Watermelon Margaritas

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Fresh Watermelon Margaritas are sweet, tart from fresh lime juice, and perfect for summer. With no added sweetener, you can blend up a batch to sip and share this weekend!

watermelon margaritas in a clear glass on a wooden table

Get ready for the best watermelon-based cocktail you’ve ever had. It’s no secret that I love a watermelon drink in the summer. I make many batches of these alcohol-free watermelon lime coolers between May and August each year. They’re guaranteed to cool everyone down when the weather is hot. If I want a warm-weather cocktail, Watermelon Frosé has long been my go-to. 

But the frosé has competition. My new grown-up favorite is Watermelon Margaritas. It’s perfectly tart, only slightly sweet, and can be made in batches to serve out of a pitcher. The fresh flavor of watermelon combined with fresh lime juice makes this one summer in a glass. One sip and you’ll be ready to pull up a chair on the front porch surrounded by the sound of sprinklers and the smell of chicken on the grill. 

Summer. We’re SO ready for you. 

Ingredients in Watermelon Margaritas

  • Watermelon Cubes – Seedless watermelons are best here since you’ll want to just blend everything together. See notes below about tasting your margarita and adding extra sweetness if needed. 
  • Tequila – The key alcohol for margaritas.
  • Cointreau – Cointreau is a French orange-flavored liqueur.I was not convinced of the importance of this liqueur in a margarita until I was working on this recipe and had the chance to taste margaritas side-by-side with and without it. The difference was huge. If you don’t want to buy a bottle just for this recipe, I get it. You can definitely skip it. You could also use orange juice in its place. A little cointreau goes a long way, and it really makes the flavors in the margaritas shine. 
  • Lime Juice – Don’t skip the fresh lime juice. Yes you’ll need a lot of it, but you’ll be glad you put in the time to juice those limes when you taste the finished drink.
  • Fresh Mint – The flavors of watermelon and mint work so well together that I just couldn’t resist adding a few leaves of mint to the blender here. They give the margaritas serious cooling power, but in a pinch you can skip them.
  • Sugar or Salt – When it comes to rimming margaritas, everyone has their preferences, but I love the combination of sour-salty-sweet that comes from rubbing the glass rims with a lime wedge and then dipping them in a combination of sugar and salt. You can use just sugar, just salt, or skip it. 

How to Make a Watermelon Margarita

  1. Rim the glass with salt and / or sugar. (Optional.)
  2. In a blender combine watermelon cubes, tequila, cointreau, and lime juice. If you want to make a frozen margarita, freeze the watermelon cubes first.
  3. Pour margaritas over ice (skip the ice if making a frozen margarita).
  4. Garnish with watermelon wedges, mint leaves, or lime slices and enjoy!
adding sugar and salt to the rim of a glass

How to Salt a Rim for Margaritas

Pour a thick layer of salt into a shallow bowl or plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass that you want to rim with salt. Dip the glass in the salt, rotating to coat.

You can do the same thing with sugar for a sweet rim or use a combination of salt and sugar for a salty-sweet rim.

Recipe Tips

  • A ripe watermelon will likely have enough natural sweetness that you won’t need to add any extra sweetener. But, while the drink is still in the blender, taste it. If you would like it to be sweeter, add some honey, sugar, or even a few fresh or frozen strawberries! 
  • To make a frozen margarita with a slushy texture, freeze the watermelon cubes for at least 2 hours before blending.
watermelon margaritas in a clear glass

FAQs

How do you make virgin watermelon margaritas?

Just skip the tequila and cointreau in the recipe for an easy alcohol-free version of this cocktail.

Can you freeze watermelon margaritas?

Yes! But for the best texture, freeze the watermelon cubes separately and blend everything together right before serving.

More Summer Cocktails

Or check out all of my drink recipes here

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watermelon margaritas in clear glasses
4.67 from 3 votes

Watermelon Margaritas Recipe

Naturally sweetened, these are fresh, tart, and perfect for summer. Blend up a batch to sip and share this weekend!
To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Shallow plate or bowl

Ingredients 

For the Rims (optional):

  • 3 tablespoons sugar or salt (or use a combination for a salty-sweet rim)
  • 1 teapsoon lime zest
  • 2 lime wedges

For the Margaritas:

  • 1 pound watermelon cubes (preferably seedless; see note)
  • 1 cup tequila
  • 1/4 cup cointreau
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • Extra watermelon wedges, mint leaves, or some lime slices for garnish

Instructions 

  • If you’d like to rim the glasses, combine sugar and/or salt and lime zest in a shallow bowl or plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip the glass in the salt / sugar, rotating to coat.
  • Blend together watermelon, tequila, cointreau, and lime juice. (Note: If you’re using frozen watermelon cubes for a frozen margarita, you can also add about 1 cup of ice.)
  • Fill each glass with ice (skip this if you made a frozen margarita).
  • Pour margaritas over ice. Garnish with watermelon wedges, mint leaves, and / or lime slices.

Notes

For a frozen margarita with a slushy texture, freeze the watermelon cubes for at least 2 hours before blending.
If your watermelon is not particularly sweet (or if you know you would like a sweeter margarita) you can add some honey or a few whole strawberries to the blender (these will naturally add sweetness) or add some honey or sugar after tasting the drink.

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 657IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $8.00
Calories: 259
Keyword: summer, summer cocktail, watermelon recipes
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About Jess Smith

Jess is the recipe creator and photographer at InquiringChef.com. She spent nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Her colorful, healthyish recipes have been featured in popular online publications including Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost.

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