If you’re a coconut lover, you need this dessert in your life. Coconut granita is a sublime marriage of cool, crystalline texture and sweet, silken, tropical coco-nuttiness. There are only a few ingredients, a couple of steps, and boom, you’ve pulled together a make-ahead, crowd pleaser, or personal indulgence (if you don’t feel like sharing).
For those of you not already familiar with granita, it’s a cross between sorbet and shaved ice. Its origins hail from Sicily but its versatility lends itself to flavors from across the globe, in this case, the tropics. Coconut granita is a perfect addition to a festive Polynesian-themed party, like a Luau or Tiki party, or as a simple, refreshing respite from the day.
If you make this recipe and by some wild chance, you find granitas are not your thing, coconut granita can double as a perfect base for Pina Colada, it’s a win/win situation!
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Coconut Granita
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 12–17oz cream of coconut (not to be confused with coconut cream, amount depends on
- preferred sweetness level), I recommend Coco Real Cream of Coconut
- 3 cups coconut water, I recommend Harmless Harvest
- 1 can (13.5 oz), full fat, coconut milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- A squeeze of fresh lime juice
- A pinch of sea salt
Garnish:
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Skewered tropical fruit (pineapple, guava, papaya, star fruit, maraschino cherries, etc.) *optional
- Toasted, shredded coconut *optional
- Paper umbrellas *optional
Instructions
- Using a blender or hand-held whisk, blend all ingredients together (not including garnishes), until combined.
- Taste the mixture and add additional sweetness or acidity if needed, using the cream of coconut or additional squeeze of lime.
- Pour the coconut mixture into a freezer safe, 9×13 pan. Put the pan in the freezer, uncovered.
- Allow mixture to begin to freeze (approximately 15-20 minutes).
- When you see the mixture just starting to freeze, use a fork and lightly rake and stir the ice crystals from the edge of the pan to the middle of the pan breaking up the crystallization.
- Repeat this process every 15 minutes, 2-4 more times, or until the granita mixture is fully frozen. This technique forms the crystallized consistency of granita.
Serving:
- Granita tends to melt faster than ice cream. To keep the granita from melting I like to dish it into individual portions that I keep in the freezer until serving. To do this start by freezing your freezer safe, serving dishes for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare any garnishes you plan to use.
- Remove one serving dish form the freezer, add a few scoops of granita to the dish, top with freshly grated nutmeg, the garnish of your choice and return the completed dish back to the freezer.
- Repeat this process with the remaining serving dishes. Keep the individual granitas in the freezer until you are ready to serve and enjoy.
Notes
Alternatively, if you do not want to portion out the granita ahead of time, you can cover the granita pan with tin foil until serving.
