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Southern Watermelon Granita
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5 from 6 votes

Southern Watermelon Granita

Southern Watermelon Granita is the perfect cool-down treat for these hot summer days. This three ingredient granita is as refreshing as it is show-stopping gorgeous!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Freezing Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian, Southern
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 59kcal

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)

Notes

  1. 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!
  2. I used regular Sprite. However, you could also use sugar-free Sprite or 7-Up.
  3. Because of its high water content, watermelon doesn't take much processing to purée it. However, be careful not to over-fill 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.
  4. Rather than fool with shaving the ice every 30 minutes or so, you can just 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.
  5. Store granita ice crystals in the freezer in Ziploc bag or covered container.
  6. For variation, use the watermelon granita mixture to make popsicles!

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 10.4mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg