How to Make Perfect Frozen Margaritas

The classic Frozen Margarita is one of the best ways to cool off on a hot summer day. It’s also incredibly easy to blend up any time you’re in the mood for a sweet and sour tequila slushie!

You may also enjoy my Fresh Strawberry Margaritas or Coconut Orange Blossom Margarita!

What are the ingredients in a frozen Margarita?

A frozen Margarita is only slightly different than a classic Margarita. A frozen Margarita contains tequila (or mezcal), freshly squeezed lime juice, triple sec liqueur, an optional sweetener (more about that in a minute), and about a cup of ice. That’s considerably more ice/water than we’d find in a standard marg. What this means is two things: a frozen Margarita is a bit more diluted than a classic, and it’s also a bit colder.

Dilution and temperature are key to making a great cocktail, so we want to consider the impact that all that blended ice will have on the end product, and adjust accordingly. If our frozen Margarita will be more watered down and colder than a regular Margarita, we need to make sure to increase the level of sweetness.

Frozen Margaritas taste best with slightly more sweetener

If you’ve ever made ice cream, you know that temperature affects how sweet something tastes, and that more sweetness is needed the colder the food/drink is in order for it to taste the same. I like to add an extra 1/4 ounce of agave syrup (or 1/2 oz of simple syrup) to my frozen Margaritas to make sure that they’re flavorful and sweet enough.

Blend with crushed ice

I also like to use crushed ice when making a frozen Margarita so that the cocktail blends and cools rapidly, giving the drink great, smooth texture in seconds. The less time the drink has to get melty before it hits the glass, the better. Crushed ice is also highly recommended if you’re working with an old or low powered blender. The smaller size of the ice pieces will help to prevent a chunky texture if your blender isn’t great at crushing ice. If you’re wondering how to easily make crushed ice, simply fill a gallon zip top freezer bag about 3/4 with ice cubes, seal the bag, and place a dish towel underneath it. Place a second dish towel on top of the bag and use a mallet to break up the ice. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just broken into smaller, easy to crush pieces. You can then easily measure out 1 cup measures for your frozen Margaritas.

Can I make a frozen Margarita without triple sec?

Yes! This would be more of a frozen Tommy’s Margarita. Tommy’s Margarita is a mix of tequila, lime, and agave syrup. You could also use simple syrup if you don’t have any agave syrup. Agave syrup tends to be about the same level of sweetness as rich simple syrup, so you’ll want to use twice as much simple syrup. My basic frozen Tommy’s Margarita recipe is: 2 oz tequila, 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice, and 3/4 oz agave syrup (or 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 oz simple syrup), blended with 1 cup of crushed ice. Depending on the size of your blender, you can probably make 2 – 6 of these at a time. Simply multiply the recipe by the number of servings.

For the best margarita recipes and inspiration on the internet, check out my friend The Margarita Mum and follow her margarita adventures on Instagram!