Strawberry Jalapeño Margarita Recipe

A strawberry jalapeno margarita on the rocks, made with fresh strawberries, jalapenos, fresh citrus juice, tequila, and triple sec.

As a self-proclaimed margarita lover, I could drink them any day of the week, all summer long. Strawberry margaritas can be tricky because they’re typically made with a super sweet strawberry “syrup” at most restaurants, so replicating them with natural ingredients at home doesn’t quite warrant the same results. However, these homemade strawberry jalapeno margaritas are deliciously natural, and the heat can be adjusted to fit your preference.

This recipe makes two spicy strawberry margaritas, and after you let the strawberries macerate in sugar for twenty minutes, they come together in no time! I use 1/2 cup of macerated strawberries per two margaritas, so I always start with one cup of strawberries in anticipation of the two of us each having two margaritas. 🙂 If you need more than two strawberry jalapeño margaritas, just double or triple the recipe!

To draw out as much strawberry flavor as possible, the strawberries macerate in sugar for twenty minutes before being muddled for this cocktail recipe. Don’t be deterred by taking a little extra time to macerate the strawberries; I’ve tested many versions of spicy strawberry margaritas, and this is the best version without making a special simple syrup or using a blender. I promise.

Ingredient Notes

Fresh Strawberries: As with any fresh ingredient, the higher the quality it is, the better your cocktails will taste. I recommend finding the freshest, ripest, most beautiful strawberries you can find for these margaritas if possible. The question is always, “can I use frozen?”. You can, yes. Toss them with the sugar and they will thaw in time to be muddled with the jalapenos.

Jalapeno Slices: Jalapenos can be tricky because the heat level varies from pepper to pepper. Generally speaking, this is a milder cocktail when used with a typical jalapeno. But we’ve all had those random super spicy jalapenos before, so just approach with caution if you’re super sensitive to spicy foods! If your gut tells you to use more than four slices of jalapeno, do it. This recipe is totally open to personal customization and adjusting the ingredient amounts to fit your taste! Feel free to use serrano peppers in place of jalapeno peppers if you’re really craving some heat.

Tequila: Silver (blanco) or reposado tequila will work for this recipe. I’ve been loving margaritas with reposado tequila lately because they have just a *little* bit more flavor. Reposado tequila starts as silver tequila, but it is aged in barrels for a short period of time to take on some of the color and flavor from the barrel. Just use your favorite tequila, and you’ll be set!

Lime Juice / Orange Juice: Personally, fresh citrus is a non-negotiable ingredient for my homemade cocktails. Quality orange juice, like a small bottle of fresh squeezed orange juice or the Simply Orange Juice brand is an acceptable substitute, but I do not have a suggestion for a fresh lime substitute. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh citrus, and it’s one ingredient I don’t compromise on. (And neither should you.)

Triple Sec: A standard margarita ingredient, triple sec is just an orange liqueur. Cointreau is a widely popular and recognizable triple sec, but I honestly just grab a bottle from the bottom shelf. If you’re feeling fancy or trying to impress someone, definitely splurge for the higher quality (and more expensive) stuff. If you’re just in the mood for a great margarita and you don’t want to spend a bunch of money, go for the bottom shelf stuff. Triple sec I will compromise on, fresh citrus I won’t. 😉 *priorities*.

Margarita Rim:

Yes, salt is a great ingredient to coat the rim of your glass. But for a sweeter margarita like this strawberry jalapeno margarita, I recommend blending sugar with the salt to bring out all of the flavors!

For the Salty / Sweet Margarita Rim: Just combine one teaspoon of both salt and sugar onto a small plate, mix it together well (I always use a fork to stir it around), and that’s it!

For My Favorite Margarita Rim: Combine one teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tsp. chili powder, and 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper on a small plate. Stir to combine. (It’s sweet, salty, smoky, and has a kick of spice from the pepper!)

How to Make a Spicy Strawberry Margarita

Step 1: Place the sliced strawberries in a small mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar. Use a spoon to toss the strawberries around, coating them all with sugar. Set aside for at least 20 minutes (ideally 30 minutes, and up to two hours). (See recipe notes below the next photo as to why we do this.)

Step 2: Add the macerated strawberries and any strawberry juice from the mixing bowl into a cocktail shaker, along with the jalapeno slices. Muddle the strawberries and jalapeños together until almost entirely broken down.

Step 3: Pour the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and triple sec into the cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway full of ice, secure the lid and shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold.

Step 4: If adding a rim to the glasses, mix the rim ingredients together on a small plate. Run a wedge of lime over the rims of two short glasses, and dip the rims into the rim mixture. Fill the cocktail glasses halfway with ice. Double strain (through the built-in strainer in the cocktail shaker [if there is one], and through a fine mesh sieve) into the glasses.

Step 5: Garnish with a slice of fresh strawberry and/or a slice of fresh jalapeno. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Why do the strawberries sit in sugar? This process is called maceration, where the sugar extracts the juice from the strawberries as they sit. Not only does this help add strawberry juice to the margaritas, but the sugar helps sweeten the strawberries and make their taste stronger as they sit. Ideally, fruit should macerate in sugar for at least 30 minutes. I just feel like that’s a lot to ask when you’re ready to have a cocktail, so give it at least 20 minutes if you don’t want to wait. But if you have 30 minutes, make it happen.

More Margarita Recipes

• Fresh Strawberry Margarita on the Rocks
• Fresh Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita
• Skinny Margarita Recipe
• Blueberry Cilantro Margaritas
• Skinny Blackberry Margaritas

These are such a perfect summer cocktail to enjoy while you’re sitting on the patio on a hot evening! I think a spicy margarita is the ideal summer cocktail, personally. If you saw this list above and you’re a fan of spicy margaritas, you have to try the Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita. It’s honestly the most popular margarita recipe on my blog, and we love it!

If you make this spicy strawberry margarita and you love it, a comment and recipe rating below would be amazing! If you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out to me so I can help. Oh! And if you share it on Instagram, be sure to tag me so I can see your beautiful margaritas!

Cheers! xx Sara