Celebrating the arrival of summer has never tasted so good! Sweet, refreshing, and just the right amount of boozy, these fresh Watermelon Margaritas are as delicious as they are beautiful.
This vibrant margarita recipe is perfect for serving at your Cinco de Mayo party, BBQs, 4th of July bashes, and more! You'll also love these fruity Peach Margaritas and our easy Homemade Margarita Mix!
INGREDIENTS
While Watermelon Margaritas from scratch do indeed require a little bit of preparation, you'll find the end result well worth the effort. Here's what you'll need to make them:
- Tequila
- Orange Liqueur
- Lime Juice
- Watermelon Juice
- Simple Syrup
You might have noticed, based on the list above, that in addition to your standard margarita ingredients, you'll also need a simple syrup and watermelon juice for this recipe.
Below, we'll cover how to easily make both and soon enough, you'll be well on your way to sipping on the best Watermelon Margarita in town!
HOW TO MAKE WATERMELON MARGARITAS
- Make the simple syrup and set it aside to cool.
- Prep the watermelon juice.
- Add a salt or sugar rim to your glass (if desired) and fill with ice.
- Add watermelon juice, simple syrup, lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur to a shaker, secure the lid, and shake for about 30 seconds.
- Pour over the shaker contents into the prepared glass, sip, and enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE SYRUP
Watermelon Margaritas begins with simple syrup. Don't fret -- simple syrups are just as easy as they sound! Here's how you make one:
- Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and allow it to boil.
- As soon as the sugar has dissolved, you'll remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
HOW TO MAKE WATERMELON JUICE
To make the fresh watermelon juice, you'll first need to cut either a small, seedless watermelon into cubes (half of a large, seedless watermelon would also work). Here's how you make it:
- Once your watermelon is cubed, add the cubes to a blender and blend until it is a smooth puree. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Once all of your watermelon cubes have made their way through the blender, place a fine-mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl and run the watermelon puree through the sieve. This will help to remove any pulp and makes for an incredibly smooth-sipping Watermelon Margarita!
If you'd like to hurry the puree through the sieve, a balloon whisk is a very handy tool for the job!
A WORD ON THE WATERMELON
It is very important for this recipe that the watermelon you pick is seedless. Even though the watermelon is pureed and run through a sieve, there's a very good chance you'll still notice a gritty texture left behind from black watermelon seeds.
It's also worth pointing out here, that ripe watermelons produce the best flavor when it comes to Watermelon Margaritas!
Here are my favorite top 2 tips for picking out a watermelon:
- The watermelon should feel heavy for its size.
- Look for a yellow spot -- this indicates it has had time to ripen before picking.
WATERMELON MARGARITA TIME
Now for the fun part! If you have a shaker, it comes in handy here, especially if you want a salt or sugar rim on your glass. You can find more instruction on that below if needed.
To make a Watermelon Margarita, add the following ingredients to a shaker full of ice:
- ¼ cup watermelon juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1-ounce simple syrup
- 1 ½-ounces tequila
- ½-ounce orange liqueur
- Pinch of salt
Shake for about 30 seconds (which is just enough time to chill and combine the ingredients), and then pour the contents of the shaker into a glass full of ice.
NO SHAKER? NO PROBLEM.
If you don't have a shaker, no problem! You can add the ingredients straight to a glass full of ice and simply stir it all together to combine.
HOW TO ADD A SALT OR SUGAR RIM TO MARGARITA GLASS
This is a good time to mention that once you Watermelon Margarita goes into the glass, it's too late to add a salt or sugar rim, so be sure to take care of that beforehand!
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar or Kosher salt onto a small plate.
- Then, take a lime wedge and run it around the perimeter of the glass.
- Press the rim of the glass into the sugar or salt and slightly wiggle it around until well coated.
Once you have your salted or sugar rim in place, then you can fill your glass with ice.
3 MORE MARGARITAS YOU’LL LOVE
How to make the best Watermelon Margaritas with fresh watermelon juice and a simple syrup!
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 small seedless watermelon (or ½ of a large watermelon), cut into cubes
- ¼ cup watermelon juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 1 ½ ounce tequila
- ½ ounce orange liqueur
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Add the water and sugar to a saucepan over medium-high heat and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool completely.
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To make the watermelon juice, add the cubed watermelon to a blender and blend until it is pureed. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
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Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the puree over the sieve. Use a whisk (if desired) to hurry the watermelon through the sieve. Set the strained juice aside.
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To make the margarita, garnish the glass with a salt or sugar rim, if desired. Then, fill it to the top with ice. Add ice to a shaker as well (if you have one).
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Add a ¼ cup watermelon juice, lime juice, ¼ cup simple syrup, tequila, orange liqueur, and a pinch of salt to the shaker. Secure the lid on the shaker tightly and shake until chilled.
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Pour the contents of the shaker into the glass. If you do not have a shaker, add the ingredient directly to the glass and stir well. Serve and enjoy!
