Watermelon Margaritas with Lime and Mint

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Cheers to Watermelon Margaritas on a hot summer day! These simple cocktails combine fresh watermelon juice, silver tequila, freshly squeezed limes, and agave nectar to sweeten. Add plenty of mint and lime slices, and enjoy!

Overhead view of two watermelon margaritas with cubed ice.

Watermelon Mint Margaritas

This recipe requires a story. Sorry, y’all! Here goes.

We are still in the midst of the worst Texas summer (2023) I can remember. Temps hovering between 105 and 110 for days on end. We’ve rarely woken up to 70’s which makes me crabby because I haven’t been able to get out on my bike. womp womp

Since it’s been so dang hot, we’ve gone through 2-3 whole watermelons every week. Remember – it’s just the two of us! So when I finally got an edible but not-so-great watermelon, I said “Hold everything. I’m making watermelon juice – which quickly became watermelon margaritas!”

And there you go. The story of this yummy drink (that you must make soon)!

Why This Recipe Works:

SIMPLE – You’ll only need a few basic ingredients to make the perfect margarita.
SUMMER PRODUCE – A fresh watermelon margarita is the perfect summer cocktail that uses a sweet watermelon.
DELISH – Fruity margaritas are normally my drink of choice. A perfect way to entertain at a casual dinner party on a hot day.
NO ADDED SUGAR – We chose to sweeten these with Agave. We love a skinny margarita with fresh fruit!

Side view of two watermelon margaritas and a pitcher in the background.

Key Ingredients:

Watermelon – We used about eight cups of watermelon chunks or enough to get about four cups – 32 ounces of watermelon juice – after straining the pulp. Make sure you are using a seedless watermelon!
White Tequila (Blanco tequila)- Go with a quality silver tequila like Altos or something like it. No headaches here!
Limes – You’ll need 5-6 large limes for this recipe.
Agave Nectar – We use this to sweeten drinks. Alternatively, you could make your own simple syrup.
Mint – An optional herb that really brings a bright, fresh flavor to cocktails or mocktails.

Note: I normally add Cointreau (orange liqueur or triple sec) to margarita recipes but omitted it for this simple recipe.

How to make Watermelon Margaritas:

Step 1
Prep watermelon. Use a sharp knife to cut the watermelon into bite-sized chunks. Add to a large high-speed blender (or food processor – if you don’t have a blender).

Step 2
Blend. Blend the watermelon until it’s in liquid form. You may need to smash the watermelon down if it’s not processing.

Step 3
Strain the juice. Pour the watermelon juice through a fine-mesh sieve (pictured below). Discard the pulp.

NOTE: You can eliminate this step if you don’t mind the drinks being on the thicker side. It’s still delicious.

A large pitcher of watermelon juice with a strainer and pulp on top.

Step 4
Squeeze limes. Use a citrus press to get several ounces of fresh lime juice.

Pro-Tip: It’s a good idea to let limes sit at room temperature for about an hour before squeezing them to get the most juice possible. You can also roll the limes firmly on a countertop or cutting board before cutting them open to help release the juice.

Step 5
Make a pitcher of margaritas. Use a large pitcher and add the ingredients – watermelon juice, tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice, and agave syrup to sweeten.

Step 6
Prep glasses. You can add a salt or sugar rim to your margarita glasses. Simply use a lime wedge and run it around the rim of the glasses. Then dip the glasses in a small plate of kosher salt or sugar to coat. Add some lime slices and/or mint to the glasses and plenty of ice.

Step 7
Serve. Pour watermelon margaritas into prepared glasses. Or if you’d rather, shake the easy watermelon margaritas into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously before serving. Cheers!

NOTE: If you don’t have Agave Nectar, I recommend keeping a jar of simple syrup in your refrigerator for cocktails and mocktails. Just combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a mason jar and store.

Overhead view of a pitcher of watermelon margs.

What to serve with Watermelon Margaritas:

Recipe FAQs:

What alcohol goes well with watermelon?

Watermelon pairs well with a variety of alcoholic beverages, especially those that are light, refreshing, and not overly strong. Use tequila for watermelon margaritas, vodka for a watermelon mojito, gin for watermelon fizz, or rum for watermelon rum punch. Or add Rosè for a delicious Watermelon Frosè (Frozen Rosè)!

How do you make a watermelon mocktail?

If you’d like to avoid alcohol, simply omit the tequila in this recipe. I also recommend adding some orange juice to these watermelon drinks.

Can this recipe be used for frozen margaritas?

If you want to make these frozen, pour the watermelon juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Then add everything into a blender to make frozen margaritas!

How do I turn this margarita recipe into spicy watermelon margaritas?

Add some fresh watermelon (with seeds) to the margarita mix. To infuse the spiciness, let the jalapeños marinate in this refreshing cocktail for several hours in the refrigerator.

Other Summertime Drinks:

A backlit shot of two glasses of margaritas with watermelon.

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

You’ll also want to have some Blue Agave Nectar handy too.

xoxo ~Sue