5 homemade slushies to cool you down in summer

Within the ice cream family, slushies or shaved ice are the easiest ice creams to make. To make them, all you have to do is grind ice with the flavors you want.

The advantage of the granitas is that they are very fresh and they hydrate a lot, since the majority of its composition is water. Its texture is like that of curdled snow, which can be achieved without special machines, only with household utensils. You can have them ready in an afternoon and they can go a long way if you make a good amount.

Although the commercials are nothing more than ice and syrup, at home we can make much healthier slushies with fresh fruits and use them as desserts and snacks. In addition, this way we can take advantage of loose fruits that we have in the fridge and create slushies of various flavors with little effort.

How to prepare homemade slushies

To prepare a good granita we will need fruits that we like and that they are in season. For example watermelon, melon, cherries, red fruits, apricots, nectarines, pears…

The higher the water content of the fruit (such as watermelon), the less water we will have to add.

Preparation

First wash the fruits that you want to use for your granita.Remove the stone or the seeds, chop it up and beat them with the blender until you get a puree.Add water and beat again to mix.Put the crushed fruit in a freezer container and freeze it for 2 hours. Then take it out every half hour and stir it, breaking up any large blocks of ice that have formed. After about 4-6 hours, you will have a granita ready to eat. Consume it once made.to save it just freeze it. Then you can chop it again, leaving it in the fridge for one or two hours so that the ice melts a bit.

Alternatives

Another option is to shake the fruits with water and ice cubes to obtain an instant slushie:

Wash the fruit that you are going to use and remove the stone or seeds. Cut it into medium pieces, put it in a freezer bag or a suitable container and freeze it for a minimum of 4 hours. Put it in the blender together with ice and a pinch of water and beat until smooth. Serve the granita immediately.

Let’s see it with examples of specific fruits:

Watermelon frozen

Ingredients

1 kg of seedless watermelon 1 teaspoon of lemon zest (optional) 1 cup of water

Preparation

Cut the watermelon into pieces and beat it with the mixer together with the lemon zest and the water. Transfer the mixture to a container suitable for freezing and put it in the freezer. After 2 hours, stir it well, breaking any large ice crystals that have formed .Repeat the operation every 2 hours until it has the consistency you want (it will be a few hours in total). Serve it very cold.

instant watermelon slushie

Ingredients

1 kg seedless watermelon 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional) 1 cup ice cubes ½ cup very cold water

Preparation

First, cut the watermelon into cubes and freeze it for at least 4 hours. Transfer the frozen watermelon along with the rest of the ingredients to a blender and blend everything together until it forms an ice puree. Serve immediately

banana granita

Ingredients

3 bananas 2 cups of water

Preparation

Peel and chop the plantains. Beat them in the blender together with the water until a homogeneous liquid is formed. Put it in a container suitable for freezing and freeze it for 2 hours. Take it out and stir it well, breaking the ice crystals that form. Repeat the operation every hour until you have the consistency of a granita.Serve immediately.

Instant banana slushie

Ingredients

1 banana 2 cups of ice cubes

Preparation

Chop the banana and freeze it for at least 4 hours. Put both the banana pieces and the ice cubes in the blender and blend until smooth. If necessary, add some more ice. Serve immediately.

Instant date granita

Ingredients

10 dates2 cups of ice cubes

Preparation

Remove the stone from the dates and leave them to soak for at least ½ hour. Crush the ice with the blender (if it has an ice crusher accessory, much better) until snow forms. Put the ice in a couple of serving bowls. Blend the dates with ½ cup of water until a smooth syrup forms. Pour the syrup over the bowls