The Best Skinny Margarita Recipe

Our easy skinny margarita recipe uses fresh ingredients for pure, delicious taste with less sugar and calories. 

close up of a margarita made with fresh juice.

Fresh-Squeezed Skinny Margaritas

There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than an ice cold margarita on the rocks. Margaritas are my favorite cocktail – when they’re made right, you can’t beat ’em!

However, margaritas have a bit of a bad reputation as a calorie-laden drink that’s guaranteed to knock your diet off track. Perhaps that is true for some of the syrupy frozen concoctions you find in restaurants, as they are often crammed full of sugar and preservatives.

However, a fresh-squeezed “skinny” margarita is actually fairly light. And once you’ve had a fresh-squeezed margarita, you’ll never go back!

That’s right, NO margarita mixes or powders here! This natural skinny margarita recipe requires only a few basic ingredients, and is ready in minutes.

The secret is making your own sweet and sour mix, using fresh lime juice and fresh orange juice. Blended with a touch of stevia, it’s the perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors and you can really taste the difference using fresh fruit instead of a powdered artificial margarita mix!

I truly think that this is the BEST skinny margarita recipe I’ve ever tasted! And I was a bartender for almond a decade, so I’ve tried a LOT of different margarita recipes!

Hope you love these easy skinny margs as much as I do! ¡Salud!

top down view of skinny margarita surrounded by fresh fruit.

Ingredients

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  • 1.5 ounces tequila
  • 2 small mandarin oranges
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 teaspoon stevia (or 1 single-serving packet)

For Rim of Glass

  • Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
  • Lime Zest

Amounts are per serving.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

skinny margarita ingredients, with text labels: tequila, lime, oranges, salt, stevia.

Instructions

Watch the 1-minute video below to see how we made our skinny margarita, then keep reading for full instructions and tips!

To Prep:

  • Cut two limes and two mandarin oranges in half. You can also use one large orange if that is what you have on hand or a combination or limes and lemons.
  • Add coarse salt to a small plate. Add the zest of one lime. Run a lime around the rim of your cocktail glass, invert the glass, dip the rim of the glass in the salt and lime zest mixture until coated.

To Make One Skinny Margarita:

  1. Squeeze limes and oranges into a small mixing bowl or use a citrus juicer.
  2. Add 1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder and whisk until dissolved. We chose stevia as our sweetener because it is naturally-derived and contains zero-calories.
  3. Fill rocks glass with ice cubes. Pour 1 1/2 ounces of tequila over the ice.
  4. Strain your sweetened citrus juice into the glass. Straining removes any pulp or seeds that might have snuck into the mixing bowl. Top with a splash of water and stir to mix.

4 step photo collage showing how to make a margarita with fresh juice.

Prep Tips

  • Garnish – I always add a fresh lime wedge to the rim of my margarita glass. You can also add orange slices or a sugar rim to switch things up!
  • Yield – The recipe as written above makes one margarita. However, you can easily triple or quadruple the amounts to make a pitcher for a crowd.
  • Juicing – If you’re not using a juicer and simply hand-squeezing, I find that poking the flesh of the cut fruit with a fork helps loosen things up so the juice squeezes out easier.
  • Mixing – I simply layered everything in the glass and stirred to mix. Doesn’t get any easier than that! However, you can also add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake to mix. This is also a great way to make more than one drink at a time.

homemade skinny margarita.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Best Tequila To Use In Margaritas?

You really can use any kind of tequila to make margaritas, so I just use what I have on hand. You don’t need to use the most expensive tequila, since you’ll be mixing it with fruit juice. On the other hand, you don’t necessarily want to use bottom shelf tequila, because it might not be the best quality or taste.

I recommend using a mid-range tequila, such as Jose Cuervo or Espolon. Feel free to use either silver tequila or gold tequila. Both will work just fine!

Why Is There No Triple Sec In This Recipe?

Triple sec is an orange liqueur and is one of the traditional margarita ingredients. However it is quite sweet and there are about 100 calories in a 1 ounce serving. We used orange juice in this recipe to get that sweet orange flavor, without artificial sugars or using a calorie-dense product like triple sec. We also skipped simple syrup for the same reason – it’s definitely not needed for a low calorie drink. Trust me, you won’t miss it!

top down view of fresh squeezed margarita.

More Skinny Drink Recipes To Try

homemade skinny margarita made with fresh fruit juice.

 

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close up of a margarita made with fresh juice.
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5 from 1 vote

The Best Skinny Margarita Recipe

Our easy skinny margarita recipe uses fresh ingredients for pure, delicious taste with less sugar and calories. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cocktail, drinks, lime, margarita, tequila
Servings: 1
Calories: 169kcal
Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Fruit Juicer
  • Small Mixing Bowl
  • whisk
  • Margarita Glass

Ingredients

  • 1.5 ounces tequila
  • 2 small mandarin oranges
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 teaspoon stevia or 1 individual packet
  • salt optional, for rim of glass

Instructions

  • Cut two limes and two mandarin oranges in half. 
  • Squeeze limes and oranges into a small mixing bowl.
  • Add 1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder and whisk until dissolved. 
  • Salt the rim of a rocks glass. We used kosher salt mixed with lime zest for an extra twist.
  • Fill rocks glass with ice. Pour 1 1/2 ounce tequila over ice.
  • Strain your sweetened citrus juice into the glass. 
  • Top with a splash of water and swirl to mix.

Video

Notes

This recipe is intended for readers 21+ only. Always drink responsibly.
Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 318mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Pin our Skinny Margaritas on Pinterest:

Skinny Margaritas Pinterest image.

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Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
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