Granita al limone (Lemon Granita Recipe) (2024)

Granita al limone, or lemon granita, just like the one you enjoyed in Sicily is made with only 3 ingredients. It’s the perfect refreshing, dairy free treat on a hot summer day!

A glass of fresh and zesty lemon granita, or granita al limone, is what you want on a scorching summer day to keep cool!

This dairy-free treat is made with only 3 ingredients: lemon juice; sugar and water and requires very little preparation. It does, however, necessitate your presence at home to give the mixture a quick stir every hour or so for a total of 5-6 hours.

But you’ll be rewarded with this lighter than ice cream, thirst quenching zingy lemon flavored delight!

What is granita?

Granita, also known as Italian ice in North America, is a frozen treat originally from Sicily although it is available throughout Italy. Did you know that it was once made with snow from Mt Etna?

The original flavor of granita is lemon. However, in Sicily you can enjoy granita in a variety of flavors throughout the summer made with local seasonal ingredients such as blueberries; strawberries; mulberries; mandarines; almonds and pistachios.

My new favorite flavor is the combination of lemon and strawberry granita which is called an Angelica. And if you get the chance, don’t miss out on sampling coffee granita topped with a generous helping of whipped cream!

What is the difference between granita and sorbet?

Although both are made with similar ingredients, Sicilian granita has a coarse, icy texture as opposed to the smooth and creamy texture of sorbet.

Whereas sorbet is made in an ice cream mixture, making granita does not require any fancy, expensive equipment. All you need is a shallow dish, a fork and your presence in order to break up the ice crystals and stir the mixture every hour or so.

How is granita served?

Ingredient list

• Lemons: Sicilian lemons are best, however outside of Italy, Meyer lemons are highly recommended. But, like me, you may have to make do with whichever variety of lemon is available at your local grocery store!
• Granulated sugar
• Water

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.

Step by Step Instructions

• Cut 1 or 2 -3 inch strips of peel from a lemon.
• Juice 4-5 lemons (as many as needed in order to obtain 1 cup of lemon juice). Set aside.

• Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, without bringing it to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

• Pour the mixture into a shallow pan or glass dish and let cool to room temperature.
• Remove the lemon peel and stir in the lemon juice.
• Cover and place in the freezer for one hour.

• Use a fork to break up the ice crystals that form around the edges and stir the mixture. Cover and place in the freezer for another 45 minutes to an hour.
• Repeat this process until the granita is frozen, about 5-6 hours. You are looking for slushy consistency.

To serve

• You are now ready to enjoy your granita al limone! To serve, scrape the granita with a fork or back of a spoon and spoon into glasses or bowls.

Recipe Notes

Did you try this recipe?

Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!

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Check out more refreshing summer treats!

• Blueberry Granita
• Biancomangiare
• Gelo di Fragole
• Gelo di Caffè
• Biancomangiare with Cookies
• Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake Roll