Granita al limone
Sicily's lemon granita: fresh lemon juice, sugar and water frozen slowly and scraped into soft, fine crystals.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rest
- 3 hr
- Total
- 3 hr 15 min
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Granita al limone is lemon juice, sugar and water frozen into a soft, grainy ice. In Sicily it is made in a granitiera, a churning machine that keeps it moving as it freezes so the crystals stay tiny and creamy; at home, a shallow metal tray and a fork do the same job. Dissolve the sugar in hot water to make a syrup, drop in a few strips of zest while it cools, then stir in freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pour it into the tray and freeze, scraping and stirring with a fork every 30 minutes and breaking up the ice at the edges, for about three hours. The more often you stir, the finer and softer it becomes. Done is a spoonable, snowy ice, sharp and sweet, that melts on the tongue rather than crunching.
What you'll need
3 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Heat the water and sugar, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add the zest strips and leave to cool completely.
5 min
Step 2
Lift out the zest and stir in the lemon juice. Pour into a shallow metal tray and put it in the freezer.
3 min
Step 3
After 45 minutes, scrape the frozen edges into the middle with a fork. Repeat every 30 minutes for about 3 hours, until it is all fine, soft crystals. Scrape once more just before serving.
5 min
Tip: If it freezes solid, let it soften 10 minutes, then break it up and blitz briefly in a food processor.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 148 kcal
- Protein
- 0.9 g
- Carbs
- 37.8 g
- Fat
- 0.3 g
- Saturated fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1.2 g
- Sugar
- 34.6 g
- Sodium
- 168 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Brioche col tuppo → Any soft brioche roll
For the Sicilian breakfast, split and dipped.
Tips
- Use unwaxed lemons for the zest; Sicilian cooks use Femminello lemons, but any juicy, fragrant lemon works.
- Serve in chilled glasses so it doesn't melt too fast.
History & culture
In Sicily granita is a summer breakfast: a glass of lemon, almond or coffee granita with a soft brioche col tuppo for dipping, eaten at a café table before the heat sets in. Catania and Messina make it smooth, almost like sorbet; in Palermo it is often coarser.
Before freezers, Sicilians made it with snow gathered on Etna and in the Madonie mountains, packed into stone pits through the winter and sold in summer by the nivaroli, the snow men. The sherbets of medieval Arab Sicily are usually named as its ancestor, and the island's snow trade lasted into the twentieth century.
Traditional — Lemon juice, sugar and water only. No egg white, no gelatine.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Granita al limone take?
3 hr 15 min all in — 10 min prep, 5 min cook, 3 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 glass. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Very easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list a salt amount. We will not invent one.
How much sugar?
200 g of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Brioche col tuppo → Any soft brioche roll. For the Sicilian breakfast, split and dipped.
Any tips from this recipe?
Use unwaxed lemons for the zest; Sicilian cooks use Femminello lemons, but any juicy, fragrant lemon works. Serve in chilled glasses so it doesn't melt too fast.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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