The Best Skinny Margarita Recipe
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Our skinny margarita recipe makes a refreshing low calorie cocktail. With real lime and orange juices, plus agave for sweetness, it’s the best tequila drink for summer!
Skinny Margaritas are the perfect low calorie cocktails for the spring and summer months!
Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, hanging poolside with friends, or relaxing after a long week, they are the perfect refreshment! They’re easy to make and can be served by the glass or in a pitcher.
Our skinny margarita has less than 200 calories per drink, half of what most restaurant lime margaritas have!
Liz’s Tips for the Best Skinny Margarita
- For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lime and orange juices. Otherwise, be sure to use naturally sweetened or no sugar added orange juice.
- To prevent your cocktails from being watered down, don’t add ice to the pitcher—it’s best to add ice directly to each glass instead.
- Use a jigger to measure the tequila. If you eyeball the amount of liquor, it’s easy to add too much, leading to skinny margaritas that are too strong and/or high in calories.
Ingredients
Substitutions
Tequila: We tested this recipe with silver tequila. I’m not sure how other alcohols would work. Silver tequila is the best tequila for a skinny margarita. Teremana is our favorite brand of silver tequila, but Cafe Patron or Espolon will also work.
Agave: If you don’t have agave nectar (aka agave syrup), you can substitute it with honey or maple syrup.
Lime Juice: Do not use bottled lime juice. Fresh lime juice tastes much better.
Orange Juice: Look for one with no added sugar or use freshly squeezed orange juice. I haven’t tried substituting it with other juices, but I think pineapple juice would work best. Check out this pineapple margarita recipe!
Garnish: A salt rim and lime slice is a classic margarita, but you could also garnish with a fresh basil leaf or other fresh herbs. Kosher salt is the best rim salt for a margarita. Here’s a link to the one we use.
skinny margarita Recipe Variations
- Party pitchers! You can easily double or triple this recipe, or follow the instructions below to make a pitcher full, for 8 margaritas.
- Switch up the rim. Customize your glass with a salted or sugared rim, or try Tajín for a spicy margarita! It adds flavor without adding extra calories.
- For a skinny spicy margarita recipe, add 2 small slices of a de-seeded jalapeño. Instead of a lime slice, garnish the glass with additional jalapenos.
- Other add ins: Muddled strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or cucumber would be delicious in this recipe.
How to Make a skinny margarita
This is just a summary of the steps involved in making the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions, or click on the Jump to Recipe button, below.
Jump to Recipe
- Measure the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice, silver tequila, agave nectar, lime, and orange juice.
- Shake and serve in a sugar or salt rimmed glass with ice and a lime wedge.
Skinny Margarita Recipe FAQ
No, typically a skinny margarita has the same amount of alcohol but is lower in sugar!
While the ingredients can vary by recipe, the primary difference is the amount of sugar and calories. Because most skinny margarita recipes use agave syrup as a sugar substitute, they are low calorie cocktails. Regular margaritas also typically include triple sec (an orange liqueur), which is high in sugar.
We also have a Cucumber Vodka Cocktail recipe for those looking for lighter options.
Foods that Pair Well With Margaritas
Our favorite things to serve with a pitcher of skinny margaritas are sweet and/or salty snacks. Mexican-inspired dishes like tortilla chips and mango pineapple salsa or bean dip are popular. Here are some other recipes we love:
It might also be helpful to grab some electrolytes if you’ve had one too many margaritas. 🙂 You might find this electrolyte review helpful!
Skinny Margarita Recipe
Ingredients
For 1 margarita:
- 3 tablespoons silver tequila 1 shot
- 3 tablespoons lime juice about 2 limes – freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar optional
- 3-4 ice cubes
Pitcher – Serves 8:
- 2 cups tequila
- 2 cups lime juice about 20 limes
- 1 ⅓ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
Instructions
- To a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, lime juice, orange juice and agave nectar.
- Shake and serve in a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar or salt.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lime and orange juices. Otherwise, be sure to use naturally sweetened or no sugar added orange juice.
- To prevent your cocktails from being watered down, don’t add ice to the pitcher—it’s best to add ice directly to each glass instead.
- Use a jigger to measure the tequila. If you eyeball the amount of liquor, it’s easy to add too much, leading to skinny margaritas that are too strong and/or high in calories.
I don’t have any agave nectar, is there something else that I can substitute?
Thank you !
I am such a fan of your recipes!
Absolutely refreshing and delicious!
So glad you liked it!