24 July, 2025

A Cool Summer Recipe for a Hot Day: Watermelon Granita

Summer is upon us, and with it, warm temperatures and a plethora of delectable summer fruit with which to prepare delicious cold treats. This month’s suggestion is watermelon granita — it’s super refreshing, relatively simple to prepare (you just need freezer space and patience!) — and it makes a great cool-down treat after a Trans Canada Trail outing. Plus, watermelon is ultra-hydrating and is high in an antioxidant called lycopene, so it’s basically a win all around.

Watermelon granita

Granita has the texture of shaved ice (think the sno-cones of your childhood). It’s made from a few basic ingredients — note that we chose watermelon (because yum!), but this granita recipe can be replicated with most berries.

watermlon on a cutting board

Photo credit: Amy Schwartz

Ingredients

• 4 cups (450-500 g) seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces

• 1 medium lime

• 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt (1 gram), preferably kosher

watermlon ans sugar in a blender

Photo credit: Amy Schwartz

How to prepare

Do ahead: make sure you have enough room for a 9-inch x 13-inch (23-cm by 33-cm) baking dish to fit flat in the freezer.

1. Grate lime zest and juice the lime. Set aside.

2. Combine cut watermelon with lime zest and juice, plus sugar and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Scrape down sides of blender if needed to make sure ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into the baking dish. Discard the solids.

4. Place baking dish in freezer. Every 30 minutes, use a fork to scrape and break up frozen parts.

5. Repeat 3-5 times until mixture is fluffy and slushy in texture, with no juice at the bottom.

6. Serve and enjoy!

Note that the mixture can be transferred to a container and stored in the freezer for up to a month, so save it for later if you prefer.

diced watermelon in a casserole dish

Photo credit: Amy Schwartz

Summer berry variations

Experiment with your favourite summer fruit! Strawberry and blueberry are both excellent options if watermelon isn’t your thing. You may prefer to use a lemon rather than a lime for a different flavour.