This cucumber lemon granita is easy to make and refreshing. In this sweet icy treat, the sharp lemon and cool cucumber pair beautifully.
Pic: Clare Winfield for Pavilion Books
Veggie Desserts + Cakes Cookbook
This recipe for cucumber lemon granita is taken from my debut cookbook, Veggie Desserts + Cakes.(afflink) The book is packed with creative dessert recipes – all including vegetables!
“Hugely imaginative” – The Independent
Pushing far beyond the boundaries of traditional carrot cake, Kate Hackworthy puts vegetables into scrumptious cakes, muffins, biscuits, tarts, brownies, pastries and even ice cream. Veggies bring moisture, natural sweetness and extra nutrients to baking. Avocados make a great substitute for butter, root vegetables bring sweetness and, in some desserts, vegetable puree can replace eggs. Just because we’re used to having veggies as savoury foods doesn’t mean we can’t serve them in sweet dishes too, so, it’s time to whack them out of the ground and onto the cake stand.
Cucumber Lemon Granita
This refreshing granita combines sharp lemons with the fresh flavour of cucumber. Perfect for a hot summer’s day, the icy crystals are bursting with flavour. At once a grown-up slush puppy or a frozen salad, either way, it’s sweet and tangy, cooling and tart.
With no need for an ice cream maker, all you have to do is blend the cucumber and add it to sugared water with lemon juice, then run a fork through it regularly as it freezes to break up the ice. It’s simple, flavourful and delicious.
Tip: Any leftover cucumber puree is lovely stirred into sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or added to a gin and tonic.
Get the Cucumber Lemon Granita recipe!
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how this cucumber granita recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts.
Cucumber Lemon Granita (Veggie Desserts Cookbook)
*Most of the prep time is waiting for the granita to cool and freeze.
Ingredients
- 500 ml water
- 250 g caster sugar (superfine)
- 300 g cucumber (approx 1 cucumber), unpeeled
- 250 ml lemon juice (approx 5 lemons)
Instructions
- Put the water into the saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then remove from the heat and allow it to cool, which will take about 30 minutes.
- Cut the unpeeled cucumber in half lengthways. Run a teaspoon along the length to scoop out the seeds and discard.
- Cut the remaining cucumber into chunks and puree in a food processor or with a hand blender. Measure out 250ml/9fl ozof the cucumber and use the rest for something else (see tip above).
- Combine the cucumber puree and lemon juice and press through a fine-mesh strainer/sieve over a bowl to collect the juice. Add the cucumber lemon juice to the sugar syrup and stir.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow freezer container and freeze for 30 minutes, or until ice crystals form around the edges. Break up the ice crystals wiht a fork, then return to the freezer.
- Repeat every 30 minutes, 3-4 times until the granita is fluffy and completely made of ice crystals.
- Scrape into dishes to serve. If the granita becomes too firm before serving, allow it to soften in the fridge until you can scrape it again.
Laura
Oh this sounds truly delicious – I love the sound of the sharpness but refreshing taste from the cucumber – my kinda of treat
Laura x
Veronika
Wow I must say I have never expected to see a cucumber in a granita. This must be very refreshing!
Veronika
Sabah
Thanks for this simple, healthy recipe Kate! Looking forward to this healthy snack on my hot summer holidays! yum yum 😀
Deana Jayne
This was SO refreshing. I made it for a lighter dinner party dessert. I must put the book on my wish list!
Kylie
This recipe looks so delicious! Definitely have to try this recipe out as soon as possible. Thanks for the share, love checking out your blog.
Aj Wathern
Wow this sounds so refreshing! Perfect ending to a summer backyard barbecue. And o fly now I’m craving a big old jug of ice cold cucumber water-lol. X
Tamsin
I’m literally salivating thinking about this. Book marked to try next weekend! Thank you 🙂
Kara
This sounds so refreshing, perfect for a hot summers day – now all we need is the sun toe come back
Ami Rose
This sounds absolutely amazing. As does your cookbook. I’d never think of incorporating cucumber into a dessert.
Ami xxx
Susanne Remic
I’ve never had anything like this before but I think it sounds amazing! I love lemon and cucumber together so I guess there’s no reason why it won’t work! Thanks for sharing 🙂 x x
Elizabeth
This sounds so deliciously refreshing! Perfect for the hot summer weather 🙂
Afroza Khan
I love cucumbers. It’s so refreshing for summer. And this looks absolutely delicious! I have to try to make this soon 🙂
Shannon
This looks fantastic! Easy & refreshing, right up my alley. I can’t wait to make this. Congrats on the cookbook, I’ll definitely check it out now!
Mellissa Williams
I saw your cookbook on Bintu’s blog and it looks amazing. We all want to get more veggies into our diet in our household
Yaya
This is perfect for a hot summers day! I’d love to have this by the beach. Ah, wishful thinking. x
EssexKate
It sounds delicious and I’m not even a particular fan of cucumber
Sarah Irving | The Urban Wanderer
Ooh, Kate! That sounds lovely and looks equally lovely too. I’m not much of a dessert person, but that looks right up my street, being fresh and light. Might have to give it a go when my friends are over next week.