Martha Stewart’s 1-Ingredient Coca-Cola Dessert

Becoming adept at entertaining is all about learning how to make snacks, drinks, and decor that look elaborate but are deceptively simple to create. Entrees that can be made ahead of time, how to dress up store-bought appetizers, and two-ingredient cocktails are the name of the game.

When it comes to effortless entertaining, few people are as experienced as Martha Stewart. After all, the businesswoman, Yes, Chef! judge, and cookbook author built her career on teaching people not only how to make delicious food but also how to host, through nearly two decades of her shows Martha Stewart Living and The Martha Stewart Show. 

The latest tip from Stewart that I’ve incorporated into my rotation of easy dinner party ideas is a genius dessert that truly requires no effort to make. As an added bonus, it’s affordable, refreshing for the hot summer months, will surprise your guests, and feels fancier than the sum of its parts. It’s time to meet Martha Stewart’s Coca-Cola granita.

What is granita?

Granita is a frozen Italian dessert hailing from Sicily, and it’s typically made with sugar, water, and additional flavorings like fruit juice. The ingredients will vary from recipe to recipe — for example, a coffee granita may use coffee instead of water — but it’s the texture of this frozen treat that sets it apart. 

Unlike sorbet or an Italian ice, granita isn’t silky smooth. Instead of being churned to create a creamy mouthfeel, a granita is shaved as it freezes to create small crumbles of ice, more akin to a snow cone. This sounds complicated, but it really isn’t. Most granita recipes call for you to put the liquid mixture in the freezer and then take it out after roughly 30 minutes, scraping any frozen crystals into the center of the dish with a pair of forks before freezing again and repeating the process. It’s a no-churn, no-fancy-equipment-required way to make a frozen dessert.

How does Martha Stewart make her Coke granita?

As if granita couldn’t get any easier, Stewart makes it with only one ingredient: a liter of Coca-Cola. In a clip from one of her old TV shows, the hosting expert explains that you simply need to pour the Coke into a freezable container like a glass baking dish — something with a good amount of surface area works best, so you have plenty of room to scrape the ice.

She then notes that you should gradually freeze and fluff the granita with a fork. You can follow the same process as you would with other granita recipes, alternating between 30 minutes of freezing and scraping the ice crystals into the center, until the entire container of soda has been transformed into a mound of sweet, edible shaved ice.

If you’re not a fan of Coke, this technique could easily be applied to other sodas, like Fanta or Dr. Pepper; the latter would have a nice hint of spice. 

Stewart serves the granita in a slightly tall, parfait-style glass, which gives it a more elegant look. She also suggests finishing it off with a dollop of whipped cream, though it’s not necessary. If you’re looking for an easy way to elevate this dish further, one commenter recommends adding a splash of rum to make the dessert boozier.