Watermelon Sorbet or Granita

By Martha Rose Shulman

Watermelon Sorbet or Granita
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 3 hours 30 minutes' freezing and refrigeration
Rating
4(148)
Notes
Read community notes

This works only if your watermelon is juicy and sweet. If you make the granita version, you can use less sugar and omit the corn syrup because the ice crystals won’t matter.

Featured in: Melon Sorbet

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 900grams (2 pounds) watermelon, seedless if possible, or seeded if seedless is not available, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 75grams (about ⅓ cup) sugar
  • 33grams (about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons) corn syrup (for sorbet version only)
  • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Pinch of sea salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

110 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 25 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

  2. Step 2

    If you are making granita, place a 9-by-11-inch baking dish in the freezer. Omit the corn syrup and reduce the sugar if desired.

  3. Step 3

    Place a container in the freezer. Using an immersion blender, blend the watermelon mixture for 30 seconds. If making sorbet, freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s directions. If making granita, scrape into the chilled baking dish and place back in the freezer. Set the timer for 30 minutes. Using a fork, scrape the ice crystals from the outside of the baking dish toward the center. Return to the freezer and set the timer for another 30 minutes. Continue to scrape the mixture with a fork every 30 minutes until you have a uniform frozen mixture. It should not be frozen solid. If you forget to scrape and the mixture does freeze like an ice cube, cut into chunks and use a food processor fitted with the steel blade to break it up. Transfer to a container and freeze. Allow to soften for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: This will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer.

Ratings

4 out of 5
148 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

HTownActor

We did this last night, the Sorbet version ,in an ice cream maker with a pre frozen core. Brought home a fresh seedless whole watermelon and finished blending the ingredients just before we started cooking dinner. Although we reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup ,We didn't refrigerate to chill just popped it in the prepped ice cream maker. It was done by the time we finished dinner and It was great ! It really expanded and was fluffy. My daughter said it tasted like we were eating Watermelon snow.

Leela

The small amount of added sugar, compared to other sorbet recipes is a great asset. The wonderful watermelon flavor really comes through, and it's important to remember the total time is quite short for a frozen dessert--at least the ice cream maker version.

John

For me the lime flavor was too prominent--I'd cut the lime juice by half next time. Otherwise, an easy and fine recipe.

Roberta

Pom (pomegranate juice) is a great addition when juicing watermelon for a drink or an ice. It makes even the most watery, flavorless watermelon taste great.

Peppermdblue

Agree with others in that 1/3 of a cup of sugar is too much. It was much too sweet. My watermelon was sweet to begin with and I think I could have made it with just the corn syrup, lime and watermelon.

DrDre2008

We did the sorbet version with a total of 2 tlbs of light molasses in lieu of sugar and corn syrup. Because, you know, ew. Skipped salt, too. It was lightly sweet, watermelon bliss drizzled with a balsamic reduction and garnished with mint leaves.

Roberta

Pom (pomegranate juice) is a great addition when juicing watermelon for a drink or an ice. It makes even the most watery, flavorless watermelon taste great.

Chris Heilman

A dish with 75 grams of sugar and 33 grams of sugar should not be labeled as healthy as this one was tagged (the only one so tagged) on the overview page. No wonder so many NYT readers are obese and diabetic.

Leela

The small amount of added sugar, compared to other sorbet recipes is a great asset. The wonderful watermelon flavor really comes through, and it's important to remember the total time is quite short for a frozen dessert--at least the ice cream maker version.

HTownActor

We did this last night, the Sorbet version ,in an ice cream maker with a pre frozen core. Brought home a fresh seedless whole watermelon and finished blending the ingredients just before we started cooking dinner. Although we reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup ,We didn't refrigerate to chill just popped it in the prepped ice cream maker. It was done by the time we finished dinner and It was great ! It really expanded and was fluffy. My daughter said it tasted like we were eating Watermelon snow.

Sejal

so good. a keeper

LaurieG

Fabulous recipe! Yum.

John

For me the lime flavor was too prominent--I'd cut the lime juice by half next time. Otherwise, an easy and fine recipe.

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