2 Ingredient Coffee Granita

2 Ingredient Coffee Granita is the easiest frozen coffee treat you’ll make all summer. Made with just coffee and sugar, it freezes into fluffy crystals of coffee ice that are both refreshing and surprisingly sophisticated.

Even though I’ve lived in the South all my life, I never feel prepared for our summers. Like a bad house guest, the sweltering heat arrives early and overstays its welcome. You’d think I’d remember the lethargy and general wilted feeling that humidity brings with it, but somehow I never do. My yearly repressed memory, I suppose. By the time summer officially arrives, I’m scrambling to find some cold comforts, like this coffee granita – it’s air conditioning in a dessert cup!

This Italian coffee granita recipe has been a bit of a revelation for me. I’ve made fruit juice granitas before, and they were pretty good, but none have had the flavor complexity and nuance of this one. It’s almost no work to make, yet it tastes like a restaurant-quality dessert. I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it as the grand finale to a dinner party. Best of all, you can make it well ahead of time because it stays fluffy in the freezer. It’s sweet, sophisticated, and endlessly adaptable with whatever third ingredient you’d like to add.

All You Need Is Coffee and Sugar

Talk about simple! All you need is strong brewed coffee and granulated sugar. That’s it. Because there are only two ingredients, this is a great time to use a coffee you enjoy drinking. The coffee provides all the flavor, while the sugar cuts the bitterness and helps create the delicate icy texture that makes granita so appealing. You may be tempted to use less sugar, but your finished granita will not be as fluffy.

Tip: You can even skip brewing by using your favorite ready-made cold brew coffee ( my current fave). Since cold brew isn’t hot enough to quickly dissolve the sugar, you’ll need to stir a little longer to help it along. Keep stirring until every last granule of sugar is dissolved before pouring the mixture into the baking dish. Cold brew makes an excellent granita because it is often less acidic and bitter than brewed coffee.

The Secret Is in the Scrape

No blender, no ice cream maker – absolutely no special equipment required for this frozen wonder. The magic happens every time you scrape the mixture with a fork. As the coffee mixture freezes, ice crystals will form around the edges of the pan. Simply scrape them down and break them up every 30-ish minutes and you’ll gradually create a panful of fluffy coffee ice. With each scraping the texture becomes lighter and fluffier.

Store in the Freezer

I may have mentioned how much I love a make-ahead dessert (only about 1,000 times), and this one is my new favorite. Once you’ve finished the scraping process, simply cover the dish and store it in the freezer until serving time. The fluffy coffee ice crystals hold their texture remarkably well, making this an ideal dessert for entertaining. If the granita becomes compacted after sitting in the freezer, re-scrape it and fluff with a fork.

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Dress Up Your Coffee Granita

Although coffee and sugar are all you need, this recipe is endlessly variable. Stir flavored coffee syrups, extracts, or a splash of liqueur into the hot coffee before freezing. Once served, top it with whipped cream, a drizzle of heavy cream, or a dusting of cinnamon.

Turn It Into a Cocktail

If you’re serving adults, this 2 ingredient coffee granita is a natural cocktail starter. Spoon the granita into martini glasses and finish it with a shot of vodka, Frangelico, coffee liqueur, or Irish cream. I especially love using cream-based liqueurs for a dessert-like after-dinner drink.

Optional: Garnish with a Coffee Candy

I recently saw espresso martinis served with these candies clipped to their rims. What a fun garnish! Not to mention the best coffee candy I’ve ever tried. I could not resist adding some to these coffee granitas with tiny clothespins. It’s like having coffee for now and coffee for later – one melts quickly, the other much more slowly.

Serve It Like They Do in Sicily

In Sicily, coffee granita is often served layered with freshly whipped cream and with a soft, brioche bun (brioche col tuppo) for breakfast or an afternoon treat. The combination of cold coffee ice and rich cream is unbeatable. Since I didn’t have brioche on hand, I served mine with crisp ladyfingers (savoiardi). Like granita, they’re an Italian specialty, and really tasty alongside coffee. They’re perfect for dipping into the melted granita to soak up every last bite.

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