Description
This refreshing Lemon and Basil Granita is a delightful frozen dessert with a perfect balance of citrusy lemon and aromatic basil flavors. It’s easy to make and ideal for cooling off on hot summer days.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Granita:
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4–5 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Let steep for 10–15 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve to remove basil leaves, pressing gently to extract flavor.
- Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish and place in the freezer. After 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape and break up any icy edges. Return to the freezer and repeat scraping every 30–45 minutes for about 3 hours, until the granita is fully frozen and fluffy.
- Spoon into chilled glasses and serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil or a lemon twist if desired.
Notes
- You can make this up to 2 days ahead—just re-scrape with a fork before serving.
- For a fun twist, add a splash of limoncello to the mix before freezing.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Freezing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 90
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
