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How to make the most refreshing and delicious Sicilian Pistachio Granita at home. This recipe is super easy to make with just 4 ingredients and tastes incredible. Serve it topped with some fresh whipped cream and a Sicilian brioche bun.
One thing I was extremely excited about doing during a recent trip to Sicily was eating granita and brioche for breakfast.
I’ve had granita countless times, but never in Sicily, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I didn’t come across granita in the form of loose ice crystals (like our coffee granita recipe). Instead, it was creamy looking, like a cross between ice cream and sorbet, but tasted incredibly light and refreshing, just like granita should.
I absolutely loved it and could not wait to make my own at home. Obviously, I had to start with my favourite flavour, pistachio!
This recipe takes me right back to Sicily, and it’s so simple and easy to make, the perfect treat during the summer heat. To serve it like they do in Sicily, top it with some fresh whipped cream and a brioche bun for dunking.
Ingredient notes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- Pistachios – I recommend using unsalted pistachios for this recipe. If you can only find salted ones, just give them a soak in cold water for a few minutes, drain and dry them on a kitchen towel. In Sicily, Bronte pistachios are often used to make granita but they’re very difficult (and expensive) to find.
- Pistachio cream – you can use store-bought or make homemade pistachio cream. Don’t worry if it’s overly sweet, as the flavour will mellow once frozen.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
Step 1 – Blitz the pistachios to fine crumbs in a food processor (photo 1). Be careful not to blitz them for too long or they’ll turn into pistachio butter. Set them aside.
Step 2 – Make a sugar syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil until the sugar has dissolved (photo 2).
Step 3 – Add the pistachio cream to the hot sugar syrup and whisk it until melted. Let it cool completely (photo 3).
Step 4 – Once cooled, add the chopped pistachios, then transfer the mixture to a freezer-proof container. Put it in the freezer for at least 6-8 hours to overnight (photo 4).
Step 5 – Remove the frozen mixture from the freezer and break it into chunks (photo 5). You may need to let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes so it’s easier to break. Add it to a food processor and blitz to a smooth and creamy granita (photo 6).
Alternative freezing methods
- Stirring method – You can follow the method in our coffee granita recipe that involves stirring the granita every so often to break up the ice crystals. I recommend stopping when it reaches a slushy consistency.
- Immersion blender – another way is to use the stirring method, then blend it with an immersion blender for a creamy consistency.
More Italian frozen desserts to try
Italian Desserts
Granita al Caffè con Panna (Coffee Granita)
Italian Desserts
Aperol Spritz Granita
Italian Desserts
Pistachio Ice Cream (Gelato al Pistacchio)
Italian Desserts
Italian Affogato Recipe – Ice Cream And Coffee
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Step By Step Photos Above
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Pistachio Granita
Ingredients
- 100 g (3/4 cup) pistachios
- 150 g (3/4 cup) pistachio cream
- 710 ml (3 cups) water
- 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
Instructions
- Put the pistachios in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Be careful not to over blitz them or it’ll turn to butter. Set aside.
- Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the sugar has dissolved then turn off the heat. Add the pistachio cream and whisk it into the sugar syrup until fully melted.
- Let the pistachio mixture cool completely then add the chopped pistachios.
- Transfer the mixture into a freezer-proof container and place in the freezer for 6 hours to overnight until frozen.
- When ready to serve, remove the granita from the freezer and break it into medium-sized chunks (you may need to let the granita sit a room temperature for 5-10 minutes if it’s difficult to break).
- Blitz the chunks in a food processor until smooth and slushy then serve.
- Tip – just blitz the amount of granita you are going to serve and put the rest back in the freezer.
Notes
- Blitzing the granita – your food processor may struggle to blitz the full batch of granita at once, so I do this in 2 batches.
- Serving suggestions – Traditionally, granita is served with whipped heavy cream. I don’t sweeten mine, but you can whip it with 1 tablespoon of sugar if you prefer.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This sounds amazing, guys! And I really like the idea of processing frozen chunks. So much easier than stirring and stirring while you freeze it. Brilliant idea. Why didn’t I think of that?