What is granita? Meaning, ingredients, and how to make it

Colourful, refreshing, and increasingly popular outside its native Italy, granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from simple ingredients and a careful freezing process. But what is granita exactly, and how does it differ from other frozen treats like sorbet or slush? In this article, we’ll explore its origins, the traditional preparation methods, and how you can achieve professional results using modern equipment.

Granita (also known as “granita siciliana”) is a frozen dessert that originated in Sicily. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, its texture is coarse and crystalline—more granular than smooth. Traditionally made with water, sugar, and natural flavourings such as lemon, coffee, or almond, granita is served as a refreshing snack, breakfast drink, or even dessert depending on the region.

The granita meaning in Italian refers to its texture—“grattare” means “to scrape,” alluding to how the ice crystals form and are manually broken during the freezing process. Its rustic appeal and light mouthfeel make it ideal for warm climates and high-volume consumption.

Traditionally, granita was made by placing a flavoured liquid mixture in a shallow container and manually scraping it at intervals to achieve the desired icy texture. While this method preserves the authenticity of the dessert, it is time-consuming and inconsistent in commercial settings.

Today, granita machines streamline this process by automatically chilling and agitating the mix to produce a consistent, high-quality product. These machines ensure uniform texture and faster output, making them ideal for cafés, kiosks, convenience stores, and self-service environments.

SPM offers a range of granita machines suited to different business sizes.

• SORBY: the entry-level model, ideal for smaller venues with limited demand.
• FROSTY: mid-range solution that balances performance and footprint, perfect for cafés and bars with moderate throughput.
• I-PRO: premium line featuring standard I-Tank™ insulated bowls and sleek design, available in electronic or mechanical versions, with optional LED lighting and UV sanitation.
• MP Series: for high-volume operations, suitable for amusement parks, motorway stations, and high-traffic kiosks.

Each machine guarantees precise freezing and constant mixing, ensuring consistent texture and visual appeal.

A successful granita recipe relies on just a few high-quality ingredients.

• Water: forms the base of the mix and must be clean and fresh.
• Sugar: essential not only for sweetness but also for achieving the correct freezing point (typically around 12–15% sugar content).
• Flavouring: natural juices, coffee, tea infusions, or extracts.

When using a commercial granita machine, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on mix ratios to avoid overly hard or slushy textures. You can also use pre-dosed syrups or professional powdered mixes to ensure consistency across batches.

Tip: always pre-chill your mixture before pouring it into the tank. This reduces freeze time and ensures quicker service, especially during peak hours.

Making granita with a machine is straightforward and scalable. Here’s how to do it in a professional setting.

1. Prepare the mix: Blend water, sugar, and flavouring in the correct proportions.
2. Pre-chill the liquid: Ideally, refrigerate the mixture for several hours.
3. Fill the machine tank: Pour in the mix up to the recommended level.
4. Start the freezing cycle: Set the machine to granita mode. Modern models like the I-PRO will control temperature and consistency automatically.
5. Monitor consistency: Most machines feature transparent tanks and LED lighting to let you check texture and appearance.
6. Serve and refill: Once the mix reaches the desired granita consistency, it’s ready to be served.

Advanced machines, like the ones from SPM Drink System, also feature programmable controls, energy-saving modes, and insulated tanks to maintain temperature with lower energy consumption.

With the right machine and proper handling, your business can offer perfectly textured granita—whether in classic lemon, bold coffee, or creative flavours like hibiscus or cucumber mint.

Granita remains one of the most versatile and scalable frozen beverages, ideal for boosting your menu with minimal ingredients and maximum impact.