These margarita ice cubes make single serving margaritas so convenient! Just pop a few of these cubes, made with fresh fruit juice and sweetened with honey, into you blender with a shot of tequila for the perfect frozen margarita whenever you want one!
Make Fresh Fruit Margaritas in Minutes!
There’s definitely a time and place for margaritas by the pitcher, but sometimes you just want one drink. Unfortunately that can get tricky when fresh fruit juice is involved. I don’t always have all of the necessary fruit on hand and making just one margarita can throw the proportions all off. I knew there had to be a better way.
I felt like a genius when I came up with these margarita ice cubes!
They’re basically frozen homemade margarita mix made with fresh fruit juice, honey, and orange liqueur.
Now on Taco Tuesday, I just pull a few of these cubes from the freezer and pop them into the blender with some tequila.
If you prefer a margarita on the rocks, you can also let the ice cubes melt — it doesn’t take long on the counter at room temperature, or you can stick a few in the refrigerator overnight. You can also speed up the melting process by shaking the margarita ice cubes and tequila together in a cocktail shaker. Serve the margarita over a couple cubes of fresh ice to help keep it cold.
In just a minute or two, any night can feel like Cinco de Mayo! If you love tequila, you might also like these Mexican Candy Shots. Or for a rum based cocktail, try a raspberry mojito!
Ingredients needed to make margarita ice cubes
- Limes. Fresh lime juice makes up the dominant flavor of margarita mix. Be sure to use fresh fruit as opposed to bottled juices for the best flavor!
- Lemons. Lemon juice adds that classic sour flavor you’d expect from a classic margarita.
- Oranges. Orange juice brings a wonderful sweetness to this homemade margarita mix and rounds out its citrusy flavor.
- Honey. Margaritas are traditionally made with simple syrup, but I love the sunny flavor that honey gives them. Since honey doesn’t freeze solid, it also keeps these ice cubes from freezing too solidly. That means they’ll easily blend into the perfect margarita slush and will melt quickly for a drink served on the rocks. You could also use agave syrup in place of the honey if you prefer.
- Orange Liqueur. Adding Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau to the ice cubes means you don’t need to measure it out to order. Just add tequila and you’re good to go!
- Water. Water serves two purposes in these margarita ice cubes. First, it helps them freeze to the proper consistency. Second, it helps ensure the margaritas aren’t too strong. Traditionally, you’d blend your tequila and margarita mix with plain ice, which dilutes the flavor. Since we aren’t adding plain ice to these drinks, water helps achieve the right balance of flavors.
How to make homemade margarita mix to freeze
Making fresh fruit margarita mix is so easy! You’ll never want to use store-bought mix again.
Juice the fruit
To make these fresh fruit margaritas, you’ll start by making your own sour mix. Begin by juicing the lemons, limes, and oranges. For the most control, I like to use a wooden citrus reamer (affiliate link). All together, you’ll have about 1 1/4 cups of fresh fruit juice. Don’t worry if your juice has a little pulp in it–this helps add to fresh flavor.
Pro-Tip: To get the most juice from your citrus fruits, roll it on your counter, pressing firmly, before cutting it and half. This will help the cell walls break down so they’ll release the juice. If you’re fruit is very firm, you can also pop it into the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften it up and make it juice more easily.
Stir in the Orange Liqueur
Stir your favorite orange liqueur into the juice blend. I love using Grand Marnier, but Cointreau and Triple Sec are also great. Use whatever you have!
Sweeten the Mix
Add the honey and water, then give everything a taste to make sure you like it. Remember you’ll be adding tequila later so the mix should be on the sweeter side. I like my margaritas pretty tart, but you can adjust the amount honey to get the mix that’s perfect for you!
Freeze the Ice Cubes
Pour your margarita mix into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight, or until solid. Once they’re frozen, you can keep them in the tray or transfer them to a freezer bag for long-term storage.
To make a classic margarita
When you want a margarita, all you need to do is blend 3-4 ice cubes with a shot of your favorite tequila! You can also let the cubes melt at room temperature or in the refrigerator and serve it over plain ice for a fresh fruit margarita on the rocks.
FAQs
To make a different flavor cocktail, swap out the orange juice for another juice of your choice. Some great options include cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, passionfruit juice, or watermelon juice. You can puree fresh strawberries or other fresh berries or use mango puree, or any other puree of your choice. Goya makes some really great frozen fruit purees that are fun to play with! Look for them in the frozen aisle of your grocery store.
When it comes to margaritas, tequila is definitely traditional. Most people prefer blanco tequila or agave tequila, because they have the smoothest flavor. But if you don’t like it, you can swap in mezcal, rum, or vodka for a fun variation on this citrusy drink.
Sure! For a non-alcoholic drink, leave out the orange liqueur. Blend the ice cubes with lime seltzer instead of tequila.
A lime wedge makes the prefect garnish for these margaritas. Pop a few lime slices into the freezer and you’ll have them ready to go as needed! I love serving these fruity drinks in margarita glasses with coarse salt. around the rims.
This fruity drink is the perfect accompaniment to sheet pan steak fajitas and air fryer tortilla chips!
If you like frozen drinks, you’ll also love this frozen peach bellini recipe.
Fresh Fruit Margarita Ice Cubes
Ingredients
- 2 oranges
- 2 limes
- 2 lemons
- 1 cup orange liqueur
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Juice the oranges, limes, and lemons into a liquid measuring cup. You should have about 1 ¼ cups of juice in total.
- Stir in the orange liqueur, honey, and water. Taste and adjust the honey to your desired level of sweetness.
- Pour into two ice cube trays to make 18 cubes. Freeze overnight, or until solid.
- When you want a margarita: Blend 2-3 ice cubes with 1 ½ ounces of your favorite tequila. Alternatively, let a few of the ice cubes melt and serve on the rocks.
