Coconut, California Avocado and Lime Granita

A granita is an Italian shaved ice dessert that’s very simple to prepare with no special equipment needed!  Start by blending up a ripe California Avocado with coconut milk, sugar syrup, lime zest, lime juice and spiced rum. This mixture is then poured into a baking dish and set in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, you scrape the mixture with a fork to create ice crystals. After a few hours, you have granita!

Finished with toasted coconut and pistachios, these pale green flakes are creamy and refreshing with an irresistible taste of the tropics. Perfect for a hot summer day!

With the use of coconut milk and rich California Avocado, this granita is creamier than a traditional granita. The texture is somewhere between shaved ice and ice cream. No dairy is used here, so this is also a vegan dessert!

Spiced rum is blended into the mix to add some depth of flavor. There’s only 1 tablespoon used in the recipe though, so you won’t need designated driver after eating this!

This granita can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, and stored in the freezer covered. You can also double the recipe for a crowd.  These delicious crystals melt quickly, so be sure to enjoy this granita as soon as you serve it!

Coconut, California Avocado and Lime Granita Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 ripe California Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
Pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste
Zest of 1 lime
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
1 tsbp. spiced rum (optional)

Toppings: chopped toasted pistachios, toasted flaked coconut

Instructions

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Take the pan off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Combine coconut milk, avocado, sugar syrup and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.  Add the lime zest, juice and spiced rum (if using), and pulse a few times to combine.  Season to taste with additional salt and lime juice if needed.

Pour mixture into a small baking dish (preferably metal). Cover the baking dish with foil and freeze mixture for 1 1/2 hours. Take the dish out of the freezer and scrape the icy bits from the edges to the center. Repeat this scraping process every 30 minutes until the entire mixture is frozen and flaky.

To serve, spoon granita in small bowls and top with pistachios and flaked coconut.  Enjoy immediately!