Creamy almond granita without paste, with or without an ice cream maker, as good as the one from the café and made with real almonds, perfect even for a typical Sicilian breakfast. This is a vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dessert of incredible goodness, it is part of Sicilian cuisine and grandma’s recipes and this time, after already preparing the granita with almond paste, we make the almond granita without paste and with real almonds! A dessert that belongs to our Gelati, Sorbetti e Semifreddi category, which can be made without an ice cream maker, and is dairy-free and gluten-free, like the Sicilian chocolate granita or the Sicilian black mulberry granita. Creamy, enveloping, very delicate, this granita is made with only 3 ingredients, it is perfect to accompany a brioche col tuppo, and nothing is wasted from its preparation, because the leftover almond flour, also called almond okara, can be used to make many recipes such as plumcake with almond okara. Want to try it too? Follow me in the kitchen and you’ll see how delicious it is. If you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
Have a look:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Spring, Summer
Ingredients to make creamy almond granita, granita with real almonds and without paste
- 4 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or about 1/3 cup sugar (70 g) and 2 tbsp dextrose (30 g))
- 0.35 oz bitter almonds (or 3–4 drops bitter almond extract (about 10 g))
- 2 3/4 cups almonds (to be peeled (about 400 g))
Tools
- Blender
- Kitchen towel
- Ice cream maker
- Strainer
- Pot
Preparation
Soak the almonds in boiling water for about 3–4 minutes. It is important that you peel the almonds yourself: usually pre-peeled almonds are too dry and have lost aroma; when rehydrated they will perform better. If you have any bitter almonds use them, or replace with a few drops of bitter almond extract. Drain them, let them cool slightly and peel them.
Blend the almonds with 2 1/8 cups of water (about 1/2 liter): you will need a very powerful blender or a homogenizer (link above). If you cannot do it all at once, process half at a time. Place a strainer over a bowl, cover it with a clean towel that doesn’t smell of detergent and pour the mixture into it.
Squeeze it well, collecting the liquid in the bowl underneath. Gather the almond meal and repeat the step with the remaining water. Squeeze again.
Pour the liquid into a pot, add the sugar and, if you have not used bitter almonds, add the drops of essence (you have now obtained a nice almond drink). If, like me, you often prepare ice creams at home using dextrose, replace 2 tbsp of the sugar (sucrose) with 2 tbsp dextrose (this will help the granita stay soft in the freezer). Bring to a boil, then turn off and let the mixture cool — it will be slightly thick. Once cold you can proceed to prepare the granita in 3 ways.
– Pour the mixture into ice cube trays and once frozen, blend the cubes in a good blender until you obtain the right texture without ice crystals.
– Pour the mix into a bowl, place it in the freezer and stir every 45 minutes until you reach the right consistency. It will take about 4 hours or more.
– Pour the now-cooled mixture into the ice cream maker and wait for the machine to reach proper creaming. Starting from a cold base, creaming will take less time. To obtain a good granita ideally use a compressor ice cream maker, because a freezer-bowl type, especially on hotter days, cannot maintain the correct temperature to get a good gelato. Freezer-bowl machines also allow only one flavor at a time and the bowls must be kept in the freezer for at least 24 hours before a new use.
Typically the creaming time for a cold base is 35–40 minutes; depending on the size of your machine, consider dividing the mixture in two and churning first one half and then the other.
Our almond granita is ready to be served and enjoyed.
Storage notes and tips
The granita made this way, without paste, has a very delicate, almost whipped texture.
Leftover granita should be stored in the freezer in a well-sealed container. To revive it, take it out of the freezer 10–15 minutes before serving, let it soften a bit and work it with a spoon to re-whip it.
The almond meal should be dried in the oven at 122°F (50°C) or in the sun if it’s warm enough, and can then be added to cakes, cookies and desserts, including gluten-free ones.
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