Sugar-Free Lemon Granita

This Italian-style low carb lemon granita is the perfect refreshment for a hot summer day. It also works as a tasty keto dessert after dinner. With almost no calories and less than 5 grams of carbs, it's totally guilt-free and ideal for the keto diet.

There are many different varieties of lemon you can use to make this low-carb granita. Eureka or Lisbon lemons are perfect for those who like tart, acidic flavours, while Meyer lemons are more delicate and less acidic so if you use them you may need to add less sweetener.

To make this keto-friendly granita, I used the traditional way of part freezing and scraping the lemon ice. The only downside is that it takes several hours to make. If you have an ice-cream maker, it will only take an hour. Enjoy!

Step-by-step

1. Zest 1 to 2 lemons and then juice all of them.

   

2. Place the lemon juice, water, lemon zest, thyme leaves (or few mint leaves), Erythritol and salt into a blender. Process until smooth, for 15-20 seconds.

   

3. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a 1 ¹/₂ - 2 L container or baking dish that can fit into your freezer.

   

4. Discard the pulp. Straining is required as the pulp may make the granita bitter.

   

5. Freeze until the mixture becomes icy on the edges, about 30 minutes. Using a fork, scrape and mash the icy edges and combine with the unfrozen juices. Place back in the freezer and repeat up to 4 times, until the mixture is flaky - the granita is ready.

   

6. To make the granita very smooth, scrape more with a fork, or place in a food processor and pulse until it resembles smooth snow.

   

7. To serve, place the granita into serving glasses. Store any leftover granita in the freezer for up to 6 months. I like to keep mine in single-serving freezer bags.

   

8. The granita can be served just like ice-cream, with a spoon, or frozen drink, with a straw. Optionally, add a shot of vodka or white rum.

   

Recipe

Sugar-Free Lemon Granita

★★★★☆4.4 (114 ratings)

Sweet and tangy refreshment for a hot summer day. The easiest frozen low-carb treat!

Hands on

20m

Overall

4h

Servings

8

4.6 g

Net carbs

0.2 g

Protein

0.1 g

Fat

16

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings24 servings32 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 8 servings

• 2 cups fresh lemon juice, about 8 lemons (480 ml/ 16 fl oz)
• zest from 1-2 organic lemons
• 3 cups filtered water (720 ml/ 24 fl oz)
• few sprigs of fresh thyme or mint
• ¹/₂ cup powdered Erythritol or Swerve (80 g/ 2.8 oz)
• pinch of sea salt
• Optional: few drops of stevia or more Erythritol to taste
• Optional: serve each glass with a shot of vodka or white rum

Instructions

1. Zest 1 to 2 lemons and then juice all of them.

2. Place the lemon juice, water, lemon zest, thyme leaves (or few mint leaves), Erythritol and salt into a blender. Process until smooth, for 15-20 seconds.

3. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a 1 ¹/₂ - 2 L container or baking dish that can fit into your freezer.

4. Discard the pulp. Straining is required as the pulp may make the granita bitter.

5. Freeze until the mixture becomes icy on the edges, about 30 minutes. Using a fork, scrape and mash the icy edges and combine with the unfrozen juices. Place back in the freezer and repeat up to 4 times, until the mixture is flaky - the granita is ready.

6. To make the granita very smooth, scrape more with a fork, or place in a food processor and pulse until it resembles smooth snow.

7. To serve, place the granita into serving glasses. Store any leftover granita in the freezer for up to 6 months. I like to keep mine in single-serving freezer bags.

8. The granita can be served just like ice-cream, with a spoon, or frozen drink, with a straw. Optionally, add a shot of vodka or white rum.

Nutrition per serving, about ⅔ cup/ 160 ml

Carbs 89%Protein 4%Fat 7% of calories

Net carbs

4.6 g

Total carbs

14.3 g

Fiber

0.3 g

Sugars

2.1 g

Protein

0.2 g

Fat

0.1 g

Saturated fat

0 g

Calories

16 kcal

Sodium

24 mg · 1.03% RDA

Magnesium

5 mg · 1.19% RDA

Potassium

64 mg · 3.22% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 2/3 cup/ 160 ml	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Lemon juice, fresh	4 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	13
Lemon zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Water, still	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Thyme, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Erythritol (natural low-carb sweetener)	0.5 g	0 g	0 g	2
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	4.6 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	16

Serving size about 2/3 cup/ 160 ml

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan