-friendly.
Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need
While the typical ingredients of granita are water, sugar, and flavorings, I decided to kick things up a notch with my three ingredients: Watermelon, frozen limeade concentrate, and Sprite (regular because that's what I had on hand).
Easiest Way to Cut the Watermelon
The most hands-on, time-consuming part of making the granita was cutting the watermelon.
The easiest way that I've found is to first cut the watermelon in half using a very sharp knife. The sharp knife is a must. However, it doesn't matter whether you cut the watermelon lengthwise or widthwise.
Once the watermelon was cut, I placed one of the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board.
Then, I cut 1 to 1 ½-inch vertical slices through the watermelon. Next, I turned the watermelon 90° and cut 1 to 1 ½-inch vertical slices to form a crosshatch pattern.
This produced watermelon "sticks" that were then a piece of cake to cut into cubes!
Step-by-Step: Making the Southern Watermelon Granita
- Purée the watermelon: Cut the seedless watermelon into cubes. Working in batches, purée in a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Mix in flavor: Stir thawed limeade concentrate and Sprite into the watermelon purée. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Freeze: Place the pan in the freezer. Once frozen, rake the mixture with a fork to form icy crystals. Repeat if needed until you reach your desired texture.
- Scrape: Once frozen, rake the mixture with a fork to form icy crystals. Repeat if needed until you reach your desired texture.
Talk about good and refreshing! The Southern Watermelon Granita was amazing. The lime perfectly complemented the taste of the watermelon.
If you're looking for a refreshing summer dessert that's as easy as it is impressive, this Southern Watermelon Granita is the answer. With its vibrant color, crisp flavor, and simple prep, it's guaranteed to be a hit at any gathering. Keep it in your freezer, and you'll always have the perfect cool-down treat ready to scoop and serve. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Feel free to use either sugar-free Sprite or 7-Up in place of the regular Sprite in this recipe.
If you would prefer your granita to be a bit slushier, freeze it for about 2 hours and then break up the ice crystals with a fork every 30 minutes or so. It should be slushy and crunchy.
If your watermelon has either black seeds or a lot of opaque seeds (if seedless), push the mixture through a wire strainer to remove the seeds and any seed particles.
Granita and shaved ice are related. Typically, granita is a bit more slushy than shaved ice. However, if you wait to draw the fork through the granita to break it up, it's really flavored shaved ice.
When the granita has set, use a fork to scratch through the ice until it's completely raked. Granita can be coarse or fine, so keep raking until you reach your desired texture. Freeze the granita for another hour, then briefly run a fork through it again before serving.
Recipe Tips, Variations, and Serving Suggestions
- Cutting shortcut: Use the crosshatch method described above to cube your melon quickly.
- Sugar-free option: Swap regular Sprite for sugar-free Sprite or 7-Up.
- Slushier texture: Freeze partially and scrape every 30 minutes.
- Don't overfill: Be careful not to overfill the food processor or blender. Otherwise, it'll overflow and make a mess. Depending on the size of your food processor or blender, it's better to purée the watermelon in several stages.
- Fun twist: Freeze mixture in popsicle molds for watermelon granita pops!
- End of summer: Celebrate the end of summer and Labor Day with this icy, festive treat.
- Perfect pairing: Pair the watermelon granita with grilled chicken, ribs, or seafood for a sweet finish.
- Adults only: Serve in cocktail glasses with a splash of rum or vodka for an adults-only twist.
Watermelon Recipes
If you're a fan of watermelon, check out these amazing recipes:
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Southern Watermelon Granita
Equipment
- Food processor with steel blade or blender
Ingredients
- 8 cups seedless watermelon chunks (½ seedless watermelon) (See Tip 1)
- ¾ cup (6-ounces) frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
- 1 ½ cups (12-ounces) Sprite or 7-Up (See Tip 2)
Instructions
- Working in batches, place watermelon in food processor fitted with a steel blade or blender. Purée until watery and smooth, 6 to 7 pulses. (See Tip 3)
- Add limeade concentrate and Sprite; stir to combine.
- Pour into 9 x 13-inch pan. Place in freezer until mixture begins to freeze around the edges.
- With a fork, draw ice from the edges towards the center. Return to the freezer, and then repeat this process about 3-4 times, every 30 minutes, or until all of the granita mixture is formed of ice crystals. (See Tip 4)
- Serve frozen. Yield: 10 servings. (See Tips 5 and 6)
Tips/Notes
- The easiest way to cut a watermelon is to first cut it in half. Then, place one of the halves cut-side down on a cutting board. Cut 1 to 1 ½-inch vertical slices through the watermelon. Next, turn the watermelon 90° and cut 1 to 1 ½-inch vertical slices to form a crosshatch pattern. This produces watermelon "sticks" that are then a piece of cake to cut into cubes!
- I used regular Sprite. However, you could also use sugar-free Sprite or 7-Up.
- Because of its high water content, watermelon doesn't take much processing to purée. However, be careful not to overfill the food processor or blender. Otherwise, it'll overflow and make a mess. Depending on the size of your food processor or blender, it's better to purée the watermelon in several stages.
- Rather than fool with shaving the ice every 30 minutes or so, you can freeze the whole pan of granita. Once it's frozen, draw a fork over the granita until all of the mixture is formed of ice crystals.
- Store granita ice crystals in the freezer in Ziploc bag or covered container.
- For variation, use the watermelon granita mixture to make popsicles!
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