Frozen Strawberry Margaritas

A margarita is a fabulous chameleon of a cocktail. Serve it classic, serve it frozen, add some fruit… There are just so many ways you can make it your own without sacrificing flavor.

Strawberries are in high season at the moment. They’re mature, cute, and you know what? This sweetness complements the earthy agave flavors in tequila.

While whisked strawberries would work for an on-the-rocks margarita, frozen strawberry slices give an intense strawberry flavor and a super smooth frozen version. This recipe is for 4 drinks, but it’s easy to scale up or down depending on how many you want.

What’s in a Strawberry Margarita?

A Frozen Strawberry Margarita builds on the classic Margarita with Blanco/Silver (unaged) tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and Cointreau – but with the addition of fresh, frozen strawberries.

The addition of strawberries in this frozen version of a margarita adds a bright, tangy punch to what might otherwise be a flat mixed drink.

You may notice that the sugar content in this recipe can be slightly higher than you would see in a margarita over ice, and that’s due to a frozen beverage’s tendency to have slightly dull flavors.

Using fresh, frozen strawberries, however, amplifies that higher sugar content with a flavor freshness that’s anything but boring. It’s early summer in the cup!

Tips and tricks for making the perfect frozen strawberry margarita

Yes, all the ingredients go in the blender, but here are some helpful tips on how to buy tequila and how to choose the right type of strawberry.

• Use a blanco or unaged tequila to make this drink. The nuanced flavors of a reposado or añejo are lost in this frozen drink and can clash with the strawberry flavor. My favorite tequila for this – and many other mixed tequila cocktails – is Cazadores. It’s a national brand at a solid price. If you need more information on the best tequilas to buy, use, and when, check out our tequila guide.
• Freeze everything! With frozen drink season knocking on my door, I’ve stocked up on portioned ounces of lime juice, simple syrup, and fruit purees. Keeping as many ingredients as possible frozen also means less ice will water down your drink.
• Use sliced ​​or diced frozen berries rather than whole (your blender will thank you).

How to freeze strawberries and make them fresh

Frozen strawberries tend to come whole at the grocery store, but they can wreak havoc on your blender and clog the blades—even more so if it’s not powerful.

Get sliced ​​or diced if you can, and if that’s not an option I’d suggest buying fresh, slicing, then freezing yourself. If you’re looking for a new blender, here are a few options to consider.

To freeze fresh strawberries, start with well-washed, hulled strawberries (ie, the stem and leaves are removed). Cut them at least 1/4-inch thick. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them until frozen solid, then place in an airtight, freezer-safe container. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Don’t have a powerful blender or something powerful enough to puree frozen strawberries? Use a food processor.

My hand blender is almost 20 years old and doesn’t blend things as smoothly as I’d like, so I turned to my food processor, which produces a silky smooth frozen margarita every time. If using a food processor, you may need to cut this recipe in half to avoid overflowing.

Make strawberry margaritas ahead of time

If I were mixing this cocktail for a party, I would mix all the ingredients without ice and store in a container in the freezer the night before. This makes it easy to double or triple the recipe, so you can keep refilling drinks throughout the night.

On the day of the day, add everything to a blender with some ice (you need less than room temperature ingredients) and whip it up.

Don’t try to skip the ice though! You need some water to balance the drink to take the place of ice being shaken or stirred in a non-frozen cocktail. Otherwise you would end up with a much stronger cocktail.

Strawberry margarita garnish and glass options

keep it simple A single sliced ​​fresh strawberry on top signals guests what’s in the cocktail (though its bright red color might be a giveaway).

If you want to make your glass a little more fancy, grind coarse salt with dehydrated strawberries. It adds a little extra color and flavor to the cocktail and the glass.

Speaking of glass, I prefer a Double Rocks glass for this cocktail. If you have a fun margarita glass that you want to use, make it!

Try all the margaritas!

• Classic margarita
• Frozen Cucumber Margaritas
• Frozen Pitcher Margaritas
• Blueberry Pitcher Margarita
• Watermelon Pitcher Margarita