The 1-Ingredient Watermelon Treat I’m Making All Summer Long

While working on this article about freezing watermelon, I learned something that has changed my summer for the better. When the days get long and hot, the only thing that will do is an icy cold treat. While granita hits the spot, I rarely have the patience to pull it out of the freezer to stir it every some-odd minutes so that it has the perfect texture.

Then I discovered that blitzing frozen chunks of watermelon in a food processor yields a fluffy, one-ingredient granita in mere minutes. There’s no added sugar, no need to stir, and it's guaranteed to cool you down. Game changer!

First, Freeze the Watermelon

Here’s my guide to freezing watermelon. It’s a great way to use up the inevitable excess watermelon from a summer gathering or barbecue. Simply remove the peel and rind and cut them into cubes before freezing them on a sheet pan. Frozen watermelon will keep in a zip-top bag for up to a month.

I recommend using seedless watermelon so that you don’t have to deal with (you guessed it) seeds. If you use a watermelon with seeds, remove any black seeds before freezing.

How To Make My 1-Ingredient Watermelon Granita

Now that you have frozen watermelon, you can have watermelon granita whenever the mood strikes! Add the cubes to a food processor. The processor should be at least half full with watermelon cubes—otherwise, the processor has a hard time turning it into granita. If you're making a lot of granita, use a large processor. For small batches, a small food processor is best.

Pulse several times to break up the cubes, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula. Then process the mixture until a fluffy, pink powder forms. Serve it immediately.

This watermelon granita is subtly sweet with a delightful texture. It’s also extremely customizable. For a little tartness, add a squeeze of lime to the processor. For a little extra sweetness, top the granita with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk or honey. I like adding a little kick by sprinkling a mixture of Tajín and granulated sugar over top. Or take it to cocktail territory and top the granita with a bit of bubbly.

Now that I know this trick, you are guaranteed to find a bag of frozen watermelon in my freezer all summer long, ready to go when I need an icy treat.