Frozen Strawberry Margarita
A frozen strawberry margarita with tequila, orange liqueur, lime and frozen strawberries — batch amounts for every Margaritaville machine.
Jump to recipe ↓The most-ordered fruit margarita in America, and one of the easiest to get right in a frozen concoction maker. Frozen strawberries double as part of the ice, so the drink stays thick and bright red.
This is a full margarita — tequila, orange liqueur and lime — with strawberries added, rather than a strawberry daiquiri with tequila swapped in.
Strawberry Margarita recipe
Ingredients (3 drinks)
- 4½ oz blanco tequila
- 2 oz orange liqueur (triple sec or Cointreau)
- 3 oz fresh lime juice (paid link)
- 2½ oz simple syrup (paid link)
- 1½ cups frozen strawberries
Plus: a full ice reservoir. Garnish: Sugar rim, fresh strawberry, lime wheel. Glass: Margarita glass.
Instructions
- Rim glasses with sugar or salt and a lime wedge.
- Fill the ice reservoir.
- Add tequila, orange liqueur, lime, syrup and strawberries to the jar.
- Run the cycle (Daiquiris program on Fiji/Tahiti/Bali), then Blend Only a few seconds if any berry chunks remain.
- Garnish with a strawberry and lime wheel.
How much to make in your machine
Every Margaritaville frozen concoction maker is designed around a particular volume of liquid — the shaver portions ice for it. The table scales this recipe to the margarita liquid volume printed in each model’s manual (Key West DM1000 / DM1946 3 × 12 oz drinks: 9.75 fl oz; Bahamas DM0500 / Fiji DM2000 3 × 12 oz drinks: 13 fl oz; Tahiti DM3000 per 24 oz jar: 8.67 fl oz; Bali DM3500 half chamber: 11 fl oz; Bali DM3500 full chamber: 22 fl oz). Amounts are rounded to the nearest ¼ or ⅓ oz.
| Ingredient | Key West DM1000 / DM19463 × 12 oz drinks | Bahamas DM0500 / Fiji DM20003 × 12 oz drinks | Tahiti DM3000per 24 oz jar | Bali DM3500half chamber | Bali DM3500full chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| blanco tequila | 3⅔ oz | 5 oz | 3¼ oz | 4 oz | 8¼ oz |
| orange liqueur (triple sec or Cointreau) | 1⅔ oz | 2¼ oz | 1½ oz | 1¾ oz | 3⅔ oz |
| fresh lime juice | 2½ oz | 3¼ oz | 2¼ oz | 2¾ oz | 5½ oz |
| simple syrup | 2 oz | 2⅔ oz | 1¾ oz | 2⅓ oz | 4½ oz |
| frozen strawberries | 1¼ cups | 1⅔ cups | 1 cups | 1⅓ cups | 2¾ cups |
Scaling is our calculation, not a manufacturer recipe. Fruit- and ice-cream-heavy drinks vary more; adjust with the Shave Only / Blend Only controls. The Key West DM1900 isn’t listed because we haven’t verified its manual yet.
Machine notes for this drink
- This recipe includes fruit. On the Fiji, Tahiti and Bali, choose the Daiquiris (or Smoothies) program so the cycle blends longer; on the Bahamas and Key West, hold Blend Only for a few extra seconds after the automatic cycle if you see chunks. Fruit adds volume, so keep an eye on the jar’s maximum line.
- This batch uses about 12 fl oz of liquid for 3 drinks. If your drink comes out watery, the manuals’ first fix is to follow the recipe volumes or manually shave more ice; if it’s too stiff, add liquid and Blend Only.
Why this recipe works
Lime and orange liqueur keep the margarita backbone; the berries add body and sweetness, so the syrup is a little lower than in a plain lime margarita.
About frozen margaritas
A frozen margarita lives or dies on the balance of spirit, sour and sweet. Keep tequila to roughly a third of the liquid; much more and the shaved ice won’t set. Citrus should be fresh or a good bottled juice, and the sweet element — mix, syrup, agave or liqueur — needs to be slightly more generous than in a shaken margarita because cold dulls sweetness.
Tips for the best texture
- Frozen berries make a thicker drink than fresh; with fresh berries, shave a little extra ice.
- Taste the berries — out-of-season fruit may need ½ oz more syrup.
- A sugar rim suits fruit margaritas better than coarse salt; try half and half.
- Strain out seeds by pouring through a coarse sieve if guests mind them.
- Never put anything but ice in the ice reservoir, and don’t fill the jar past its maximum line — both are warnings in every manual.
- Too thin? Hold the toggle in Shave Only for a few seconds, then Blend Only to mix it in. Too thick? Add an ounce of liquid and Blend Only.
Serving & make-ahead
Garnish with sugar rim, fresh strawberry, lime wheel and serve in a margarita glass. Serve margaritas in chilled glasses with the rim prepared before you blend — salt for classic and citrus styles, sugar or tajín for fruit and spicy ones. For parties, pre-mix the liquid ingredients in a pitcher (everything except carbonated mixers) and keep it in the fridge; each batch then takes a ten-second pour and one button press. Set out lime wedges so guests can adjust tartness themselves.
Variations
- Strawberry-basil: Add 4–5 basil leaves to the jar.
- Strawberry-jalapeño: Add 2 thin jalapeño slices per drink.
- Strawberry-mango: Use half strawberries, half frozen mango.
Mocktail swap
Replace tequila and orange liqueur with 4 oz limeade and 2 oz orange juice.
Shop the ingredients
- Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice (paid link)
- Monin Pure Cane Syrup (simple syrup), 750 ml (paid link)
- Libbey Cancun Margarita Set — 6 margarita glasses + 89 oz pitcher (paid link)
- Stirrings Margarita Drink Rimmer (salt & sugar), 3.5 oz tins (paid link)
We link to mixers, syrups and juices only — alcohol isn’t sold through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Frequently asked questions
Fresh or frozen strawberries?
Frozen give a thicker texture and stronger color; fresh work if you shave a bit more ice.
Can I use strawberry margarita mix?
Yes — replace the lime and syrup with about 5 oz of mix, but taste for sweetness.
How strong is it?
About 1½ oz tequila per drink, like a standard margarita.
How much ice should I put in the machine?
Fill the ice reservoir with ice cubes — the machine shaves the amount it needs for the cycle (dial models size it to the 1, 2 or 3-drink setting). The manuals recommend ice that has been out of the freezer for 10–15 minutes.
Will this work in a regular blender?
Yes — add about 1½–2 cups of ice per 12 oz drink and blend until smooth. The texture will be coarser than shaved ice.
Please drink responsibly. Alcoholic recipes are for adults of legal drinking age (21+ in the US). Never drink and drive.
