We’re of the opinion that the classic margarita is a near-perfect cocktail. It’s tart but not overly mouth-puckering, potent but not too boozy and, when done right, just sweet enough. (A salted rim? Even better.) We don’t want to gush, but there’s one more thing we love about this drink: It’s an ideal blank canvas for customizing beyond the usual tequila + triple sec (a type of orange liqueur) + lime formula. From jalapeño watermelon to kombucha, here are 23 margarita recipes that go beyond the original.
34 Margarita Recipes That Go Beyond the Original, Whether You Like ’Em Sour or Sweet
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Published Mar 16, 2023
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
OK, we couldn’t resist including the classic marg. This version uses freshly squeezed lime juice instead of sour mix (worth the effort) and makes sweetener optional.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
When you want the crispness of a cold pilsner but the tartness of a cocktail, look no further than this hybrid drink. It doesn’t hurt that it’s beyond easy to make.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, <15 minutes
Who said this cocktail was just for warmer months? Adding cranberry juice makes it festive and slightly fruity. Quick tip: If you don’t own a cocktail shaker, it’s totally OK to DIY one by fitting the tops of two Solo cups together (or use a mason jar).
4. Sangrita
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes
One part margarita, one part sangria and totally crowd-pleasing. You can use a sweet or dry red wine, whichever you prefer, and while the lime-sugar rim is optional, it really takes the beverage over the top.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, <15 minutes
A hint of serrano chile pepper and Tajín seasoning give this cocktail just enough kick, but won’t make your eyes water or nose run with every sip.
6. Refined Sugar–Free Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <15 minutes
Instead of the typical triple sec, you can substitute fresh orange juice and a touch of maple syrup to eliminate the refined sugar in your drink. Kinda genius, right?
7. Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
When strawberry season comes around, we’re constantly brainstorming how to include the berries in every single dish and drink. (But if it’s not strawb season, you can totally make these with frozen.)
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, <15 minutes, <500 calories
The combination of pineapple, orange and lime juices tastes like a tropical vacay in a glass. Salt the rim and add Tajín or chili powder for spiciness, if you want.
9. Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, low sugar, <500 calories
FYI, if you seek out the ripest, juiciest watermelon possible, you can eliminate a lot of added sugar in your marg. (Not sure how to shop for a good melon? We have the scoop.)
10. Margarita Floats
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion–worthy, beginner-friendly
Sometimes, a scoop of ice cream is just necessary. These boozy floats are topped with rainbow sherbet for the most refreshing twist.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <15 minutes
Passion fruit is naturally tart and citrus-like, so it’s a no-brainer flavor for a margarita. You can find passion fruit juice and pulp in the freezer aisle of the grocery, or buy it online.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
Kombucha in a cocktail? Surprisingly, it works. The acidity and fizz add something special to the cocktail, and you can use any flavor you like to mix it up.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: low sugar, beginner-friendly
Normally, we avoid “skinny” drinks because they rely on alternative sweeteners that come with an unpleasant aftertaste, but we actually love Gaby Dalkin’s take on the low-sugar cocktail. She uses fresh citrus juice, plus a touch of agave and sparkling water to balance the drink.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, special occasion–worthy
If you like piña coladas, we have a feeling you’ll enjoy this tropical sipper. It’s made with coconut cream for a silky texture and subtle flavor, but you can add a few drops of coconut extract to ramp up the beachy vibes.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
We’re suckers for a tiki drink, so we adore this inventive twist on the margarita. It gets its subtle spice from allspice dram, which is worth seeking out at a liquor store.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Who knew drinking your vegetables could be so delicious? This cocktail gets its verdant hue from fresh cucumber juice, while lime keeps it from tasting too vegetal.
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <15 minutes
Consider this marg sweater weather ready, thanks to honey simple syrup, apple cider and a cinnamon-sugar rim. (Bonus points if you garnish with star anise.)
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <500 calories
If a paloma and a classic margarita met at the bar and became BFFs, this drink would be the result. The dehydrated grapefruit garnish is a nice touch, but you could also use a fresh slice.
19. 5-Ingredient Ginger Beer Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Continuing with the theme of franken-cocktails, this is like a cross between a Moscow mule and a marg. Use a high-quality ginger beer (not ginger ale) for the spiciest flavor.
20. Frozen Blueberry Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
You don’t have to wait for blueberry season to make these fresh, frosty drinks. A bag of frozen berries will do just fine. (Now, where did we put our blender?)
21. Cherry Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
Whether you’re short on time or the flavor you crave isn’t in season, there’s a solution: Use fruit jam to flavor your cocktail. It also allows you skip the sweetener, and we’ll never complain about eliminating an ingredient.
22. Pitcher-Style Margaritas for a Crowd
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
No one wants to play bartender at their own cocktail party. Luckily, you don’t have to, because margaritas are impossibly easy to mix up in a pitcher. This recipe serves eight guests in about ten minutes—cheers!
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy
Boozy ice pops? Say no more, we’re coming over. (Psst: Buy the plastic bags online.)
24. 5-Ingredients Hibiscus Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: complex flavor profile, floral notes, tart finish
Hibiscus tea concentrate adds complexity to this sophisticated cocktail recipe. Expect floral aromatics, a tart finish and everything else you love about margaritas…only better.
25. Elderberry Kombucha Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: fizzy, fruity drink with a probiotic boost
Fruity, tart and pleasantly effervescent—this offbeat elderberry kombucha concoction provides a healthy dose of probiotics (in case you needed an excuse to imbibe) and it’s darn delicious, too. (Note: If you can’t find elderberry kombucha, feel free to use another fruit flavor instead.)
26. Spicy Cucumber Mint Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: spicy, refreshing, aromatic
Here, the formidable spice of jalapeno is offset by muddled mint and refreshing cucumber to make a cocktail that’s exciting, refreshing and wonderfully fragrant.
27. Healthy Beet Orange Tequila Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 7 minutes
- Why I Love It: no added sugar, earthy flavor, rich color
This low sugar margarita recipe owes its seductive, deep red color, earthy flavor and nutritional edge to beet juice. But don’t worry, this healthy twist on the classic is way more exciting than your post-workout smoothie.
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: fresh and light, citrus-driven flavor
This margarita recipe features a citrus medley of grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime. The end result is a zingy twist on the classic that will perk your palate right up—just keep in mind that fresh-squeezed juice is key.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: toasty and bright flavor profile, smooth taste
The tantalizing and toasty notes of aromatic almond liqueur (amaretto) mingle with bright citrus flavors in this Italian margarita. If sunbathing on the beaches of Capri could be distilled into a cocktail, this is what it would taste like.
30. Pineapple Mocktail Margarita
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: alcohol-free, tropical vibes, complex flavor profile
Just because you’re abstaining from the hard stuff doesn’t mean you need to sit margarita season out. This combination of tropical fruit (pineapple juice) and warm spice (ginger ale and cinnamon) will sweep you off your feet in the best, hangover-free sort of way.
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: complex, bourbon-based flavor
Mix things up by swapping bourbon in for tequila and you’ll be treated to a margarita with more complexity and plenty of Southern charm—like a whiskey sour, but better.
32. Mango Pineapple Frozen Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 2 minutes
- Why I Love It: tropical fruit flavor, frozen, minimal ice needed
Loaded with frozen tropical fruit (rather than buckets of ice), this mango-pineapple margarita is basically a pina colada for people who prefer tequila and don’t care all that much about coconut.
33. Lemon Mint ‘Mock Margaritas’
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: alcohol-free, refreshing, aromatic, low sugar, low calorie
An ideal way to stay hydrated on a hot day without hurting your waistline—the tried-and-true pairing of lemon and mint in this sugar-free, frozen mocktail margarita is so refreshing, you won’t even miss the simple syrup or the booze.
34. Kiwi Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: tropical fruit flavor, well-balanced acidity, appealing presentation
Kiwi simple syrup is the star of this bright green margarita, which features the lovely tropical taste and slightly acidic finish of said fruit. (Psst: Don’t forget the kiwi berry garnish if you want extra points for presentation.)
Katherine Gillen is PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she’s an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
