Frozen Mango Margaritas w/ Mango Nectar

Summer has arrived!

Get excited because we’ve just reached peak summertime freshness! These fun and fruity Frozen Mango Margaritas are great for sipping poolside, to make on Taco Tuesday, or to prepare ahead of time and serve as a fun surprise for friends. 

Frozen margaritas are made with frozen fruit, juice, tequila, and a few extra add-ins to bring balance to each sip. The texture ends up being creamy and sweet, yet boozy with a subtle hint of lime. It’s everything you could want in a refreshing and cooling summer cocktail, just like my Frozen Gin and Tonics.

Ingredients you’ll need

Fruity and fun, this mango margarita blended with liquor, juice, and a few extra flavor boosters turn this frozen slushy into a refreshing and boozy treat. All you need are a handful of ingredients:

Frozen mango chunks

You can’t go wrong with frozen fruit. It’s a mess-free and convenient alternative to fresh fruit that will make your drink super cold and slushy. Frozen mangos are generally picked when they are super ripe so there’s no need to worry about waiting for the fruit to ripen in order to enjoy a cocktail or two.

If you prefer to use fresh mango, it can be prepared by peeling the skin, cutting it into chunks (and removing the pit), and freezing it for at least 4 hours prior to making a frozen margarita.

Mango nectar or juice

Mango nectar is made from mango pulp, water, and sugar. You can make it yourself at home for super fresh flavors, buy some at Latin stores, or use bottled mango juice instead. Both nectar and juice will work well!

Tequila

The best kind of tequila to use in citrusy drinks like frozen margaritas and Palomas is Blanco (silver) tequila. This unaged and strong tequila will compliment your other ingredients instead of overpowering the drink as a whole. 

No need to worry about your budget when shopping. I recommend choosing a mid-priced brand as the complexity of the flavors will be lost among the other ingredients once they’re all blended together.

Did you pick up gold tequila by mistake? No problem! While blanco tequila will create a nice symmetry between all of the flavors, any type of tequila in this margarita will still get the job done.

Orange liqueur

Orange liqueur, Cointreau, or Triple Sec is a must-have for a great margarita. It adds to the overall fruitiness of the drink while giving each sip a bit of sweetness and bitterness.

Simple syrup and lime juice 

Both will help balance out the flavors. Feel free to add more of either to suit your taste! You can easily blend the recipe as called for and add more lime or simple syrup until the drink is to your liking. 

How to make a frozen mango margarita

Nothing says summer like this blended mango margarita recipe. It’s so easy to put together using a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix. Here’s how it’s done:

Tips to make the best frozen margarita ever!

There are a few important tips you should know before making this fruity margarita for all of your friends:

Customize it!

Not a mango person? No problem! This recipe is versatile enough to add or swap fruits and juices anyway you like. Replace the mango with frozen peaches, watermelon, strawberries, or pineapple. All of these would be delicious!

Simple syrup is so easy to make at home but just in case you run out of sugar, you can replace it with honey or agave syrup instead.

Easily turn this into a non-alcoholic margarita by removing the tequila and replacing the triple sec with orange juice. It’s a fruity and flavorful mocktail you can serve at family cookouts!

Chill out

It’s really important that all of your ingredients (even the tequila) are kept in the fridge until it’s time to blend. Plan ahead and buy your ingredients at least 1 day ahead of time or get it done early and follow my instructions below on preparing them in advance.

Making it ahead of time

To make a margarita in advance, pre-measure the ice and mango chunks and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag and store them in the freezer.

You can also pre-measure the mango juice, tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and lime juice and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

When it’s time to serve, blend the two together and you’re ready for a party!

How to thicken a frozen mango margarita

To make your margarita more smoothie-like, replace some of the ice with more mango chunks. If you’re looking to turn it into a mango slushy, add more ice.

Recipe