I love a good margarita, but I don’t love all the calories. With only 5 ingredients and lots of flavor, this skinny margarita has half the calories of its standard counterpart. It’s a guilt-free cocktail that’s just perfect for Cinco de Mayo! This is the type of margarita I make most at our house. It’s simply so refreshing.
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What’s in a Skinny Margarita?
My skinny margarita recipe is a healthier twist on a classic margarita, made with fresh ingredients like fresh lime and orange juice, and sweetened with agave nectar to keep things on the healthier side. I’m obsessed! This is my go-to cocktail recipe for girl’s nights, and it’s always met with rave reviews.
- Tequila: Choose a good-quality silver or blanco tequila for the best-tasting margaritas.
- Lime Juice: Freshly-squeezed lime juice is the key to a delicious margarita. Don’t use bottled lime juice; it just won’t taste the same!
- Orange Juice: I also love to use freshly-squeezed orange juice, but bottled juice will also work. Choose the pulp level based on your personal preferences.
- Agave Nectar: Agave nectar is a great all-natural sweetener. Use more or less depending on your tastes.
Variations To Try
This skinny margarita recipe is endlessly riff-able! Try swapping the orange juice for grapefruit, lemon, cranberry, passionfruit, or peach juice. Peach is one of my favorites.
For spicy skinny margaritas, add a diced jalapeño to the shaker. I find that that adds enough flavor without making things too hot. I love to switch up the rimming salt for ancho salt or salt mixed with lime zest to brighten things up! Tajin is also SO good. The cute one I linked there even has a spot to dip your rim right in the package.
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How to Store
I always combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This mixture will keep well for up to 3 days. It’s very important to add ice and shake well before serving.
How to Freeze
You can also freeze the margarita mixture prior to serving. Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave and pour into a freezer-safe container to store for up to 2 weeks. Let thaw in the refrigerator before serving. Alternately, sometimes I blend the frozen mixture in a blender to break it up, and serve these frozen!
Serving Suggestions
This healthy margarita is great served with healthy appetizers like avocado corn salsa, shrimp ceviche, or blistered sweet peppers. It’s the perfect drink for Cinco de Mayo!
Notes from the Test Kitchen
I love making my skinny margarita a little bubbly with some sparkling water. Plain works well, but lime really makes this cocktail sing!
Skinny Margarita Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 ounces tequila (about 2 shots)
- 4 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice (about ½ cup)
- 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice (about ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- Sparkling water optional
- Coarse salt optional, for serving
- Lime wedges optional, for serving
Instructions
- Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake well, until cold.3 ounces tequila, 4 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice, 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- Pour over ice into salt-rimmed glasses. Pour a splash of sparkling water into each glass, if desired, and garnish with lime wedges.Sparkling water, Coarse salt, Lime wedges
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Always use fresh juice: While you can use store-bought orange juice, fresh citrus juice will brighten up the flavors and make your drink that much better.
- Use a fun salt combination to spice things up: Regular coarse sea salt is always great on the rim, but you can make things extra fun by using ancho chili salt or even salt mixed with lime zest. Get creative and have fun!
- Always serve extra cold: No one likes warm tequila. Keep it in your freezer and shake it up in this Margarita Recipe for the ultimate frosty sip.
- Is a frozen margarita more your speed?: Blend with ice for the ultimate cold treat this Summer. Add in a bit more juice to brighten things up even more.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Nutrition Information
How to Make A Skinny Margarita Step by Step
Shake the Drinks: Combine 3 ounces of tequila, 4 ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice, 4 ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice, and 1 tablespoon of agave nectar in a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake well, until cold.
Pour and Garnish: Pour over ice into salt-rimmed glasses. Pour a splash of sparkling water into each glass, if desired, and garnish with lime wedges.
A regular margarita uses sweetened lime juice and calorie-filled liqueurs to get its flavor, whereas this skinny margarita recipe uses natural fruit juices and agave nectar.
Not in this recipe! A standard pour of alcohol is 1½ ounces, so that’s what I used to craft these drinks.
For the lime juice, you absolutely must use freshly squeezed. Bottled lime juice will not taste right. You can, however, use store-bought bottled orange juice if you prefer.
I hate to say it, but there are a lot of calories on regular margaritas (like 500 calories). For a margarita lover like myself, that’s not so good news. But this skinny Margarita Recipe has under 200 calories per (large) glass! I call that a win!
Hi my husband has been making skinny margaritas for some time…fresh squeezed line juice,white tequila, Cointreu, and stevia (no calorie sweetner to sweeten…even agava has calories! ) Serve over ice..and top off with a lime flavored no calorie bubbly water….and put a lime slice in the drink also…and salt the rim…best skinny ever!
Not bad with the OJ, but not really a margarita either.. I have to admit that I am a traditionalist when it comes to the margarita. Equal parts fresh squeezed lime juice, agave, and a good Blanco tequila shaken over ice. Doesent get any easier and the three ingredients compliment each other
Hi John, we hope you’ll check out our classic margarita recipe! It sounds more your speed!
Perfect thanks!
Enjoy!
Where did you get those glasses?? I love them!!
Sadly, I don’t remember! I’m sorry!
Look fantastic! How many calories is in one?
This looks so perfectly simple and refreshing. I don’t do complicated cocktails and this one has my name all over it!
I’m so glad it’s almost the weekend. I can make these, sit on my patio and enjoy!
This looks stunning and very refreshing! ????