Prickly Pear Margarita

This bright fuchsia pink cocktail is hard to resist. Refreshingly sweet with just a little pucker, Frozen Prickly Pear Margarita is slushy goodness anytime. Prickly pear tastes a little like a melon, a little like a kiwi, and a lot like the best thing you ever sipped.

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This frozen prickly pear margarita is just as refreshing as it looks.

Sweet prickly pear syrup tastes like a combination of raspberry, watermelon, and kiwi if you can imagine that. Add the tequila and you've got a summer cocktail that is worth the calories for sure!

Table of Contents

🗝️ Key takeaways
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Variations
🍴 Equipment
Marye's Tip
💭 Things to know
👩‍🍳 FAQs
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
📖 Recipe
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
💬 Comments

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways

This prickly pear margarita is not only stunning to look at with its vibrant pink hue, but it's also bursting with a unique blend of sweet and tangy flavors. It's a showstopper at any celebration.
I love the refreshing flavor for summer parties, backyard barbecues, or any time I'm ready to transport myself to a tropical paradise. This cocktail is ideal for sipping by the pool (even if it's a 4-inch deep kiddie pool) or serving at a festive Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Read the tips to find out how I get the salt and sugar to perfectly stick to the rim of the glass.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

Frozen margarita: Blend all ingredients with ice for a slushy version.
On the rocks: Leave out the ice, mix in a shaker, and strain over ice cubes in an on-the-rocks glass.
Spicy kick: Add a slice of jalapeño to the shaker for a spicy twist.
Mocktail version: Replace the tequila and triple sec with lemon-lime soda for a refreshing non-alcoholic version.

🤫 Cook's secrets -

Use a mix of coarse sugar and sea salt to rim your glasses. This sweet and salty combination enhances the flavors of the margarita and adds an extra layer of deliciousness.

🍴 Equipment

blender (for frozen prickly pear margarita)
cocktail shaker (for on the rocks)
strainer
margarita glasses or on the rocks glasses

Marye's Tip

Add a splash of club soda to your margarita for a fizzy twist. It lightens up the drink and adds a refreshing effervescence that's perfect for hot summer days

💭 Things to know

You can get prickly pear syrup on Amazon if you can't find it anywhere locally. Make sure you're getting pure prickly pear syrup made with prickly pear puree and cane sugar.
Any kind of orange liqueur is fine. Triple Sec, Contrineau, etc.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

What's the best tequila for margaritas?

A blanco or silver tequila is best for this margarita. The clear color keeps the prickly pear margarita bright pink. Other types of tequila can turn it a weird color.

How can I make the salt/sugar mixture stick to the rim of the glass?

I use my finger to add a thin layer of white corn syrup around the rim of the glass before rolling it in the salt and/or sugar mixture. It makes it stick really well!

📞 The last word

So. Frozen margaritas.

Margaritas, especially frozen margaritas, are a summer drink. They are as appropriate by the pool as they are at a summer cocktail party.

I don't really care for the plain lime ones, especially if they are made with the margarita mix (gag) but I love the fruity ones. My favorites are the frozen, slushy, prickly pear margaritas.

I just hate the brain freeze that goes along with them!

Prickly pear, if you aren't familiar with it, is a fruit that grows on a prickly pear cactus. It's bright purplish- pink when ripe and is sort of sweet with a tang.

Such a vivid pink color and sweet-tangy flavor! It's perfect for Cinco de Mayo!

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

✍🏻 A note from Marye...

I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.

So y'all, I am at the beach on vacation - or as much of a vacation as I take. Everyone is sleeping late so I slip out to the beach around 6 AM to have quiet time and enjoy the morning.

I've always been one of those nasty morning people -- and more so when I am at the beach. This morning as I was walking along I noticed a bright, pink blob on the shoreline.

As I got closer I saw that it was a Portuguese Man-o-war! I'd never seen one before, other than in pictures. They're so pretty but those tentacles are still dangerous when they are dead -- they've got a nasty sting.

If you've never seen on they look like a bright fuchsia Chinese dumpling made from Jello. I also saw some blue ones that were a gorgeous cobalt color.

This pink manowar is what got me thinking about the prickly pear margarita... go figure.

Seriously though. Doesn't it look like a giant pink dumpling made from jello? That picture is edited but the color is the same. It was amazing.

Oddly enough the pink of the Man-o-war made me think of prickly pear margaritas.

Welcome to my world. A place where all of my thoughts are jumbled in a giant glass bowl and you never know which ones will connect at any particular moment.

First published July 21, 2015. Last updated June 14, 2024 for editorial improvements and more helpful information.