This Skinny Spicy Margarita Recipe is what dreams are made of! It’s bold, perfect for warm weather, fruity, and delicious – all with fewer calories than your typical margarita. Serve it with a Mexican-inspired meal, and enjoy!
This skinny spicy margarita recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for a fun night in. With bold flavors created by ingredients like jalapeño slices and chili powder, these yummy margaritas are utterly delicious and addictive! Bonus – You can easily adjust the heat in each margarita to your and your guests’ taste preferences!
Here are a few other fun alcoholic beverages you can whip up for loved ones: Rum Moscow Mule, Blackberry Jalapeño Margarita, or a Mexican Mule.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Spicy – The jalapeño, chili powder, and cayenne pepper help create a deliciously spicy taste in this skinny spicy margarita recipe.
- Bold – The same ingredients that help create the heat in this drink also offer a yummy bold flavor.
- Healthier- By using fresh orange juice instead of orange liqueur, you can cut down on the calories of this yummy margarita.
- Versatile – This is the best skinny spicy margarita recipe, as you can easily adjust the flavors to your preferences.
- Great for get-togethers – You can easily turn this tasty drink into a skinny spicy margarita pitcher recipe by tripling the recipe, making it a great choice for gatherings with friends.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Honey: Simple or agave syrup will also work well for this skinny margarita recipe.
- Jalapeño: Adjust the flavor of this skinny spicy margarita by using more or less jalapeño to taste. You can alter the heat further by removing the seeds and white membrane (where some of the heat is found).
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Skinny Spicy Margaritas
Quick Overview
- Mix salt ingredients.
- Dip the rim in salt.
- Shake margarita ingredients.
- Serve.
Step by Step Instructions
Don’t skip using the lime wedge on the rim. Otherwise, the salt won’t stick.
Step 1: Mix all of the salt ingredients together on a small plate.
Step 2: Run a lime wedge around the rim of the cup to wet it (this allows the salt to stick).
Step 3: Dip each glass into the salt and move the glass around gently until there is a ring of salt around the glass.
Step 4: Fill the glass with ice.
Shake the margarita mixture for 30+ seconds to ensure the flavors are well combined.
Step 5: Fill a small pitcher, jar, or cocktail shaker with some ice. Pour in the tequila, lime juice, honey, and jalapeño sliced. Shake for at least 30 seconds.
Step 6: Pour into the salted glasses and enjoy. Garnish with more lime wedges and jalapeños if desired.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Garnish this skinny spicy margarita recipe with lime wedges, a tajin rim, fresh basil, or a dried orange slice. Learn How to Dry Orange Slices in the Oven.
I love serving this skinny spicy margarita recipe with tajin with Mexican-inspired dishes for a fun mealtime. Here are a few ideas:
Expert Tips
- Use fresh limes. Fresh limes/fresh lime juice is best for this spicy skinny margarita recipe, as they taste fresher than bottled juice. Their peels/slices also work great as garnishes for the margaritas. You can use bottled lime juice in a pinch. However, the flavor will be slightly different and not as fresh tasting.
- Shake the drink. Shaking the margaritas with jalapeño slices helps release their fiery heat and flavor. This step also ensures the ingredients are properly mixed in each serving of a skinny jalapeno margarita.
- Blend with ice. If you prefer a frozen margarita, toss this skinny spicy margarita recipe into a blender with ice (leave out the jalapeño slices). Pour the blended margaritas into a glass and add the garnishes.
Additions & Variations
- Add fresh fruit: Adjust the flavor of this skinny spicy margarita recipe to your taste preferences by including fresh fruit. Muddle mango, berries, or any fruit of your choosing in the glass before adding the other ingredients.
- Make a pitcher: Create a batch of the best spicy margarita recipe for a larger group by scaling the recipe by 3-4 times. Leave out the ice until you’re ready to serve the drinks to avoid watery margaritas.
Recipe FAQs
Depending on the ingredients you use in a skinny margarita, the calories may vary from 114 – 167 per serving. A regular margarita has anywhere from 180 – 274 calories per serving.
Tajin is a Mexican seasoning made with lime zest, sea salt, and red chili powder. It has multiple uses in the kitchen, but it’s often used to flavor fruit and vegetables. It’s also a great way to create a spicy, zesty flavor in margaritas (like in this skinny spicy margarita recipe).
What is a skinny spicy margarita made of?
Each skinny spicy margarita is slightly different, depending on the recipe. However, you can generally expect recipes for this drink to include tequila, orange/lime juice, and jalapeño slices.
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Easy Skinny Spicy Margarita
Equipment
Ingredients
Margarita
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) silver tequila
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 Tablespoon honey*
- 1/2 jalapeño, sliced thinly*
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, optional
Spicy Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Morton kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- zest of 1 lime
Instructions
- Mix all of the salt ingredients together on a small plate.2 Tablespoons Morton kosher salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, zest of 1 lime
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of the cup to wet it (this allows the salt to stick).
- Dip each glass into the salt and move the glass around gently until there is a ring of salt around the glass.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Fill a small pitcher, jar, or cocktail shaker with some ice. Pour in the tequila, lime juice, honey, and jalapeño sliced. Shake for at least 30 seconds.4 ounces (1/2 cup) silver tequila, 2 limes, juiced, 1 Tablespoon honey*, 1/2 jalapeño, sliced thinly*, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, optional
- Pour into the salted glasses and enjoy. Garnish with more lime wedges and jalapeños if desired.
Notes
- Honey: Simple or agave syrup will also work well for this skinny margarita recipe.
- Jalapeño: Adjust the flavor of this skinny spicy margarita by using more or less jalapeño to taste. You can alter the heat further by removing the seeds and white membrane (where some of the heat is found).
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Use fresh limes. Fresh limes/fresh lime juice is best for this spicy skinny margarita recipe, as they taste fresher than bottled juice. Their peels/slices also work great as garnishes for the margaritas. You can use bottled lime juice in a pinch. However, the flavor will be slightly different and not as fresh tasting.
- Shake the drink. Shaking the margaritas with jalapeño slices helps release their fiery heat and flavor. This step also ensures the ingredients are properly mixed in each serving of a skinny jalapeno margarita.
- Blend with ice. If you prefer a frozen margarita, toss this skinny spicy margarita recipe into a blender with ice (leave out the jalapeño slices). Pour the blended margaritas into a glass and add the garnishes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think this burned the lining of my esophagus! Is this really supposed to be straight lime juice?! (AND ORANGE)? Is something missing in this recipe?
A margarita is typically one part lime, one part tequila, and one part orange (liquor or juice). Skinny margs are not too sweet!
Is the tajin in place of the spice mixture in the recipe ?
You could use Tajin instead.
Is it fresh squeeze orange juice? And is the seasoning the same as tajin?
Yes! It is similar.
So yummy! Only suggestions I have are it’s not really skinny if you’re comparing it to agave syrup as they have the same amount of calories. Also I feel that it’s way too much cayenne pepper for the rim. I would do a sprinkle with the amount of salt/sugar ratio.
Hi Grace! Thank you for your feedback. I will make a note on the recipe about the cayenne. This margarita is considered skinny because it contains less calories than a traditional frozen margarita. Hope this helps! 🙂