Green Apple Granita with the Ninja Slushi

Forget the chore of fork-scraping in the freezer: continuous churning allows you to achieve this crystalline and tangy texture without any effort. Before, I used to scrape my apple puree in the freezer for hours: the Slushi does all the work alone. You will love this ultra-fresh side and the tangy scent of the apple that wakes up the taste buds, perfect for a frozen snack to be enjoyed with a spoon.

Green Apple Granita with the Ninja Slushi

Recipe by Camille Roos

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Slush / granitaCuisine: Frozen drinksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

people

Prep

10

minutes

Freeze time

45

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

A real green apple granita, tangy, easily prepared thanks to the Slush program of your machine.

Ingredients

• 500 ml of pure apple juice (clear or cloudy according to your taste)

• 2 fresh Granny Smith apples

• 40 ml of lemon juice (for acidity and to prevent oxidation)

• 60 ml of cane syrup (adjust according to the sugar in the juice)

• 150 ml of filtered water

Instructions

• Core and dice the apples (keep the skin for color if you wish), then blend them finely with the water and lemon juice.
• Pass the preparation through a chinois or fine sieve to remove thick fibers and keep only the concentrated juice. Filtering prevents thick fibers from altering the texture or the machine’s churning.
• Mix this juice with the pure apple juice and cane syrup until you obtain a perfectly homogeneous liquid. The sugar in the syrup prevents the liquid from freezing into a single compact block.
• Pour into the Ninja Slushi tank between the min and max lines, select the Slush program and let it run until you obtain a texture that can be easily scooped with a spoon.

Calvados and mint version

Calvados and mint version : Add 60 ml of Calvados and a few finely blended mint leaves to the liquid mixture, then switch to the Frozen Cocktail program.

Why I always filter my fresh fruit

The reflex when preparing a homemade granita is wanting to keep the pulp for flavor. But with a continuous churning machine, filtering your fruit puree is indispensable. If you leave pieces of skin or apple fibers, not only do they risk clumping around the auger, but they will also disrupt crystallization. The appliance needs a liquid as smooth as possible to form that beautiful crushed ice texture. That is why I always pass my apple-water-lemon mixture through a chinois: we keep all the tangy freshness of the Granny Smith, without any solid residue. The result in the tank is then perfectly fluid and the churning is done smoothly.

The famous rule of sugar with natural juices

I am often asked if we can just rely on the fruit’s natural sugar for a granita. The answer is no: you need the right sugar ratio so the liquid does not turn into an impenetrable block of ice. Apple juice and fresh fruit certainly bring their own sweetness, but you generally do not reach the 10 to 12 % required for beautiful crystallization on the Slush program. Adding cane syrup is therefore not just a matter of indulgence, it is what plays the role of antifreeze in the tank. If your base apple juice is very acidic, do not hesitate to taste your preparation before pouring it: it should seem slightly too sweet to you at room temperature, because cold always masks the flavor a little afterwards.

Are you more into tangy green apple or very sweet red apple for your granitas?

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave the apple pieces if I blend them very finely?

I advise against it. Even finely blended, apple fibers tend to distort the cold setting and strain the machine’s churning screw. It is better to filter.

Why does my preparation freeze into one big block?

It is almost always a lack of sugar. The juice and water dilute the natural content: do not hesitate to add a little cane syrup to stabilize the texture.

Which program to use for a spoonable granita?

The Slush program is designed for that. It creates ice crystals that are a bit thicker and more authentic than the Frappé program, perfect for a small spoon.