Pomegranate Granita

My 230th recipe, "Pomegranate Granita", a simple, light, healthy and delicious dessert. Pomegranate is a wonder fruit. While people these days spend a lot of time and money on cosmetics and skin care, they often forget that the true nutrition for the skin is from inside. Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants and other essential nutrients which prevents premature skin aging and keep the complexions smooth and radiant. Apart from this, in general, pomegranate is an extremely healthy fruit with lots of other health benefits too. That was the reason why my mom used to give me a pomegranate atleast once every week.

Pomegranates are available almost throughout the year in supermarkets, these days. However, the peak season for them is typically during the end of the year around October to December. This is when you get the perfectly sweet fruit which looks bright and vibrant. At its peak, I always see them piled up at my Kroger supermarket and I never can return without purchasing a few. While I love pomegranate, just like that, it is difficult to make RK eat it. He always complains that the pomegranate seeds are annoying while eating. So the easiest way to make him have his fair share is by juicing it or turning it into this delicious pomegranate granita. Granita is a frozen icy dessert usually made with water, sugar and flavorings. It is more like a shaved ice, but by far more healthier. While a granita can be made with other fruits like watermelon as well, however, this pomegranate granita is my favorite. The pomegranate granita is very refreshing and sweet, slightly tart at the same time. The perfect light dessert to serve during the holiday time feasts 😉

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Pomegranate Granita

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Total Time 5 hours hrs

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• Pomegranate - 2 Large about 3 cups of fruit
• Water - ¾ Cup
• Sugar - 1 Tbsp adjust per taste
• Lemon extract - ½ tsp
• Mint - 2 large leaves

Instructions

 

• First, remove the pomegranate aril (pearls of seeds with pulp) from the fruit.
  
  
• Add the pomegranate arils to a mixie/blender with all the other ingredients and grind nicely.
  
   
• Remove the seeds of the pomegranate by filtering the juice using a fine mesh filter. Discard the seeds. Transfer the pure pomegranate juice to a large pan. The larger the pan size, the quicker is the process of freezing.
  
   
• Leave the pan in the freezer for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, pull out the pan from the freezer and use a fork to break the ice crystals formed.
  
   
• Again, place back the pan into the freezer for 1 more hour. After the second 1 hr, again pull out the pan and use a fork to scrape the ice crystals. Repeat the same process, for a third time. By now the granita should be flaky as seen in the pic.
  
   
• Now, freeze the granita for 1 final hour until nicely solid or you can leave it overnight. Right before serving, pull the pan out of the freezer, use a fork to scrape the ice. Spoon it in serving glasses.
  
   
• Enjoy cold. Optionally garnish with some pomegranate arils or whipped cream.
  
     

Notes | FAQ

- The best taste is when using fresh pomegranate fruit. However, to reduce time, you can also use pomegranate juice from a bottle. Make a simple syrup by boiling the water, sugar, lemon extract and mint. Adjust the quantity based on the juice being used. Filter the simple syrup and bring it to room temperature. Mix the pomegranate juice and simple syrup and follow the freezing steps from above.
- Adjust the quantity of sugar and lemon extract, based on the sweetness and tartness of the pomegranate.
- Serve the granita immediately after pulling out of the freezer. It will melt quickly.
- The freezing time will depend on the size of pan used. Large pan is needed to quicken the process.
- Adjust the quantity of water based on how concentrated you like the flavor to be.