The Best Homemade Frozen Margarita Recipe

I’ve been in the mood for a frozen Margarita lately, so this recipe had to be done. I’ve made a few before, but never turned one into an actual recipe until now, which was needed because I have a shortage of cocktail recipes on the site.

Plus, I love my frozen margaritas and wanted to share this delicious recipe with my PBJs. So here it is, finally, and right on time for the summer, which is when frozen cocktails are most trendy. Lol!

My first frozen Margarita

My first margarita had to have been around 2017-2019 or so, because I always ate out with my friends during that time, and cocktails were always one of our drinks to order.

Margarita and Daiquiris were my faves, although sometimes I’d order a Berry Sangria. But for some reason, the Margaritas never really hit the spot; I’d always have to tell them to make it sweet. 

So that’s when I did a little research and became acquainted with cocktails, all the ones I love, and learned how to make them myself, and over the years, I’ve done a lot of experimenting.

I tried different combinations of ingredients and mixes to perfect my recipes, so I’ll finally be sharing a whole bunch with you this summer. 

Now, some of you may be saying to yourselves, “I know Philly boy Jay in his mid to late 30s, so just 7 years ago, he was well above legal to drink, so why were his first cocktails so late?

Well, let’s just say I was a late bloomer when it came to alcohol. I was always anti alcohol because I hated the taste. I didn’t begin drinking any form of alcohol until my late 20s, early 30s.

Why I love this recipe:

• Easy to make: What I love most about this drink is how easy it is to make, because as much as I love to cook, I’m not trying to do much of anything that involves cooking and heat during the summertime.
• Quick and under 15 minutes: This recipe is simple and literally takes less than 15 minutes unless you’re just slow. That’s what I love the most… I can make it without much of a sweat, even when I’m lazy.
• Refreshing: With the fresh lime juice and slush, it chills you and cools you down quickly, which is what you want after a long jog around the park or on a scorching hot summer day. I call frozen cocktails body coolers lol…
• Crowd-Pleasing: Margaritas are incredibly popular… “popular” is probably an understatement. Lol! I would go out on a limb and say it’s the most popular cocktail drink in the US and Western culture.

What’s a frozen Margarita made of?

Ok, so for those out there wondering what exactly a Margarita is and what it’s made of, let’s start with the liquor, because all cocktails contain liquor, but they’re made with different kinds.

• Liquors: Tequila and Cointreau (also known as Triple Sec, an orange-flavored sweet wine with a consistency similar to thin syrup) are the liquors used in Margarita drinks.
• Fruit Juice: Cocktails consist of sweeteners and fruit juice, and a classic Margarita is made with lime juice. And did I forget to mention ICE to chill the drink or to create a slush if you’re making a frozen margarita?
• Sweetener: When it comes to sweeteners, you have an array of options. You can use agave, honey, sugar, or a simple syrup. 

There are so many different variations and combinations of ingredients people use, so feel free to customize it and make it yours. But yea, Tequila, Triple Sec, Lime Juice, and Agave are the traditional ingredients for a Margarita. 

Margarita facts

What’s the origin of Margaritas? There are quite a few stories about the origin of this fan-favorite cocktail, but it’s commonly accepted that it was first served in Mexico or Texas.

In 1942, Francisco “Puncho” Morales, a bartender, was asked by a customer to make a popular drink called “Magnolia,” but he couldn’t remember the ingredients.

Unable to admit he didn’t know how to make it, he mixed Tequila with Cointreau and named it after a daisy, which is Margarita in Spanish, and that’s how the drink came about.

The drink has since evolved, and over the years, other ingredients have been added until it was perfected into what it is today. 

• Meaning of the name: Did you know the name Margarita means Daisy in Spanish? 
• Flavor profile: Margaritas are a sour drink, so lime is the preferred fruit and main flavor. Its sour taste is pretty much its identity and what makes it stand out from other cocktails.  

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Base Fruit: Lime Juice is what makes a margarita, margarita… and gives it its sour profile.
• Alcohol: Tequila and Triple Sec are the traditional spirits used to make a margarita.
• Sweeteners: Honey and Sugar are just a few common sweeteners.
• Cold: Ice is what makes it cold and slushy.

Cookware and utensils you’ll need:

Make sure you have all these cooking utensils; you’ll need them for this recipe. Having all of them on hand will make the preparation process so much easier. 

• Measuring Cups: Make sure you have a measuring cup on hand, especially if this is your first time trying this recipe, to ensure you’re using the exact amounts.
• Measuring Spoons: Have measuring spoons for exact measurements as well, mainly for the food coloring if you decide to use any.
• Large Knife: You’ll need a knife to slice the lime in half.
• Citrus Juicer: You can squeeze lime juice from a lime, or use a juicer to extract it.
• Blender: Most importantly, have a blender on hand to blend all the ingredients with the ice to create a frozen margarita.

Lime juice and alternatives

Ok, so as you know, you gotta have lime juice to make an original classic margarita, whether it’s frozen or not. Here are a few options.

• Fresh lime juice: You can use fresh lime juice extracted from a lime. Squeeze the juice from the lime using your hands or a citrus juicer.
• Bottled lime juice: You can use lime juice from the bottle as well. As long as it’s 100% lime juice, you’re good to go. I’ve used fresh lime juice from out of the bottle and didn’t notice a difference.
• Lime Syrup: If you take this route, you might want to reduce the sugar or omit it altogether, since the syrup is already pretty sweet.
• Lime Tequila: You can also use lime-flavored Tequila to simplify things, but I prefer lime juice because the lime flavor in the liquor isn’t always strong enough.

Tequila and alcohol ratio

• What’s a shot: Now, when it comes to alcohol, I like to use 3-4 shots. A shot in the U.S, although not really defined, is typically 3-4 tablespoons, which is about 1/4 cup.
• Liquor Amounts: I use 1/2 cup of Tequila and 1/4 cup of triple sec, which is only 30 proof, unlike the Tequila, which is 80 proof, for a total of 3/4 cups of alcohol. This is the ratio that works best for me.

Now, if you’re trying to get lit, use more… but be mindful that the more liquor you use, the thinner the margarita will be, and you may need to add more ice than the recipe calls for to get a nice, thick, slushy consistency.

Again, customize it to your liking, don’t be afraid to DO YOU because pleasing your tastebuds happy is the key here since you’re the one who’ll be drinking this. Lol!

Sweetener options

As I stated earlier, there are a bunch of sweetener options… You can use what you want; it’s not like most people will be able to tell anyway. The person who supposedly made the first Margarita just used sugar!

• Agrave is common: Most margaritas consist of Agrave, a syrup made from a plant of the same name. It tastes very similar to honey, which is what I use. It ultimately depends on your taste buds and what you like the most.
• Common sweeteners: AGRAVE, HONEY, SUGAR, or SYRUP are commonly used. You can even find lime syrup… if you use it, you won’t need lime juice. You can even use a combination of these sweeteners. I like to use both honey and sugar in equal amounts.

Whatever I have on hand is what I use… I don’t really follow my own recipe all the time. I use what I have around the house when I find myself wanting some. I’ve probably used lime syrup maybe once.

How lime syrup made its way into my house is still a mystery. Lol! I think I bought some strawberry puree syrup, which I use to make my Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri Recipe, and saw some lime syrup, so I decided to try it. Lol!

Decorating and rimming the glass

For a classy decoration, rimming the glass is a must. Rimming the glass is when you apply something sticky, like HONEY or syrup, around the rim of the glass, and then sprinkle it with salt or sugar.

What I do is rub honey around the rim of the glass and then dip it in a big bowl of sugar, sometimes green sugar or salt, then I slice a piece of lime 1/8th inch thick in width.

Then cut it from the center to the edge to create a slit, and place it on the glass, as shown in the photo below. This is a common decoration for margarita drinks.

You can use lemons, too, but lime is commonly and preferably used for margaritas. It depends on what type of margarita you’re making, though. Strawberries and pineapples are commonly used too.

How to make a classic frozen Margarita

1.  Get a blender and add the lime juice
2. Poor in the honey and sugar.
   
   

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3. Add the tequila and triple sec.
4. Add the ice.
   
   

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5. Blend for 45 secs or until smooth.
   Add a pinch of green food coloring for a green margarita.
   
   

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Frozen Margarita Variations:

• Strawberry Margarita: For a strawberry margarita, you use the same ingredients but also blend in some strawberry juice and or puree. Sometimes I add strawberry syrup; other times I add a few strawberries to the blender and blend them in.
• Christmas Margarita: It’s all a matter of color and flavor, so since we’re going for Christmas colors like a rich green and red, and/or strawberry and lime flavors… You have 2 common options here.

1. You could just make two batches, add red food coloring to one and green to the other, then pour both into a cup until it’s full.
2. If flavor is important to you and you’re not just going for color, make a red strawberry margarita and a batch of classic Margarita using green food coloring, then pour both into a cup until full.
3. Then, if you want to decorate it, you can rim it with red-and-green sugar. Slice some lime and strawberries, and place them on the rim of the cup for classic Christmas colors.

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Non-Frozen version

For a regular, chilled Margarita, all you do is add water and add it to a cup of ice. Give it a few shakes to chill it, then pour and serve. You can serve it with ice, which is called “on the rocks,” or have it simply as is, which is called ‘straight up.”

You will use the same ingredients for either one, though; they’re not entirely different, as some people may think. You’re just blending it with ice to make a slush for a frozen margarita or adding ice cubes for a chilled margarita. Lol!

Storage and remake

• How to store a frozen margarita: It’s simple. If you don’t end up drinking it all at once, or say you made it for a get-together or party and your folks never came through, just put it in the freezer and make sure it’s covered.
• How to remake a frozen margarita: All you do is set the frozen margarita you stored out at room temperature for a while until it melts and gets a slushy consistency like a typical frozen margarita.
• Are you in a rush? If you, for whatever reason, don’t feel like waiting until it thaws, you can simply blend the frozen margarita with a little juice or water, which will soften it and make it slushy like a freshly made frozen margarita.

Okie dokie, we’re all done here. Please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it, and share it with your friends on social media if you do. Also, giving me 5 stars will help me a lot on these crazy Google streets.

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Later, enjoy!

PBJ~

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