Strawberry Orange Granita
Orange Strawberry Granita is a refreshing Italian frozen dessert with a coarse, flaky consistency. You make it by hand rather than churning it in an ice cream maker, so no special tools are required!
Creating This Strawberry Granita Recipe
I made this refreshing recipe for Orange Strawberry Granita last spring, fully intending to post it in celebration of the first day of summer.
Then life got busy. I started dating Kevin. We got engaged. We sold two homes, moved in to a rental while we built our new home. And somehow this recipe was lost in the abyss that is the “to post” folder on my computer. I guess it isn’t all that surprising.
Unfortunately there is this time period between about a year ago and now, where a lot of recipes got photographed and ultimately forgotten about.
I definitely need to get out of that whole life has been busy, we just moved, now I have 4 kids instead of 2 (and don’t forget the dog) slump that I’ve been in the last year.
So, a year later, Happy Almost First Day of Summer! Logan, Madeline, and Kendall have their last days tomorrow. Kayden’s last day is on Thursday. I’m simultaneously completely freaked out and excited at the prospect of summer, and I don’t mean the weather or the season (because really we’ve had nothing but rain lately!).
No, I am freaked out by the prospect of school ending. It really feels like it arrived way too quickly this year. And this will be my first summer to work from home with 4 kids in the house. I’m trying to come up with a plan to manage it all and not lose my head.
I mean, just getting all the scheduling lined up for various summer camps, a potential summer vacation, and planning our one-year anniversary party has been enough to send my head spinning.
On the flip side, I’m totally excited to not have to get everyone ready for school in the morning or have rushed afternoons of homework, chores, and dinner so that we can get everyone to bed on time for it to all repeat the next day.
Summertime also means gone are the months of weekends being consumed by sports games because no one is participating in any activities that have games on the weekends.
And the part I’m looking forward to the most? Afternoons on the boat, all the summer recipes, cooking dinners on the grill and the smoker, neighborhood block parties, people actually being outside, getting our backyard landscaping in, having all our family out for our one year anniversary party…and making refreshing frozen desserts like this Strawberry Granita to help beat the summer heat!
I told the kids several times last summer that we’d make granita, no-churn blueberry cheesecake ice cream, creamy strawberry lemonade popsicles, and who knows what else.
And it all got away from us! We didn’t make any of those, not even once.
I really hope to change things this summer, to find a way to set up a routine that allows for me to do the work at home mom stuff but also allows for plenty of time for the fun summertime things.
Fingers crossed we figure it out, because I definitely want to make this Strawberry Orange Granita again!
What Is Granita?
Granita is an Italian frozen dessert. It’s typically made with water, sugar, and fresh fruit of some kind.
Granita has a coarse, flaky texture and it’s made by scraping a fork over the partially frozen sugar-water mixture. As such, it’s super easy to make but it does require a little babysitting.
Orange Strawberry Granita Ingredients
In addition to being easy to make, this strawberry granita recipe has a short ingredients list!
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Orange juice and zest
- Fresh strawberries
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Granita
This simple granita recipe is practically fool-proof! Here’s how it’s made:
- In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
- Put the cooled water and sugar mixture, orange juice, wild orange zest, and strawberries in a blender. Puree until completely smooth.
- Transfer the strawberry orange puree to a 9×13-inch pan. Place the filled pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove pan from freezer, rake the mixture with a fork to break up and crystals that have begun to form. Transfer the pan back to the freezer.
- Repeat every 25 – 30 minutes for about 3 hours.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
How to Store Granita
Store homemade granita in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 1 week. I recommend scraping the granita again with a fork just before serving it.
Can I Use a Sugar-Free Sweetener?
No, I do not recommend substituting the granulated sugar with a sugar-free alternative. The sugar and water combine to make a simple syrup, which forms the base of the granita recipe.
If you mess with the simple syrup, I worry that the granita wouldn’t be the right consistency.
Tips for Making Orange Strawberry Granita
- I recommend using freshly squeezed orange juice to make this recipe. You’ll need the zest too, so you might as well juice the oranges yourself.
- I’ve only made this recipe with fresh strawberries, but I imagine frozen and thawed berries could be substituted.
- I garnished my granita with fresh strawberry slices, fresh basil, and orange wedges.
More Cold Summer Desserts:
Making homemade Strawberry Gelato is easier than you might think! Plus, it’s a great way to preserve fresh summer strawberries for weeks to come.
This Key Lime Pie Ice Cream is loaded with all of the familiar flavors of your favorite pie — even the crunchy graham cracker crust!
You’ll never believe that this decadent Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream is non-dairy! Toasted coconut and dark chocolate chunks are mixed in to a completely dairy-free coconut ice cream base.
In this no-churn Brownie Chunk Ice Cream recipe, creamy vanilla no churn ice cream is layered with chewy brownie chunks and swirled with sweet and salty vanilla bourbon caramel sauce.
Try these Creamy Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles for a fun take on some favorite summer flavors!
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Strawberry Orange Granita
Strawberry Orange Granita is a refreshing Italian frozen dessert with a coarse, flaky consistency. You make it by hand, rather than churning it in an ice cream maker, so no special tools are required!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest
- 1 lb. Sliced and Hulled Strawberries
- Optional Garnishes: orange wedges, fresh strawberries, basil leaves
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
- Put the cooled water and sugar (simple syrup), orange juice, wild orange essential oil, and strawberries in a blender. Puree until completely smooth.
- Transfer the strawberry orange puree to a 9x13 pan, glass (freezer safe) or plastic. Place the filled pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove pan from freezer, rake the mixture with a fork to break up and crystals that have begun to form. Transfer the pan back to the freezer.
- Repeat every 25 – 30 minutes for about 3 hours, until the grantia is frozen into flakey crystals. Cover and freeze.
- Serve, if desired, with a small wedge or orange, half a strawberry and a basil leaf for garnish.
Notes
Try this recipe with different fruit combinations!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 24gProtein: 1g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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