Easy Frozen Watermelon Margarita (With Margarita Mix)
Summertime in a glass! Made with fresh watermelon and tequila, these easy frozen watermelon margaritas are a summery version of the classic margarita. Their watermelon flavor is refreshing, delicious, and has the perfect amount of sweetness for a hot day.
Summertime means backyard BBQs, swimming in the pool, and (most importantly) sipping on delicious cocktails like these frozen margaritas.
Made with fresh watermelon, tequila, and Margarita mix, this watermelon margarita recipe is really easy to make, naturally sweet and dangerously addictive.
And if you want to make them ahead of time, you can whip up a big batch to store in the freezer.
So grab a few friends and get ready to quench your thirst with this watermelon tequila cocktail.
Ingredients
This recipe makes enough for 4 margaritas.
Here is your shopping list:
- fruit – watermelon – you’ll need 4 cups of cubed watermelon squares for the cocktail. You can get a whole watermelon and cut it yourself, or save some time by buying it already cubed. Seedless watermelon works best.
- alcohol – ¾ cup (or 6 ounces) tequila. I like to use 1800 silver tequila for this.
- mix – ½ cup (or 4 ounces) lime Margarita mix – Using a mix saves time and makes these blended margaritas super easy to put together. I used the Kirkland mix, but any other one will work.
- garnish (optional) – small watermelon slices or lime wedges
Substitutions
- To make it easy, we only used tequila. For a more traditional margarita flavor, use ½ cup (4 ounces) tequila and ¼ cup (2 ounces) orange liqueur (such as triple sec, Cointreau or Grand Marnier).
- For a slightly less sweet variation, substitute ½ cup lime juice for the Margarita mix. You may need to add a teaspoon or two of agave nectar or simple syrup to sweeten it up a bit.
- You can make a strawberry watermelon margarita by replacing half of the watermelon with strawberries.
- Since we will be freezing the fresh watermelon, you can save some time by buying already frozen watermelon.
How to make A watermelon margarita
This recipe makes about 4 margaritas.
Prep work
Cut the watermelon up into chunks that are approximately 1″ square.
Spread the watermelon pieces out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap.
The parchment paper isn’t absolutely necessary but it makes the frozen watermelon easier to remove later.
We’ll be using this frozen watermelon instead of ice cubes so the drink won’t get watered down.
Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Blend
Add 4 cups of frozen watermelon, ¾ cup tequila and ½ cup margarita mix to a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth.
Serve
If you want to, you can rim the glasses with sugar before you pour in the cocktail.
Traditional Margaritas have a salt rim. But I think sugar tastes better with this version.
To do this, run a sliced lime around the edge of the glass.
Then dip the rim into sugar that is spread out on a small plate.
Having said that, these watermelon Margaritas taste so good on their own, I don’t usually bother rimming the glass.
Pour the tequila cocktail in.
Then garnish the edge of the glass with a small watermelon wedge or lime slice if desired.
watermelon margarita Pitcher
If you are making margaritas for a crowd, you may want to make a big batch in advance.
If you have a large blender, you can simply increase all of the ingredients in proportion and mix them altogether. (Tap the 2X or 3X numbers in the recipe card below to have it do the calculations for you).
However, many blenders aren’t big enough to hold that much frozen watermelon. So you may need to mix one batch at a time. Then combine all of the batches in a large pitcher.
In either case, make sure to store the pitcher in the freezer to keep it from melting. I don’t like to make frozen margaritas too far in advance, but they should last in the freezer over night.
You can also store it in the refrigerator if you’re only making them a few minutes ahead of time.
Other summer cocktails you might like
Easy Frozen Watermelon Margarita
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed watermelon
- ¾ cup (or 6 ounces) tequila
- ½ cup (or 4 ounces) lime Margarita mix
- sliced watermelon or limes for garnish optional
Equipment
- parchment paper (optional)
- Baking sheet
- plastic wrap
- measuring cup
- blender
Instructions
- Spread out the cubed watermelon on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 4 hours.
- Rim the edge of 4 Margarita glasses with sugar or course salt if desired.
- In a blender, combine frozen watermelon cubes, tequila and Margarita mix until smooth.
- Pour in the blended Margarita.
- Garnish with a small watermelon wedge or lime slice.
Notes
- For a more traditional margarita, use 1/2 cup (4 ounces) tequila and 1/4 cup (2 ounces) orange liqueur (such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
- An equal amount of fresh lime juice can be substituted for the Margarita mix. Depending on your taste, you may need to add 1 to 2 teaspoons of agave nectar or simple syrup to sweeten it up.
- Frozen watermelon margaritas can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer until ready to serve.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions about our frozen watermelon margarita recipe? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on April 3, 2022 but was updated with new content on March 19, 2024.