Jamie Oliver Recipe: Refreshing Watermelon Granita with Yogurt and Candied Ginger

A Granita I Keep Returning To

I’ve lived in Singapore for almost three years now, and if there’s one frozen dessert I find myself turning to again and again, it’s this one: Jamie Oliver’s Watermelon Granita. I first learned about it from the ever-inspiring @marlein_de_visscher – and I’ve made it more times than I can count.

Originally published in Jamie Oliver’s 5 Ingredients, this recipe is all about ease and pure, vibrant flavor. Five ingredients – each one irreplaceable in my opinion – come together to make a summer dessert that’s both fun to prepare and effortlessly elegant. It’s light, cooling, and somehow still rich with depth thanks to the zingy warmth of stem ginger in syrup.

The Community Behind This Dish

This isn’t just a dish I stumbled upon randomly – it’s something that’s been lovingly passed along through friends, and that’s part of its charm. The ginger I used, for example, is homemade, cooked down in sugar from a previous salad party shared with @r_schoofje. That’s the kind of beautiful layering of moments I find in food memories – ingredients used across recipes, flavors that evolve, and kind advice from the cooking community.

Visual Guide to the Recipe

Ingredient list & Steps in Text

Ingredients

Serves 8 | Total prep 14 minutes | Freeze 8 hours

• 1 small watermelon (about 4 lbs)
• 2 oz stem ginger in syrup
• 2 limes
• ½ oz bunch of fresh mint
• 8 tablespoons plain yogurt

Instructions

1. Cut the watermelon rind off and chop the flesh into chunks, removing seeds if any.
2. Roughly chop the stem ginger.
3. Place both in a large freezer-safe resealable bag.
4. Grate in lime zest and squeeze in the lime juice.
5. Freeze flat for at least 8 hours, until solid.
6. To serve, reserve some baby mint leaves and place the rest in a food processor.
7. Add the frozen watermelon mix and pulse until you get a snow-like texture.
8. Serve 2 heaping tablespoons per person, topped with:
   • 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
   • A drizzle of ginger syrup
   • A few baby mint leaves

Tips: Use chilled plates or glasses to serve for a fancier touch.

A Little Extra: How to Make Homemade Candied Ginger

If you don’t have access to store-bought stem ginger in syrup, making your own candied version at home is both simple and rewarding. Just peel and slice fresh ginger into fine, needle-thin strips. Toss them with granulated sugar and let them sit for a while so the sugar draws out some of the moisture, softening the texture through osmosis. Then, transfer to a small saucepan and simmer gently over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning. Once tender and translucent, spread the candied ginger on parchment paper to cool and dry. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and enjoy adding it to teas, salads, or desserts like this granita. It adds a gentle warmth and complexity that store-bought versions sometimes lack.

Why I Keep Coming Back to This

Each bite brings a beautiful contrast – the icy crunch of watermelon, the creaminess of yogurt, and that unmistakable lift from ginger and lime. It’s one of those recipes that never feels old, even in a climate as perpetually warm as Singapore. In fact, it’s now one of my go-to treats for humid evenings and low-effort dinner parties.

Even if I’m not a huge mint fan, here it becomes essential. The interplay between fruit, acid, spice, and dairy is… flawless.

A Note on Granita vs. Granité

My quick learning while writing this post: granita and granité may sound similar, but they’re subtly different.

• Granita (Italian): More rustic, flakier, coarser in texture
• Granité (French): Finer and more refined, often used in plated desserts

This recipe definitely belongs in the granita camp, and proudly so.

スイカとジンジャーのグラニータ：ジェイミー・オリバーの5食材レシピより

超簡単＆爽快。スイカ、ライム、ヨーグルト、ミント、シロップ漬け生姜の5素材で作るグラニータは、真夏の救世主！

イギリスの人気シェフ、ジェイミー・オリバーの『5 Ingredients』に収録されたこのレシピ。ここシンガポールでは、一年中夏のような気候ということもあり、いつでも冷凍庫に常備しておきたい定番レシピとなりました。

食材を切って、ジップロックで冷凍→フードプロセッサーで数秒撹拌すれば完成、という手軽さ。包丁でザクザク切ってもOKです。

私はサラダ会で作ったシロップ漬けの自家製生姜を使いましたが、この甘辛くてスパイシーな生姜が、ヨーグルト＆ミントとのハーモニーを引き立ててくれます。見た目も華やかで、エスプレッソカップに盛り付けても素敵です。

グラニータとグラニテの違いも面白く、前者はざくざく食感、後者はきめ細かくフレンチのデザートに使われる傾向。今回はもちろん、ざっくり粗めのグラニータを楽しみました。