Skinny Margarita Recipe

Ditch the sugary mixes and enjoy our Skinny Margarita recipe for a crisp, vibrant cocktail that delivers all the classic margarita flavor with fewer calories. This refreshing drink combines fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, quality tequila, and a little agave syrup for a clean taste that won’t weigh you down. Perfect for weeknight happy hours, weekend gatherings, or anytime you want a lighter option without sacrificing that authentic margarita taste.

After five years of sipping on this skinny marg in the comfort of our own home, we’ve perfected the balance of tart, sweet, and smooth. As dedicated home mixologists, we’ve learned the secret to an exceptional skinny margarita lies in using fresh-squeezed citrus and a high-quality tequila; never bottled mixes or sour concentrate. Each component has been thoughtfully balanced for the ideal flavor profile to give you that authentic margarita experience without the excess sugar and calories. The result is a cleaner, brighter cocktail that lets the natural ingredients shine through in every sip.

If you’re a fan of lighter cocktail recipes, this fresh lime margarita with orange juice belongs in your rotation. Like our popular Skinny Pineapple Margarita, Paloma, and Vodka Press recipes, this drink features fresh juices for vibrant flavor while keeping the calorie count low. Simple to make with readily available ingredients, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for premade mixes.

What is a Skinny Margarita?

A skinny margarita typically swaps out the orange liqueur in a classic margarita for fresh orange juice for a lower-calorie cocktail. If sweetened, it’s usually done so with agave syrup, a natural sweetener.

Skinny Margarita Ingredients

• Fresh Lime Juice. Lime juice is a standard margarita ingredient that adds a lovely pop of citrus to our cocktail. Fresh squeezed tastes best, especially in this skinny version.
• Fresh Orange Juice. For a skinny margarita, we use fresh orange juice instead of an orange liqueur. It still adds the citrusy orange flavor to our drink, but with less calories and sugar.
• Blanco Tequila. A high quality tequila makes a high quality margarita!
• Agave Syrup. Sweetens our cocktail naturally, and helps to balance out the sharp citrus.
• Ice. Used for shaking and serving.
• Optional Garnish: Lime Wedge and/or Orange Wedge. Simple and easy, pop a wedge of lime and/or orange onto the edge of your glass (or toss it right into your drink!).
• Optional: Salt Rim. Adding a salt rim to a skinny marg not only looks nice, but adds a nice contract of flavor to your light and fresh cocktail.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for all ingredient measurements and recipe details.

The Best Tequila for Margaritas: Blanco or Reposado

Tequila blanco, also called white tequila or silver tequila, is the best tequila option to use in margaritas. This unaged tequila has a clean, crisp flavor that let’s the other ingredients’ flavors shine. Because of this light flavor and it’s affordable price-point, blanco tequila is often considered one of the best types of tequila for mixed drinks.

For a premium cocktail use a reposado tequila. Aged up to 1 year, reposado tequilas still have a mellow flavor and a bit of sweetness (often showcasing notes of caramel and vanilla). This type of tequila is often used in premium mixed drinks.

How to Make a Skinny Marg

If rimming your glass, run a lime or orange wedge around the rim of your glass.

Then dip the rim of the glass (or gently roll it) in coarse salt. Set aside.

Add the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and agave syrup to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice.

Cap the shaker tightly and vigorously shake until the outside of the shaker is very cold (about 15 seconds).

Strain the cocktail into your serving glass with ice.

If desired, add a lime and/or orange wedge for garnish and enjoy!

Variations Ideas

Make it spicy! If you love a spicy margarita, muddle a jalapeno slice in the cocktail shaker before adding in the rest of your ingredients and shaking. Garnish with a slice of jalapeno too.

Use simple syrup instead of agave syrup. If you have classic simple syrup on hand (or even a batch of our honey simple syrup), you can use this to sweeten your cocktail in place of the agave. Start with a 1-to-1 swap and adjust according to your taste.

Skip the sweetener. If you like a zingy, citrus-forward drink, try skipping the agave all together. If an unsweetened marg is delicious to you, this is another way to reduce the calories in your cocktail.