Vanilla Peach Granita Recipe

Made with juicy summer peaches, sugar, lemons, and vanilla bean paste, this easy vanilla peach granita recipe offers a refreshingly cool dessert option for sweltering summer evenings.

Why Make This Granita Recipe?

This easy-to-make frozen peach dessert showcases the vibrant flavors of fresh summer peaches, accented by a subtle hint of vanilla. My peach granita requires no oven (just a whole lot of stirring!) and can be prepared in advance, making it ideal for summer dinner parties. And as a bonus, this granita recipe contains no meat, dairy, nuts, or gluten, so it’s an excellent choice for friends with diverse dietary needs.

What Is Granita?

Made from basic ingredients such as sugar and fresh fruit, granita makes a refreshingly simple, fruit-forward summertime treat. (Common flavors include lemon, orange, and strawberry, but there are chocolate, coffee, and nut-based granitas, too.) This semi-frozen dessert from Sicily resembles sorbet, Italian ice, or a snowcone, but isn’t quite the same as any of these.

To make homemade granita, purée sugar syrup with fresh fruit, then pour the mixture into a shallow container. Place the container in the freezer, and periodically scrape the ice crystals with a fork. And that’s it. A few hours of scraping and freezing, and voila! A light, crunchy, frozen fruit dessert.

Vanilla Peach Granita Ingredients

This easy peach dessert recipe requires just five ingredients, and one of them is water! In addition, you’ll need:

• Granulated sugar – Just 40 grams, or about 3 tablespoons. The peaches themselves contain plenty of sweetness, so no need to go overboard with added sugar.
• Fresh peaches – You’ll need 450 grams, or about 4 3-inch round peaches, pitted, peeled, and diced. Flavorful peaches will yield a flavorful granita, so choose ripe, juicy, and (if possible) locally-grown peaches for this granita recipe. I do not suggest using canned or frozen peaches—with just a handful of ingredients, fresh peaches make all the difference.
• Lemon juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not bottled or reconstituted. For a stronger lemon flavor, you can also add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon zest to the purée.
• Vanilla bean paste – Or the scrapings from one vanilla pod. It’s worth using beans here, rather than extract.

Notes on Freezing and Stirring

While incredibly easy to make, granitas do require a bit of a time commitment. The entire process will take 4-6 hours from start to finish, although the exact timing will vary based on the size of your container, the temperature in your freezer (and in your kitchen), and whether your freezer is empty-ish or packed to the gills.

After the initial 90-minute freeze, stir your granita every 30-45 minutes or so. Eventually, it will start to resemble a thick slush:

Don’t stop there! Keep going until the mixture resembles finely crushed ice, kind of like a snowball:

The entire process will take several hours, so be patient. From start to finish, my peach granita required about six hours of freezing and stirring time to reach the desired consistency.

Choosing a Container

Granitas freeze best in a shallow, square or rectangular container. (If you use a very small container, or a round bowl, less surface area means the purée has less room to spread out, and will therefore take much longer to freeze.) My go-to granita container (pictured below) measures about 5 1/2 x 9 inches. Any similarly-sized plastic food storage container will work. Granitas also offer a great solution for re-purposing those lidded rectangular plastic takeout containers we all save and stash in the back of the cabinet, “just in case.”

Some recipes recommend a metal cake tin because metal freezes faster, and you can certainly try this approach. I prefer plastic because all of that fork-scraping made scratch marks in my metal tin, so proceed with caution.

Garnishing and Serving This Easy Peach Dessert

This vanilla peach granita recipe allows plenty of room for creative garnishing! Use fresh herbs (basil, mint) or edible flowers for a pop of color. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, or coconut whipped cream and flakes of coconut. Add lemon wedges or sliced fresh peaches. Or simply serve it plain.

For serving, try scooping your peach granita into stemless wine glasses, small mason jars, or dessert bowls. Oh, and work quickly, especially on a hot day—it only takes a few minutes before this frozen dessert begins to melt!

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

As mentioned above, this peach granita will take at least 4-6 hours to freeze (possibly a little more or less, depending on your container) so plan ahead. If planning to serve this for dessert in the evening, you’ll want to make sure it’s in the freezer by mid-morning. And because it requires periodic stirring, it’s best to save this recipe for a day when you can stay close to the kitchen.

You can also make your granita a day or two in advance and store in the freezer until ready to serve. To serve, allow the granita to sit at room temperature for a few minutes, break the pieces apart with a fork, then scoop into dishes and garnish as desired.

Other peach recipes you might enjoy:

Peach and Mascarpone Pastries
Blueberry, Peach, and Walnut Hand Pies
Summer Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese Pizza
Peach and Ginger Hand Pies

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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