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Home · Recipes · Cocktails · Homemade Margaritas

Published: Apr 26, 2023 by Kelly Anthony · Leave a CommentThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Homemade Margaritas

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If you're looking to make Homemade Margaritas for a crowd with complete and total ease, you're going to want this recipe on hand. You only need 10 minutes and a handful of simple ingredients to serve up a crazy refreshing cocktail with just the right amount of sweet, tart, and boozey. 

A Homemade margarita in a classic margarita glass with a lime wheel on the side and a salt rim. The drink is a very light green.

Mark my words: You will never buy a margarita mix again. But don't worry; you also won't be squeezing citrus until your arms fall off. We will be enlisting the help of a store-bought limeade, yet the results still turn out super fresh tasting. Plus, you can make this top-notch drink at home for less than even the cheap drinks at your local bar and grill.

A hand grabbing the handle of a tall, glass pitcher or Homemade Margaritas that is sitting on the counter with lime and orange halve laying around it.

Whether it's Cinco de Mayo, a cookout, or a pool day, you'll be the most popular hostess on the block when you start serving these margs at your next gathering. Another great one to beat the heat is our Frozen Margarita. And if you're looking to kick things up a notch, try our Cadillac Margarita as well! Finding the perfect recipes to whip up for your guest can be a chore, check out our recipes made specifically for entertaining! 

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

This homemade cocktail comes with all the classic margarita recipe ingredients -- tequila, orange liqueur, and lime -- only with the help of a few extra store-bought margarita ingredients. 

Whether you're whipping up a single serving or a pitcher of margaritas for a crowd, we've got all the measurements you'll need below. Ready to meet your new favorite cocktail?

Tequila | When it comes to tequila, you can use top-shelf or bottom-shelf tequila for your margaritas. Although, you might find a top-shelf, quality tequila a little easier to sip. You can use gold or silver tequila, whichever you prefer is fine.

Orange Liqueur | Grand Marnier and Cointreau are both awesome orange Liqueurs to use in Homemade Margaritas, but they can be a bit pricey. Feel free to substitute a triple sec if needed for a more budget-friendly margarita.

Limeade | We are typically a fresh-is-best food community around here. However, when it comes to making margaritas for a crowd, I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen juicing limes and oranges. This is where Simply Limeade comes in. Simply limeade has a much cleaner flavor than store-bought margarita mixes and is a much better product than those overly sweet, neon-yellow store-bought margarita mixes. 

Orange Juice | Orange juice adds a touch of sweetness and lovely color to this Homemade Margaritas recipe. You can use fresh squeezed orange juice or a good quality store-bought orange juice for this recipe.

Fresh Lime | Although we are enlisting a store-bought limeade for this margarita recipe, you still need the flavor of fresh squeezed lime juice to make killer Homemade Margaritas. Luckily, the limeade gives us a pass on squeezing a silly amount of limes for a crowd, but the fresh lime flavor is necessary.

GLASSWARE & DRESSING THE RIM

You don't have to run out and buy specialty glassware for making margaritas at home. Sure, margarita glasses are fun, but rocks glasses (short cocktail classes) work just as well! 

When your glassware is locked down, you must decide: salt, sugar, or none of the above?

If you love your Homemade Margaritas with a salted rim, be sure to have kosher salt and a lime wedge on hand. Kosher salt has a cleaner, lighter taste. That, in combination with its crystal size and coarse texture, makes it the clear winner for your margarita glass.

A Homemade Margarita in a classic margarita glass with a lime wheel on the side and a salt rim. The drink is a very light green.

If you aren't sure how to salt the rim of a margarita glass, check out our margarita salt rim guide. 

Love a sugar rim? So does an Italian Margarita spruced up with amaretto liqueur. Be sure you check that recipe out too! For a sugar rim on your margarita, you'll want to have granulated sugar on hand. 

When adding salt or sugar rims to Homemade Margaritas, start off by pouring about ½ a cup of salt or sugar onto a small plate. Now, you'll simply run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass and then set it upside down on the plate. Shimmy it around and use your finger to press the salt or sugar up against the glass. Lift it off the plate and give it a little tap to get rid of any excess and voila! 

Once your margarita is equipped with the dressing of your liking, fill it with ice and move on to mixing. I will kick you off with the pitcher recipe since I think this marg recipe is absolutely the best for a crowd. However, we'll get to single servings with a cocktail shaker below!

A hand dropping ice cubes into a margarita glass with a salt rim.

HOW TO MAKE A PITCHER OF HOMEMADE MARGARITAS

Need to make a pitcher of margaritas for a party? Here's our homemade margarita recipe multiplied for a crowd!

  • 2 cups Simply Lime Limeade
  • ¾ cup of Tequila
  • ⅓ of Orange Liqueur
  • 1.5 ounce Orange Juice
  • Juice of 2 Whole Limes

Combine the above ingredients in an iced pitcher, stir to combine, and serve in prepped glasses! Need more cocktail ideas for your crowd? We've got you covered!

Homemade Margaritas ingredients being poured from a pitcher into a margarita glass with ice and a salt rim.

 

HOMEMADE MARGARITAS IN A COCKTAIL SHAKER

Add Simply Limeade, tequila, orange liqueur, orange juice, and fresh squeezed lime juice to a cocktail shaker full of ice. Seal the shaker and shake for about 30 to 45 seconds.

Pour the contents of the shaker into your glass, garnish with a lime wedge, if desired, and enjoy!

HOMEMADE MARGARITAS VARIATIONS

To make it sweeter | If you'd like your Homemade Margaritas to be sweeter, add a splash of simple syrup or more limeade.

To add tartness | If you'd like your margaritas to have more tang, add a bit more fresh lime juice.

Add jalapeno | You can easily add jalapeño flavor to your margaritas by cutting jalapeños into rings and muddling them either in the bottom of your shaker or pitcher.

Make it smoky | If you love a smoky cocktail, use Mezcal instead of regular tequila.

A close up of a Homemade Margarita in a margarita glass with a lime wheel on the edge and a salt rim.

6 MORE MARGARITA RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

  • Coconut Margarita
  • Pineapple Margarita
  • Best Margarita Recipe
  • Skinny Margarita
  • Mexican Martini
  • Strawberry Margarita

  • A close up of a Coconut Margarita. It is in a short glass with painted palm trees on it. The drink is white and there is a toasted coconut rim on the glass and a lime wedge garnish.

    Coconut Margarita

  • A pineapple margarita with a lime twist, pineapple wedge, and pineapple leaves garnish and tajin on one side of the glass

    Pineapple Margaritas | SO EASY To Make At Home!

  • a margarita with a lime wedge on the side and salt rim

    The BEST Margarita Recipe

  • A skinny margarita with sliced citrus in the background

    Skinny Margaritas (Less Sugar AND Less Calories!)

  • A Mexican martini on a black surface with olives around it and salt on a plate behind it.

    Mexican Martini Recipe

  • A strawberry margarita on the rocks

    Strawberry Margaritas On the Rocks

A Homemade Margarita in a classic margarita glass with a lime wheel on the side and a salt rim. The drink is a very light green.
Print Recipe
4.86 from 7 votes

Homemade Margaritas

If you're looking for maximum flavor with minimum effort, this Homemade Margaritas recipe is just the thing!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Total Time5 minutes mins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Margarita on the Rocks
Servings: 1 Serving
Calories: 149kcal
Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup Simply Lime Limeade
  • 1 ounce tequila
  • ½ ounce orange liqueur
  • 1.5 ounces orange juice
  • Juice of a lime wedge plus wedges for garnish
  • Ice

Instructions

  • Add a half-cup of ice and all of the above ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour over ice into a rocks glass and serve with a lime garnish.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Sodium: 7mg | Sugar: 13g

 

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I’m Kelly Anthony — a baker, home chef, and mom with a passion for food and an adoration for entertaining.

Comfort food is my specialty, and it is truly my pleasure to share these recipes with you. If you’d like to get to know me a little better, click here.

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