Best Margarita Salt Recipe (2024)

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This margarita salt recipe makes the best margarita salt rim! This zesty garnish takes any co*cktail from meh to a masterpiece. Here’s how to make it.

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (1)

Looking to amp up your margaritas? This margarita salt is the best way to transform your glass from meh to marvelous. And it’s seriously simple too! Alex and I made this margarita salt as part of our Frozen Margaritas, but we realized that it would be just about perfect for any you decide to make. From now on, we’ll be adding it to our Classic Margarita and Lemon Margarita (and maybe even our Paloma, too). Keep reading for all there is to know about margarita salt!

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (2)

What is margarita salt?

Margarita salt is the salt added to the rim of a margarita glass. Why is a margarita served with salt? Well, salt intensifies the sweet and sour flavors in the drink. It makes the sour seem brighter, making the overall drink experience that much more pleasurable.

There are lots of store-bought brands of margarita salt out there. But why buy your own when you can make it at home? It’s seriously easy to make, and you don’t end up with random half-used containers lying around.

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (3)

How to make margarita salt

This recipe could not be simpler (literally). Here’s how to make margarita salt:

  1. Place kosher salt, lime zest and orange zest on a cutting board. (Scroll down to the recipe for the exact quantities).
  2. Crush them together using a rolling pin.

That’s it! Now, some recipes will call for drying out the citrus zest in the oven or doing other fancy things. In our testing, we found it’s not necessary: it really is this simple. Store your margarita salt in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 month. (It will probably last longer than that; we’re being conservative here.)

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (4)

How to make the perfect margarita salt rim

You might think that making a margarita salt rim wouldn’t have tips and tricks: but like anything in food and drink, it does! Here are our tips to making the perfect rim:

  1. Spread the salt on a plate in an even layer.
  2. Take a lime wedge and cut a notch in the middle: then slide it around the rim of the glass. This perfectly moistens the glass rim without having to use your fingers!
  3. To rim the glass, you’ll want the salt on the outside of the glass only, not the inside where it can fall into the drink. To do this, tilt the glass so that only the outside edge goes into the salt.
  4. Shake off any loose salt into the sink.

What kind of salt for a margarita is best?

The best type of salt to use for a margarita we’ve found is kosher salt. We like the size of the grains and the flavor that it brings. If you’d like to use sea salt for this recipe, you can do this as well. However, do not even think about using iodized table salt! The flavor of this type of salt is much too intense for rimming your drinks.

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Best Margarita Salt Recipe (5)

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

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Best Margarita Salt Recipe (6)

Best Margarita Salt Recipe

★★★★★5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Sonja
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: ¼ cup 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This margarita salt recipe makes the best margarita salt rim! This zesty garnish takes any co*cktail from meh to a masterpiece. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Zest of 1/2 orange

Instructions

  1. Zest the lime. Zest the orange.
  2. Place all ingredients on a cutting board and crush them together using a rolling pin. Break any large pieces of zest with your fingers.
  3. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Raw
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Margarita Salt, Margarita salt rim, What is margarita salt, What kind of salt for margarita

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And a few more popular drink recipes over here, sans alcohol:

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  • Lavender Lemon Spritzer
  • Sparkling Blood Orange Rosemary Water
  • Best Pourover Coffee
  • Cold Brew Coffee
  • How to Make Kombucha
  • Fruit Infused Water Recipe
  • Lemon Water Recipe
  • Easy Mint Water Recipe
  • Cucumber Lemon Water Recipe
  • Lime Water Recipe with Mint

vegan vegetarian gluten free

Published on / Last updated on

Categorized In:

  • co*cktails
  • Drink Recipes
  • Recipes

Tagged with:

  • co*cktail
  • Dairy-Free
  • Drinks
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Margarita
  • Plant-Based
  • Recipe
  • Salt
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Vegetarian Recipes

About the authors

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (7)

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes for memorable kitchen moments! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

About Us

Best Margarita Salt Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best salt for margaritas? ›

What Is The Best Salt For Margarita Rim? The best salt to use is kosher salt, which is more coarse and won't dissolve quickly as table salt will. However, several variations from spicy salt to flavored salt are available today, giving the kosher standard a run for its money.

What kind of salt do bartenders use? ›

Flaky sea salt, such as neutral Maldon or Himalayan pink salt, is the bartender go-to for rimming glasses. Slightly large, coarse grains may work best for glass rims, marshall notes, as they tend to have less moisture and therefore stay crystallized longer.

How to get salt to stick to rim without lime? ›

You can also use Lemon juice. Orange juice does not work as well, it's too thick. Glassware – Salt rimming will work on any glass, just remember the golden rule, never touch the top half of the glass with your hands as you work.

Is there anything special about margarita salt? ›

First, it acts as a flavor enhancer, creating a perfect balance between the tartness of the lime and the robustness of the tequila. Second, the saltiness can help to cut through the sweetness of any fruit-flavored margaritas, providing a savory contrast that elevates the overall drinking experience.

What kind of sugar for Margarita rim? ›

Granulated Sugar

That same sugar you use to make simple syrup can be used to rim a glass.

How to get margarita salt to stick? ›

You need the salt to stick to the rim of the glass, of course, and that's easily done with lemon or lime juice, which turns sticky as it dries.

What is a margarita without salt called? ›

A skinny margarita is a margarita with no or minimal simple syrup. Lime juice, freshly squeezed or pasteurized, a little bit of orange liqueur (cointreau, triple sec, gran mariner) over ice with or without a salt and or sugar rim.

What kind of salt do restaurants use? ›

Kosher salt is easy to pinch and sprinkle, allowing for better control over the amount of salt added to dishes. It dissolves quickly and evenly, making it a popular choice among chefs and home cooks alike.

How to make a margarita salt rim? ›

Use a lime wedge to coat the rim of your margarita glass. Pro-tip: you can also use some of the margarita mix to coat your rim, a lot of restaurants do this! Just pour a little in a saucer, turn your glass upside down, and dip the rim in the liquid. Add a couple tablespoons of salt (or salt mixture) to a saucer.

What kind of salt for margarita rim? ›

This post may contain affiliate links. Most margarita recipes say to rim the glass with kosher salt. Why kosher salt? We needed to know and so we did a taste test to find out.

What is the proper glass for a margarita? ›

“I personally think that the best Margarita glass is a pint glass. It holds an ample amount of Margarita, it holds a solid salt rim, and it is functional in any bar,” says Juan Fernandez, the beverage director at The Ballantyne in Charlotte, NC.

What kind of salt goes with tequila? ›

Ingredients for a Shot of Tequila

Here's our easy but delightful recipe: Pinch of kosher salt or sea salt. 1 1/2 ounces of Olmeca Gold Tequila. Lime or lemon wedge.

Is Himalayan salt good for margaritas? ›

Margarita Himalayan Pink Salt goes perfectly with your margaritas as well as so many other dishes. Sprinkle it on your seafood, hearty tomato based stews, quesadillas, spanish flavored dishes, vegetables, and chicken. The lime compliments so many foods and the Himalayan has a distinct salty flavor you will love.

What is the best way to salt a margarita glass? ›

Holding the co*cktail glass upside-down by the base, dip the entire rim into the juice, lift it out, and let any excess juice drip off. Now roll the outer edge of the glass gently in the salt, so that the crystals stick to the outside of the glass.

What is different about margarita salt? ›

What kind of salt for a margarita is best? The best type of salt to use for a margarita is kosher salt, which has coarse grains and a nuanced flavor. Sea salt also works! Avoid using iodized table salt, since the flavor and texture is much too intense for rimming drinks.

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