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May 4, 2017

Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas

The best fresh watermelon margarita recipe naturally sweetened with watermelon juice and a touch of agave. These sweet and spicy jalapeño watermelon margaritas are easy to make for the ultimate summer cocktail! Options to make a small batch or a pitcher to share.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
5 mins

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Skinny Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas in two glasses with lime and jalapeño slices

I hope you’re ready for the best watermelon margarita recipe of your life. It was inspired by my trip to Cabo about 5 years ago, and wow I’ve loved reminiscing on that trip:

I’ve been laying on the beach in Cabo reading books I’ve collected from Amazon over the past few months. It’s a terrible habit — you know, buying books, reading a few chapters then getting caught up in all my to-do lists.

But here’s something I recently learned about myself: I must take the time to read and listen to other human beings life perspectives on a consistent basis. I know this seems silly and maybe a little obvious, but the insight another person’s life experiences bring me keeps me grounded and thoughtful in my day to day adventures. It keeps me in tune to my emotions, to others and the ability to see outside of my everyday box of life.

So, finishing all those books is now at the top of my to-do list.

The other day I was reading a book that said those who succeed don’t really set out to succeed. They fail, they do things wrong, they never begin the right way — most important though, is that they try again and again. They learn from their experiences and mistakes and that my friends, allows them to grow both personally and professionally. It is the non-conformists who succeed.

Lately I feel like everywhere I turn, there’s an app or an article telling me how to be more productive or how to accomplish everything in the world as quickly as possible. Sometimes I wonder if what we need more of is SLOWING DOWN and appreciating the time we have.

Recently I read this article about wasting time and it struck a chord with me. It says that being unproductive and wasting time re-charging your battery, is in fact, time well spent. Read the article. Embrace it. And then drink a sweet and spicy watermelon margarita and say F your crazy to-do list for a little while.

I’ve been relaxing all week with margaritas and it’s been incredibly wonderful. Toes painted, book in my hand, tennis, plenty of chips and guac, and quality time away from the world wide web. Life is simply what it should be in this very moment.

fresh watermelon margarita in two glasses with lime wedges

Watermelon margarita ingredients

The best part about this sweet & spicy watermelon margarita recipe is that you’ll just need a handful of fresh ingredients. They can, of course, be made without jalapeños, but what’s the fun in that? A little spice in life will do you good. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Silver tequila: I prefer using a silver tequila for the flavor in this easy watermelon margarita recipe.
  • Fresh lime juice: add a little tart flavor to balance the sweetness of the watermelon.
  • Watermelon: yes, you’ll use fresh watermelon to make this gorgeous cocktail!
  • Agave nectar: a little bit of agave helps to sweeten them up a bit, but feel free to omit if you find your watermelon sweet enough. No triple sec or simple syrup needed!
  • Jalapeño: I love to add a kick of spice from a few jalapeño slices, but you can adjust and/or omit if you’d like.
  • Coarse salt & ice: salt those rims, baby! And shake with plenty of ice.

How to make fresh watermelon juice

You’ll simply blend ½-1 cup seedless watermelon cubes in a blender, then pour over a fine mesh strainer into a glass. Measure out what you need for the margaritas.

easy watermelon margaritas being poured into a glass

Spicy watermelon margaritas in 2 simple steps

  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add the tequila, lime juice, watermelon juice, jalapeño slices, and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake for 15-30 seconds.
  2. Strain the liquid into a glass and garnish with fresh lime wedges. You can also add a few jalapeño slices to the bottom of the glass, but only if you like it extra spicy! Taste and add extra sweetener if necessary.

Don’t forget to salt the rim!

Before you pour your margarita into a glass — salt it! Simply add salt to a small plate. Use a lime wedge to wet the rim of the glass; dip the top of the glass in the salt, rolling from side to side until well coated.

spicy watermelon margarita being poured into a glass

Can I make it frozen?

YES! To make a frozen watermelon margarita:

  1. Freeze the 1/2-1 cup of watermelon cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 4-6 hours or overnight.
  2. Once frozen, add the watermelon cubes with the rest of your watermelon margarita ingredients (except the jalapeño slices) to a high powered blender and blend until smooth and thick. If the margarita mixture is looking thin, blend in some ice cubes.
  3. Pour the mixture into glasses, garnish with jalapeño slices and enjoy!

Make a pitcher of watermelon margaritas

For 8 drinks you will need: 2 cups silver tequila, 1 cup lime juice, 2 cups watermelon juice 1-2 jalapeños (sliced), 2 ½-3 tablespoons agave nectar. Pour into a large pitcher, add ice and stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined.

top-down view of a jalapeño watermelon margarita

Our favorite cocktail making tools

  1. Shake it up with a cocktail shaker
  2. A simple strainer in case your shaker doesn’t have one
  3. I love using this hand juicer for all things juicing
  4. Cute cocktail glasses like these or these
  5. A pitcher for serving a party

Get all of our go-to kitchen essentials here!

More cocktail recipes

Get all of our cocktail recipes here!

So drink up, enjoy life, relax and drink a marg this weekend. Cheers friends! xo

I hope you love this easy watermelon margarita recipe! If you make this recipe, leave a comment & rating below or tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram!

Jalapeño Watermelon Margaritas

5 from 9 votes
Leave A Review Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Serves1 margarita
The best watermelon margarita recipe naturally sweetened with watermelon juice and a touch of agave. These sweet and spicy jalapeño watermelon margaritas are easy to make for the ultimate summer cocktail! Options to make a small batch or a pitcher to share.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup silver tequila
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 small lime)
  • ¼ cup fresh watermelon juice*
  • 2-4 jalapeño slices, depending on how spicy you like it.
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • Ice, for shaking
  • Coarsely ground sea salt

Instructions

  • Add salt to a small plate. Use a lime wedge to wet the rim of the glass; dip the top of the glass in the salt, rolling from side to side until well coated.
  • Next fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the tequila, lime juice, watermelon juice, jalapeno slices, and agave nectar. Put on the lid and shake for 15-30 seconds; strain the liquid into a glass and garnish with a fresh watermelon wedge. (You can also add a few jalapeno slices to the bottom of the glass, but only if you like it extra spicy!) Taste and add extra sweetener if necessary.

Recipe Notes

You can double, triple or quadruple this recipe.
To make fresh watermelon juice: Simply blend ½-1 cup seedless watermelon cubes, then pour over a fine mesh strainer into a glass. Measure out what you need for the margaritas.
To make a pitcher: For 8 drinks you will need: 2 cups silver tequila, 1 cup lime juice, 2 cups watermelon juice 1-2 jalapenos (sliced), 2 ½-3 tablespoons agave nectar. Pour into a large pitcher, add ice and stir well with a wooden spoon until well combined. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1margaritaCalories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 9.5gSugar: 9.6g

Photography: Sarah Fennel

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pouring a skinny watermelon margarita into a glass

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