Craving a taste of the tropics? This Coconut Margarita delivers creamy coconut flavor balanced with bright citrus and smooth tequila. A refreshing twist on the classic margarita that’s perfect for sunny days or whenever you need a mini-vacation in a glass.
After fifteen years as a home bartender, I’ve perfected the science behind a great cocktail. Each cocktail recipe on our site is meticulously tested, with careful attention to proportions and technique. This coconut version went through multiple iterations to achieve the perfect balance of creaminess and citrus kick, ensuring you’ll create a restaurant-quality drink on your first attempt.
While our Cranberry Margaritas and Pineapple Margaritas remain favorites, this Coconut Margarita offers something uniquely satisfying. The cream of coconut transforms the traditionally bright margarita into something luxuriously smooth, while maintaining that essential lime zing. It’s refreshing yet creamy, and after one sip you’ll see why it’s become our new tequila obsession.
You’ll Love This Coconut Margaritas Recipe!
Creamy yet refreshing. This drink is somehow wonderfully creamy and refreshing thanks to the cream of coconut!
Pretty and easy to make! Especially when you add a toasted coconut rim, this cocktail is striking but very easy to mix up.
A taste of the tropics. You don’t have to be on a beach vacation to enjoy a coconut margarita, but it might make you feel like you’re there.
Ingredients Needed
- Cream of Coconut. Cream of coconut is what gives this tropical margarita it’s coconut flavor. It also adds sweetness to our drink.
- Fresh Lime Juice. Lime juice is a standard ingredient in margaritas, and adds a lovely pop of citrus to our drink. Fresh squeezed tastes best, but if you’re in a pinch, you can also use bottled.
- Orange Liqueur. Orange liqueur is another common ingredient in margaritas that adds additional citrus notes and sweetness to our drink. We’re using Grand Marnier (it’s the type of orange liqueur we keep in our cabinet), but Cointreau or Triple Sec are both great options commonly used in margaritas too.
- Blanco Tequila. A high quality tequila makes a high quality margarita!
- Ice. Used for shaking and serving.
- Optional Garnish: Lime Wedge. Simple and easy, pop a lime wedge on the edge of your glass (or just toss it right in!).
- Optional Rim: Toasted Coconut. Lean into the coconut vibe by rimming your glass with some toasted coconut! If needed, this article on how to toast coconut is very helpful.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for all ingredient measurements and recipe details.
Cream of Coconut Versus Coconut Cream – They’re Not The Same!
Despite what their names may lead you to believe, Cream of Coconut and Coconut Cream are NOT the same. Cream of Coconut is sweet and has a syrup-like texture (perfect for drink recipes) while coconut cream is not sweet and is very thick (better for soups, sauces, and baking).
Cream of coconut is a pre-made, sweetened mixture of coconut cream that has a thick, syrupy texture. This is what you want for mixing drinks! This is what gives pina coladas their unmistakable flavor (and what we use in our pina colada mocktails!). You can find this in squeeze-bottles or cans, often by other drink-mixes (for us, this is in the liquor department). I personally like Coco Real’s Cream of Coconut for drinks.
Coconut cream is a thick cream made from coconut milk that’s common in Southeast Asian cooking. It has a distinct coconut flavor, is used in a variety of dishes like soups, sauces, smoothies, and desserts. It is also used in vegan, dairy-free, and keto dishes. You will generally find this ingredient in a can in your grocery store’s ethnic food aisle.
What’s the Best Tequila for Margaritas?
Tequila blanco, also known as white tequila or silver tequila, is the best tequila for margaritas. This unaged tequila is considered the purest form and has a clean, crisp flavor that let’s the other ingredients shine. Because of it’s flavor and price-point (affordable), blanco tequila is often considered one of the best types of tequila for mixed drinks.
How to Make a Coconut Margarita
If rimming your glass, add a line of cream of coconut to the rim of your serving glass and gently press it into your toasted coconut. Set aside.
Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and cream of coconut to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice.
Tightly cap and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is very cold (about 15 seconds).
Strain the contents of the shaker into your serving glass (either a rocks glass or margarita glass) with ice.
Add a lime wedge to the rim or into the cocktail for garnish if desired.
Sip and enjoy!
Getting that Perfect Toasted Coconut Rim
We’ve tried adding the toasted coconut to the rim of our glass several different ways, and found that squirting a somewhat thick line of cream of coconut along the rim and gently pressing it into the toasted coconut works best. This may sound silly, but imagine making a line of glue for an art project as a kid… that’s what you need to get the coconut to stick.
Spreading the cream of coconut along the rim into a thin layer doesn’t seem to leave enough surface area for the coconut to stick to. Same goes for running a lime wedge around the rim… the coconut just doesn’t have enough to stick to.
Coconut Lime Margarita Variations
Rim your glasses with salt, sugar, or a mixture! We’re showing our glasses rimmed with toasted coconut, but you can definitely rim your glasses with regular salt, sugar, or a salt/sugar mixture if desired.
Make it sweeter with more cream of coconut. We like the level of sweetness in this drink, but you can definitely make it sweeter by adding another ½-1 ounce of cream of coconut. Taste the cocktail and adjust to your liking.
Make it sweeter by adding a splash of simple syrup. If desired, add ½ – 1 ounce of simple syrup to your drink. We always use homemade simple syrup because it’s quick and easy to make, and you can store it in your fridge for up to a month.
What to Serve with Coconut Margaritas
Like a classic margarita, coconut margaritas pair nicely with all of your favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex foods!
You can’t beat sipping on a margarita with chips, salsa, and some guacamole. Or enjoy it with a meal by making salsa chicken tacos, crispy fish tacos, or vegetarian sheet pan tacos with chimichurri.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Tequila Cocktails Next!
Creamy Coconut Margarita on the Rocks
Equipment
- Rocks or Margarita Glass (for serving)
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blanco tequila (reposado tequila is a good alternate)
- 1 ounce orange liqueur (Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec)
- 1 ounce fresh-squeeze lime juice
- 1 ounce cream of coconut (NOT coconut cream!)
- ice (for shaking and serving)
- optional: toasted coconut for the rim
- optional: lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- If rimming your glass, add a line of cream of coconut to the rim of your serving glass and gently press it into toasted coconut. Set aside.
- Add the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and cream of coconut into a cocktail shaker that is filled half-full with ice.
- Cap the shaker tightly and vigorously shake until the outside of the shaker is very cold (about 15 seconds).
- Strain the contents into your serving glass with ice.
- Garnish with a lime wedge if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- Rim your glasses with salt, sugar, or a mixture! We’re showing our glasses rimmed with toasted coconut, which has a bit of a chewy texture to it. If that’s not your thing, rim your glass with course salt, sugar, or a salt/sugar mixture if desired.
- Make it sweeter with more cream of coconut. Taste and adjust to your liking.
- Make it sweeter by adding a splash of simple syrup. If desired, add ½ – 1 ounce of simple syrup to your cocktail.
Meredith says
love this coconut twist – so fun!