Today’s recipe is a very simple 4 Ingredient Lemon and Basil Granita. As temperatures continue to climb, I naturally reach for colder treats and granita is one delight that ticks all the refreshment boxes for me. Cold, icy, crunchy and fruity.
What I like about this 4 Ingredient Lemon & Basil Granita is that it is lower in calories, dairy-free and vegan. This icy concoction was invented in Sicilia, Italy’s southernmost region, which is a very dry and hot – so granita is a go-to treat. 😎
It is made from fresh fruit and water, mixed together and frozen until icy. It is then flaked with a fork and frozen again. The result is crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth fruit ice, which you can serve by itself, with gin or even with yoghurt.
4 Ingredient Lemon and Basil Granita
This Lemon and Basil granita is tart, but still sweetly refreshing…the perfect after dinner / lunch treat for a hot summer’s day! The flavour wasn’t really an inspiration that I had in my mind, more the fact that I had a pack of lemons I wanted to use. And some basil. 😉
What is different about this 4 Ingredient Lemon & Basil Granita is that I made it without a blender.
Quite a few people have commented on my recipes saying that you don’t have a blender, so I played around with different techniques to ensure that the recipe works with our without one.
Hope you try out the recipe and if you do – tag me!
Love,
Cat
4 Ingredient Lemon and Basil Granita
Lemon and Basil Granita
Ingredients
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 6 lemons organic (unwaxed)
- 250 ml water
- 1 bunch Basil washed
Instructions
- Finely grate lemon zest from the lemons into a pan, then add sugar, 250ml cold water and basil leaves. Warm over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, returning half the lemon zest to the liquid (discarding the rest).
- Squeeze in the lemon juice, removing any pips.
- Stir well, allow to cool slightly, then whisk the mixture by hand for about a minute. Pour this mixture into a baking pan and chill in the freezer for around 1 hour
- Take the pan out of the freezer. Scrape the mixture with a fork and return to the freezer.
- Repeat this process every 30 minutes for a total of 3 hours.
- The granita is done when the mixture is completely frozen and appears dry and flaky in texture.
