A Skinny Margarita is the only way I do margs: great tequila, a flood of fresh citrus and lime, a little agave, and a splash of sparkling water standing in for the sugary triple sec and sour mix. All the bite, none of the sugar hangover. Swap in whatever citrus is in season (blood orange, satsuma, tangerine, grapefruit) and it never gets old. I'm usually shaking these for a taco night built around my Slow Roasted Pork Carnitas, with a Grapefruit Margarita on deck for round two, and my 22 Easy Summer Cocktails roundup has the rest of the pitcher lineup.
Skinny Margarita at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 5 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 2 generous margaritas (easily scaled to a pitcher)
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Mexican / Cocktail
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Bright fresh citrus, clean agave sweetness, tequila-forward with a fizzy finish and zero syrupy heaviness
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains alcohol; naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan; far less sugar than a classic margarita
- 📦 Storage Notes: Best shaken fresh; juice the citrus up to a day ahead and keep it cold; add the sparkling water only at serving so it stays lively
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: Five ingredients, five minutes, and no sour mix in sight. Fresh citrus does all the heavy lifting, so it tastes like sunshine instead of syrup. This is the margarita you can drink two of and still feel great tomorrow.
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Skinny Margaritas are the only way to do a marg in my opinion. I can’t stomach all the sugar that goes into a traditional margarita – so it’s skinny all the way. The best part about this recipe is that you can jazz it up with any number of citrus juices. Depending on the season you could rock blood oranges, satsumas, tangerines, oranges, grapefruits… I mean we could go on for days. Bottom line, citrus juice, great tequila, a bit of lime juice and some sparkling water. It’s the best skinny margarita you’ll ever have and I promise you’ll be pumped when you wake up in the morning without that sugar hangover. Because, no one wants one of those!
Cheers to the weekend!
Ingredients
- 5 ounces tequila
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed citrus juice orange, blood orange, tangerine, satsuma, grapefruit
- 3 ounces lime juice
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar
- splash of sparkling water
Substitutions & Swaps
🥃 Tequila
- Blanco, 100% agave (my default) - Clean and agave-forward; it lets the citrus lead
- Reposado - Oak warmth for a cozier, rounder marg
- Mezcal - The smoky version; start 50/50 with blanco so it doesn't take over
🍊 Citrus
- Orange (classic) - Sweet, familiar, always works
- Blood orange - Berry undertone and the prettiest color in the glass
- Grapefruit - A bitter edge that pushes it toward paloma territory
- Satsuma or tangerine - The sweetest of the bunch; you can often skip the agave entirely
- Meyer lemon - Floral wildcard for the citrus-drawer adventurous
🍯 Sweetener
- Agave nectar (called for) - Dissolves instantly in a cold drink and comes from the same plant as the tequila
- Honey syrup (1:1 honey and warm water) - Floral; make a small jar and keep it in the fridge
- Skip it entirely - Taste your citrus first; sweet satsumas or oranges often need nothing
🫧 Sparkling Water
- Plain sparkling water (called for) - Lightens the drink without adding anything
- Topo Chico - Aggressive bubbles and a saline snap; the upgrade
- Grapefruit or lime seltzer - Doubles down on the citrus; check it's unsweetened
- Skip the bubbles - A classic still skinny marg on the rocks; slightly stronger sip
🧂 Rim & Garnish
- Kosher salt rim - Sharpens the sour notes; the classic for a reason
- Tajín rim - Chili-lime heat; my favorite with the grapefruit version
- Half-rim only - You control the salt sip by sip
- Citrus wheel, no rim - It's a skinny marg; do you
🍋🥃🧂 Tips & Tricks for the Best Skinny Margarita
Fresh citrus, real tequila, zero sugar hangover
- Juice your citrus fresh, always. Bottled juice is pasteurized and flat, and this drink is 60 percent citrus. This is the one non-negotiable.
- Buy 100% agave tequila. The label has to say it. Mixto tequila is cut with other sugars, which is exactly what this recipe exists to avoid.
- Taste the citrus before you add agave. Satsumas and sweet oranges often need zero added sweetener; grapefruit wants the full amount.
- Shake hard with a lot of ice, 15 full seconds. Dilution is an ingredient. A lazy 5-second shake gives you a warm, boozy marg.
- Add the sparkling water after shaking, never in the shaker. Bubbles in a cocktail shaker end exactly how you'd imagine.
- Roll the limes under your palm before juicing. Ten seconds of pressure breaks the membranes and gets you noticeably more juice per lime.
- Chill the glasses while you prep. Ten minutes in the freezer keeps the drink colder longer than extra ice ever will.
- Salt half the rim only. Run the lime wedge along one side of the glass. You get the option on every sip instead of a commitment.
- Scale to a pitcher for a party, minus the bubbles. Multiply the tequila, citrus, lime, and agave and stir over ice; add the sparkling water glass by glass so nothing goes flat.
- Keep the ratio when you riff. Equal parts tequila and citrus juice, just over half as much lime, and adjust sweetness last. Any citrus that follows the ratio works.
Skinny Margarita FAQs
What is a skinny margarita?
A skinny margarita is a lighter margarita made with tequila, fresh citrus and lime juice, and a touch of agave instead of sugary triple sec or sour mix. A splash of sparkling water keeps it light and fizzy. You get all the margarita flavor with a fraction of the sugar.
What makes a skinny margarita skinny?
Dropping the orange liqueur and sour mix, which carry most of a classic margarita's sugar and calories. Fresh orange juice covers the citrus notes the triple sec would bring, and agave adds just enough sweetness. Roughly half the sugar, none of the syrupy taste.
What is the best tequila for a skinny margarita?
A 100% agave blanco tequila. It's clean and bright and lets the fresh citrus lead. You don't need a top-shelf sipping bottle, but the 100% agave label is non-negotiable.
What citrus works best in a skinny margarita?
Whatever is in season: orange is classic, blood orange makes it gorgeous, grapefruit skews paloma, and satsumas or tangerines are sweet enough that you can skip most of the agave. The recipe is a template. Fresh-squeezed is the only rule.
Can I make skinny margaritas for a crowd?
Yes, this recipe scales straight into a pitcher: multiply the tequila, citrus, lime, and agave and stir it over ice. Add the sparkling water glass by glass so it doesn't go flat. Juice everything the morning of and you're set.
Skinny Margaritas
Ingredients
- 5 ounces tequila
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed citrus juice orange, blood orange, tangerine, satsuma, grapefruit
- 3 ounces lime juice
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar
- splash of sparkling water
Instructions
- Run a wedge of lime across the top of 2 cocktail glasses. Once damp, coat the rim in salt.
- Add all the ingredients except the sparkling water into a cocktail shaker with a few cubes of ice. Shake for 30 seconds until chilled and then strain the margaritas into serving glasses with new ice. Top with a splash of sparkling water in each glass and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Information (estimated)
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
where are these cute glasses from?
I’m not a tequila girl, but love love love these margs! Delish and easy
Gaby, where are these glasses from?
Made mine with grapefruit this run; f***ing FABULOUS!THIS girl will be hunting down blood oranges for next weekend!
I love this! I really want to know how I can purchase the glasses?!!
Where can I buy this glassware from?!
So refreshing! Found a neighbor with a grapefruit tree, another with an orange and we have limes. This is a delicious and easy way to use all 3.
Loved this skinny margarita! I used pink grapefruit; however the margarita was still a yellowish color. What did you use to make yours so pink? So so good! Thanks!