Naturally sweetened, Watermelon Margaritas are fresh, tart, and perfect for summer. Blend up a batch to sip and share this weekend!
It’s no secret that I love a blended watermelon drink. 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 light 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 lime juice and a bit of mint 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
- 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.
For Sweeter Margaritas
A very ripe watermelon should have enough natural sweetness that you won’t need to add any extra sweetener. 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!
For Frozen Watermelon Margaritas
If you’d like a frozen watermelon margarita with a slushy texture, freeze the watermelon cubes for at least 2 hours before blending.
More Summer Cocktails and Mocktails
- Lemon Bourbon Sweet Tea
- Mango, Pitaya, and Turmeric Smoothie
- Bourbon Lemonade Slush
- Passion Fruit Mojitos
- Pear and Lime Sangria
- Watermelon Lime Cooler
- Watermelon Mint Lemonade (and other indulgences)
- Pomegranate Pear Champagne Cocktail
Or check out all of my drink recipes here.
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Global Knife
- Cutting Board
- Shallow Bowl or Plate
- Standing Blender
Watermelon Margaritas
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the Rims (optional):
- 3 tablespoon Granulated Sugar or Salt (or use a combination for a salty-sweet rim)
- 1 teaspoon Lime zest
- 2 Lime Wedges
For the Margaritas:
- 1 lb Watermelon Cubes (preferably seedless; see note)
- 1 cup Tequila
- ¼ cup Cointreau
- ¼ cup Lime Juice
- 6 leaves Fresh Mint
- 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, lime juice and mint leaves. (Note: If you’re using frozen watermelon cubes for a frozen margarita, you can also add about 1 cup of ice to give the drink even more slushy frozen flavor.)
- Fill each glass with ice (skip if you made a frozen margarita).
- Pour margaritas over ice. Garnish with watermelon wedges, mint leaves, or lime slices
Notes
Nutrition
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