The Best Skinny Margarita

This skinny margarita recipe is only 100 calories and tastes just as good as the classic! It’s ready in 5 minutes with fresh lime, orange juice, and a touch of sweetener.

Want a margarita recipe with less calories? There’s a solution for that: the Skinny Margarita! Now that I’ve been drinking a lot more mocktails, I realized that this is my perfect drink: like a mashup of my virgin margarita and beloved classic margarita.

From the first sip of my first “Skinny”, I realized this drink is extraordinarily tasty and does not taste like you’re giving anything up. Using lots of lime, orange juice, and a little less tequila, it’s possible to make a margarita that tastes as good as the real thing (I think!). It’s now a part of my go-to margarita recipes.

What Is A Skinny Margarita?

A skinny margarita is a margarita designed to have less calories than the standard recipe. A classic margarita is a mix of tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau (orange liqueur). Here’s the key to removing calories from a cocktail: cut back on the alcohol! Here are the ingredients you’ll use for a Skinny Margarita recipe

Tequila blanco: Use a good one. The quality of your tequila matters more in a simple cocktail like this because there’s nowhere to hide. Check out our guide to the best tequila for margaritas if you’re not sure where to start.
Fresh lime juice: Always use fresh lime juice: especially in a margarita!
Fresh squeezed orange juice: This replaces the Cointreau and provides sweetness and citrusy notes.
Agave syrup or maple syrup: Just a touch rounds out the flavors.

How to Make a Skinny Margarita

To mix up your own Skinny Margarita, there’s not much to it! Just mix the ingredients together, and serve it on the rocks (with ice). You don’t even need to use a cocktail shaker with this one, which makes it even easier. Here’s what to do:

Rim the glass with salt. Salt enhances the sweet and sour flavors in the drink, and gives you that classic margarita flavor.
Stir together in a mixing glass. Take that tequila, lime juice, and orange juice, and stir it together in a cocktail mixing glass or large glass of any kind.
Strain into a glass and add ice. Strain the drink into a glass and add ice. You can use the classic margarita glass, but I like using a lowball glass like the one you see in the photos.

How Many Calories in a Skinny Margarita?

This recipe comes in at about 100 calories per serving, compared to around 170 calories in a classic margarita. That makes it a 40% reduction in calories, mostly from less liquor. If you’re keeping track of your drinks, this is one of the most satisfying swaps I’ve found. For more low-calorie options, I have a guide to my top 10 low calorie alcoholic drinks.

How to make a skinny margarita — Use a cocktail mixing glass to mix it!

Top It With Margarita Salt

This Skinny Margarita is perfect with any kosher salt or flaky sea salt. But if you want to make it look even more festive, try a batch of our Margarita Salt. The green and orange colors of lime and orange zest look beautiful against the glass. Alex and I love doing this for entertaining.

Best frozen margarita recipe — Margarita salt is ultra festive! (shown on our Frozen Margarita)

Adding Clear Ice

Want to know the secret to professional looking cocktails made at home? Clear ice. What is it? I thought Alex was crazy when he told me he wanted to make a recipe for it. Clear ice is artisanal ice used in cocktails because of its crystal clear look and beautiful organic shapes. We try to have a batch ready before we have a cocktail hour because this ice truly steals the show.

You can make clear ice at home and it’s so easy! All you need is a small cooler and 24 hours, and your cocktails will look like you ordered it in a fancy bar. Here’s how to make clear ice.

When to Serve This Drink

The Skinny Margarita is perfect any time you’d make a regular margarita. Most people can’t tell the difference, and some people like it because it’s brighter and less sweet than the standard cocktail. I like it for:

Weeknight happy hour when I don’t want a heavy drink
Dinner parties, especially with Mexican-inspired food like my shrimp tacos or fish tacos
Batch-making ahead in a margarita pitcher (just scale everything up and refrigerate the mix; add ice when serving)
Girls’ night or any occasion where people want a lighter drink

A Few More Low Calorie Drinks

Try a White Wine Spritzer: it’s just 68 calories per serving!
Go for a fruity Sea Breeze
Opt for a bubbly Vodka Soda
Try a Skinny Ranch Water