Granita Goes Savory With Unexpected (But Delicious) Flavors

One of the most enjoyable parts of cooking is experimenting with unconventional flavors. There are ample ways we like to explore, reinvent, and reimagine our favorite foods from a new lens — and this innovation extends to frozen desserts like granita as well. Granita is different from sorbet in that it's flaky and icy; the ice crystals are periodically disturbed during the freezing process, which gives this treat its signature texture. Typically, it's made with fruit or some other dessert-leaning flavors (like in our coffee granita recipe). However, this summery treat is the perfect canvas to integrate umami, salty, tangy, and spicy flavors as well, such as tomatoes.

In our tomato granita, for example, fresh tomato juice combines with sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and simple syrup to create a fun riff on a bloody mary. The syrup allows it to freeze correctly, as the sugar content prevents it from freezing hard, though the flavor leans tart and summery rather than cloying. You may also want to try a pickle granita; use the pickle juice from a jar of bread-and-butter pickles for it. You can add it to your favorite cocktail in place of ice (trust us on this one), or even eat it with raw oysters. You can even take inspiration from international ingredients for your recipe; kimchi brine adds the perfect fermented flair to a Korean-Italian fusion dessert. 

Granita is simultaneously one of the easiest and trickiest types of frozen desserts to make. The step that you absolutely can't skip for the best texture when making it is agitating the ice crystals. Our five-ingredient basil citrus granita, for example, calls for scraping the surface of the granita every 30 minutes or so for three to six hours (depending on your freezer), or until fully set. You should store your granita mixture in a flat container so it's easy to scrape the surface, cover it, and place it back in your freezer to continue setting. In short, it's not as set-it-and-forget-it as normal ice cream, so be sure to dedicate enough time (and room in your freezer) for it.

There are also some limitations for what you can and can't add to granita. Alcohol, for example, doesn't freeze like syrup or water does, so it's usually not a good addition to your recipe. Save it for serving instead. You can also have some fun with how you garnish your savory tomato granita, whether you take inspiration from a bloody mary or combine it with classic herbs.