This classic Frozen Margarita Recipe is made with fresh lime juice and tequila. Skip the overly sweet pre-made margarita mix! All you need is a handful of ingredients to create a fresh, easy, and delicious cocktail. Ready in minutes!

As we approach summer we’re slowly shifting our sights to berry desserts and slushy cocktails. What better way to celebrate the warm weather than with a Frozen Margarita in our hands? Let’s get to it!

Frozen margarita in a glass on a silver platter.

Jump to:

Why you’ll love these frozen margaritas
Ingredients needed
How to salt the rim of a glass
Recipe tips
Make ahead margaritas
More cocktail recipes
Recipe

Why you’ll love these frozen margaritas

Texture: The cold, frozen, slushie texture makes this margarita perfect for warm weather months.

Flavor: This is a classic margarita flavored with lime, orange, and tequila.

Ease: Throw the ingredients into the blender and you have a frozen margarita in seconds. The hardest part of this recipe is juicing the limes.

No premade-mix: Learn how to make a margarita without a super sweet and syrupy premade mix.

Frozen margarita in a glass garnished with lime.

Ingredients needed

Simple syrup: This recipe starts with a quick simple syrup; this is what sweetens the margarita. Stir equal amounts of granulated sugar into boiling water until dissolved, then chill. Make this first so that it can chill in the fridge or freezer while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Lime juice: For this recipe you’ll need about ½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice. This is around 8 limes, but that will vary based on the size of your limes and how juicy they are. Feel free to swap in a little freshly squeezed lemon juice if you come up short with the lime juice.

Tequila: The star of this drink! Feel free to use your favorite tequila; I prefer a silver/blanco/white tequila.

Orange liqueur: A generous splash of orange liqueur helps to give these margaritas their classic flavor. Triple sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier are all good options.

Ice: Here’s how we turn these into frozen margaritas! Add plenty of ice into your blender along with all the ingredients listed above and give it a whirl. Easily adjust the consistency of the margaritas by adding more or less ice.

Tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and limes for a frozen margarita recipe.

How to salt the rim of a glass

If you like your margaritas with a salted rim you need to do so before adding your margarita to the glass.

Place coarse salt in a small bowl.
Moisten the rim of your glass. Do this by running a lime wedge along the rim OR (my preference) put some simple syrup on the rim. You can dip it in the simple syrup or use your fingers to rub it on the rim of the glass.
Dip the glass into the salt and twist it back and forth until the salt sticks.

TIP: Like sweet and salty together? Add a little sugar to your coarse salt.

Recipe tips

Make them strong: Since the alcohol, lime juice and simple syrup will be diluted by all that crushed ice, make sure that your portions are on the stronger side.
Use chilled ingredients: If you use warm/room temp ingredients your ice will melt faster, and you’ll likely need to add more ice to get a thick, slushy consistency. The more ice you add, the more you will dilute the flavor. So, plan ahead a bit and chill your alcohol, lime juice and simple syrup in advance.
Adjust to suit your taste preferences: I can’t stress this one enough! When making your own cocktail you can control exactly how you want it to taste. Add more simple syrup for a sweeter cocktail, more lime juice for a more tart cocktail, and of course, increase or decrease the alcohol based on how strong you like your drinks. Use this recipe as a guide and go from there.
Adjust the recipe quantity: This recipe makes 4 margaritas, but you can easily double or even triple it to serve a crowd.
Serve immediately: Wait until you are ready to serve these Frozen Margaritas, then throw everything in the blender and mix them up and serve immediately.

Make ahead margaritas

These margaritas should be served right after you blend them but you can easily prep the components in advance.

Prep in advance: Juice the limes and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make the simple syrup and store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Assemble: Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until combined.

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Recipe

Frozen Margarita Recipe

Whip up this classic Frozen Margarita Recipe made with fresh lime juice and tequila.

5 from 9 votes

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Course: Beverages

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 157kcal

Author: Allison Mattina

Ingredients

Simple syrup:

▢ 3 tablespoons boiling water
▢ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Margaritas:

▢ ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
▢ ½ cup tequila
▢ ¼ cup orange liqueur
▢ simple syrup, to taste, I used 2 tablespoons
▢ 3-4 cups ice, plus more if needed
▢ Coarse salt for the rim of your glass

Instructions

Simple syrup:

Stir sugar into boiling water until dissolved. Place in the fridge (or speed it along in the freezer until chilled, but not frozen.

Margaritas:

Place coarse salt in a small bowl. Moisten the rim of your glass. Do this by running a lime wedge along the rim OR (my preference) put some simple syrup on the rim. You can dip it in the simple syrup or use your fingers to rub it on the rim of the glass. Dip the glass into the salt and twist it back and forth until the salt sticks. Set aside.
Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and slushy. Add more ice to thicken, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Notes

TIPS:

Make them strong: Since the alcohol, lime juice and simple syrup will be diluted by the crushed ice, make sure that your portions are on the stronger side.

Use chilled ingredients: If you use warm/room temp ingredients your ice will melt faster, and you’ll likely need to add more ice to get a thick, slushy consistency. The more ice you add, the more you will dilute the flavor. So, plan ahead a bit and chill your alcohol, lime juice and simple syrup in advance.

Adjust to suit your taste preferences: I can’t stress this one enough! When making your own cocktail you can control exactly how you want it to taste. Add more simple syrup for a sweeter cocktail, more lime juice for a more tart cocktail, and of course, increase or decrease the alcohol based on how strong you like your drinks. Use this recipe as a guide and go from there.

Adjust the recipe quantity: This recipe makes 4 margaritas, but you can easily double or even triple it to serve a crowd.

Serve immediately: Wait until you are ready to serve these Frozen Margaritas, then throw everything in the blender and mix them up and serve immediately. Simple syrup and lime juice can be prepped in advance and stored in the fridge.