This 3-Ingredient Granita Is My Ultimate Summer Refresher

In Morocco, mint tea is more than just a daily ritual—it’s a deeply rooted symbol of hospitality, shared across generations. I first encountered it not just as a drink, but as an experience: hot water poured from high above into small glasses, the steam carrying the scent of mint and tea through the room. It’s a drink that marks both celebration and everyday comfort. Whether after a long meal or during a casual afternoon visit, Moroccan mint tea is always welcome.

This granita is my warm-weather twist on that ritual. Rather than serving the tea hot, I steep a blend of gunpowder green tea, mint, and sugar and freeze it into light, icy flakes. The result is a dessert true to the flavor of Moroccan mint tea but with a modern, cooling spin that’s perfect for summer. It captures the essence of the drink—literally and figuratively—in frozen form.

What Is Moroccan Mint Tea?

Traditionally, Moroccan mint tea is brewed in a berrad, a metal teapot designed to go directly over the flame. The berrad has a curved spout for dramatic pouring, a snug lid to trap steam, and often an internal filter to hold back tea leaves and mint sprigs. The process is as precise as it is poetic: You start by adding gunpowder green tea, then briefly cover it with boiling water to release what’s known as the tea’s “essence”—a concentrated infusion that’s set aside and reserved. The leaves are then rinsed and refreshed with more hot water. The reserved essence is then poured back in, fresh mint and sugar are added, and the tea is steeped until fragrant and strong. When ready, it’s poured from high up down into glasses to aerate the liquid and create a foamy top, then garnished with even more mint. That first sip—floral, smoky, sweet—always feels like a generous welcome.

What I love about this granita is how it captures the spirit of Moroccan mint tea without replicating it exactly. There’s no berrad, no theatrical pour. Instead, it’s stripped down to its core elements and reimagined in a cool, shareable form that’s perfect for outdoor meals or as a palate cleanser between courses. It also keeps beautifully in the freezer—just fluff it with a fork before serving. It’s a simplified approach, but the ingredients still matter—and none more than the tea itself.

The 3 Key Ingredients for a Great Mint Tea Granita

Gunpowder green tea is ideal for this recipe. Its leaves are tightly rolled into pellets that slowly unfurl, releasing a slightly smoky, earthy bitterness that anchors the granita’s flavor. That intensity is essential—it keeps the sweetness from tipping too far into syrupy territory. Fresh mint leaves bring brightness and lift, while sugar balances the bitterness and helps the granita maintain a soft, spoonable texture.

Because this isn’t a drink but a frozen dessert, flavor concentration is key. Cold temperatures can dull the taste buds, making it harder to perceive sweetness, saltiness, and other flavors when frozen. Using a tea with enough backbone to withstand this process ensures that the final result still reads clearly as Moroccan mint tea—not just as a vague herbal ice.

Gunpowder tea also brings a subtle smokiness that echoes the traditional preparation method, in which tea is boiled directly over a flame. In that way, the flavor gestures back to the original ritual, even if the method departs from it.

The Simple Technique for Freezing the Granita

The technique for making granita is rewarding but straightforward. After steeping and straining the tea, I pour it into a wide, shallow pan and place it in the freezer. Every 30 minutes, I scrape the mixture with a fork, breaking up the ice as it forms. At first, it resists. Then it softens. Slowly, you build layers of fine ice crystals, light and flaky, like snow. It’s a process that takes a bit of attention, but no special equipment, and I find it meditative. If you’ve ever made granita before, you know the satisfaction of watching a liquid slowly transform into something else over time, through temperature, and with gentle touch.

Mint Tea Granita Serving Suggestions

orange blossom water—sometimes added to traditional Moroccan mint tea—can lend a gentle floral note to the granita. A sprig of mint on top makes for a fragrant garnish. This granita also pairs beautifully with fruit, shortbread, or even a scoop of yogurt for contrast.

This recipe is about taking something cherished and familiar and seeing it in a new light. By freezing Moroccan mint tea into a granita, I’ve found a way to preserve its flavor and feeling—cool, inviting, and shared.

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