Originally published @onbetterliving
With a texture similar to a snowcone, but with the flavor intensity of a sorbet, granita is a deliciously icy treat enjoyed in cafes and beachside bars throughout Italy to beat the summer heat. Luckily there’s no need to get on a plane to get your fix. In fact, granita is so easy to make, once you give it a try you’ll be sorry you didn’t start making it sooner.
Granita recipes are pretty simple. They start with a combination of fresh fruit, sugar, and water that’s blended and poured into a shallow pan. Then, as the fruity mixture freezes, you create the granita’s flakey delicate tiny ice crystals by scraping it with your fork every half hour or so.
Not only is this beet-pineapple granita recipe tart, tangy, sweet, and icy, but it’s also packed with wholesome plant-based ingredients, antioxidants, and nutrients. It’s a dessert you can 100% feel good about eating! Plus, we’re swapping out the sugar for an incredible superfood instead – mānuka honey.
It’s So Easy! How to Make the Beet Pineapple Granita Recipe
The best thing about granita is that you don’t need to have any special skills in the kitchen.
Once you have all your ingredients prepped, simply pop them into the blender or food processor to make them smooth.
Then pour the beet-pineapple mixture into a shallow dish or container that can be popped in the freezer. We used a glass dish, but a metal baking pan will work just as well and will actually help the mixture to freeze faster.
A 9X9 pan or something similar in size will do the job and should be about ½ deep once poured into the pan. Smaller sizes will force the liquid to be deeper and will take the granita longer to freeze.
Straining the beet- pineapple blend through a fine-mesh sieve can help remove any fibrous fruit pieces that didn’t get pulverized. This step is optional and if you have a decent blender this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Every 40 minutes or so, take your granita pan out and scrape the mixture with a fork. Repeat this step about 4-5 times and you’ll be left with some seriously delicious granita. It will take about 3-4 hours total.
What Your Finished Granita Should Look Like
If you have something that resembles flakey grainy fruity ice that you can easily scoop into a small dish your granita is a success! Since fruit is a natural product that can vary in sweetness and texture, the texture of granita can vary from batch to batch.
How to Serve the Granita
Scoop your granita in a small dish and garnish with a fresh slice of pineapple and fresh mint leaves. Garnishing with a little citrus zest, like lime or orange can add another fresh layer of flavor.
EQUIPMENT
- 1- Blender or Food Processor
- 1- 9×9 Baking Pan or Dish (approximate)
- 1- Fork
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ripe pineapple cored, peeled, and diced (set aside a few pieces for garnish)
- 2 tbsp Flora Organic Red Beet Crystals
- 2 tbsp Flora Mānuka Honey
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- GARNISH
- citrus zest (lemon, orange, or lime)
- mint leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the pineapple, beet crystals, lemon juice, mānuka honey, and salt in a blender or food processor. Process for 1.5 to 2 minutes. It should be the thickness of a smoothie.
- Position a fine-mesh sieve or colander over your baking pan or dish
- Once it looks super smooth, pour into a shallow baking dish or metal pan with a 9×9 pan size or larger to help the granita to freeze faster.
- Place the dish in the freezer.
- After an hour, give the mixture a stir, scraping and breaking up any crystals starting to form around the edge with your fork. Repeat every 30-40 minutes for 3-4 hours or until fully chilled.
- Serve garnished with mint and citrus zest.
- Granita will keep about a week in the freezer.
