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With a perfect combination of sweet, salty, sour, and tequila, many argue that the margarita is an absolutely perfect drink. Plus, you can tweak it to your needs. Do you like spice? Muddle in some peppers. Add mezcal for a smokey finish or peach for a fruitier appeal. You could even blend your margarita with ice for a resort-ready refreshment from the comfort of your kitchen.
You could do this with a blender, but a margarita machine will churn out restaurant-quality tropical drinks with ease. These handy devices take the work out of mixing a margarita. Simply pour your ingredients in and press go. All that’s left is to sit back and dream of warm sunshine and a light breeze on a beach.
Here are the best margarita machines.
Best Overall: Margaritaville Bahamas Frozen Concoction Maker
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Capacity: 36 ounces | Wattage: 400 watts | Measurements: 9.9 x 15.7 x 21.2 inches
Excellent for shaved ice
Easy to use
Quick to clean
Expensive
Larger to store
Who better to trust with margaritas than Jimmy Buffett himself? The "Margaritaville" singer is behind this surprisingly excellent range of margarita machines, though the Bahamas unit is a crowd favorite. It's built with everything you need to mix up minimal-effort margaritas. In the top of the unit is a mounted ice reservoir and ice-shaving blade. The bottom features a 36-ounce blending jar.
Functions include a shave and blend cycle, manual blend cycle, and shave-only cycle, giving you the ability to customize your ice. Whichever you pick, the premium shaved ice blender produces uniform ice with no chunks or big ice cubes. Better yet, all parts are dishwasher safe.
For those who need a little guidance when building drinks, there's an option to add on a 54-ounce shatter-proof mixing bowl inscribed with the measurements you need to make a margarita or piña colada, including markers for rum, tequila, triple sec, and juice. Thanks to this, no additional measuring cups or jiggers are required.
Best Commercial: Margarita Girl Single-Bowl Mini Sized Margarita Drink Machine
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Capacity: 1.6 gallons | Wattage: 550 watts | Measurements: 12.3 x 10 x 20 inches
High capacity
Keeps drinks frozen
Works for a variety of frozen drinks
Not great for low-sugar drinks
Large
Takes 40 minutes to produce cocktails
Expensive
Great for making a big batch of margaritas, Margarita Girl’s commercial machine turns out 25 cups of the frozen drink at a time. This machine is specifically designed for volume, made with high-impact plastic and stainless steel panels, and a quiet 1/4 HP air-cooled compressor to keep drinks at a consistent temperature. Despite being a heavy-duty commercial option, it’s surprisingly easy to clean.
Margarita Girl’s unit works with both packaged drink mixes and your own home recipes. Just note that in order to properly blend in this machine, your cocktail mix needs to have a higher sugar content. If you’re looking for low-sugar options, this machine isn’t ideal. That said, it includes a two-year warranty backed by service centers around the U.S.
Best for Multiple Flavors: Margaritaville Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker
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Capacity: 72 ounces | Wattage: 700 watts | Measurements: 20 x 20 x 20 inches
Craft a variety of drink flavors
Six automated drink settings
Louder than the average blender
Replacement pitchers are unavailable if one breaks
This 72-ounce Margaritaville machine pours directly into three independent 24-ounce blending stations combined for an impressive 700 watts of blending and shaving powers. To top it all off, a rotating ice chute at the top of the machine adds a bit of flair. It spins from one pitcher to the next while blending.
Use the Tahiti unit to craft large batches or make a range of margaritas via the various blending stations and six automated drink settings. Beyond different flavors, like strawberry, mango, and jalapeño, this machine is also capable of making daiquiris, coladas, mudslides, mojitos, and smoothies. All components are dishwasher safe.
Best Budget: Nostalgia Taco Tuesday Electric Lime Juicer & Margarita Kit
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Capacity: 32 ounces | Wattage: 25 watts | Measurements: 13.82 x 7.48 x 6.5 inches
Pulp control
Blender doubles as a pitcher
Includes salt rimmer and juicer
Clunkier than other options
At an affordable price point, Taco Tuesday’s two-in-one juicer and margarita machine can make a host of blended drinks. The 32-ounce unit is specifically designed for easy happy hours. There’s a blender, built-in lime juicer, salt and sugar rimmer, and serving pitcher, plus four 8-ounce margarita glasses. It also boasts a useful pulp control feature that lets you customize the amount of pulp in your drink. Choose between large, small, or no pulp at all.
The mixing pitcher also includes built-in measurement markings that allow you to mix your cocktail right in the vessel. Once your drinks are blended, pop off the pitcher and use it to dispense your margaritas into the included glasses.
Best Design: Nostalgia Margarita & Slush Machine
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Capacity: 1 gallon | Wattage: 200 watts | Measurements: 10 x 12 x 19.25 inches
Durable
Transportable
Great aesthetics
Very loud
Blending can be inconsistent
While this one blends margaritas just as well as any option on the market, it does so with stylish vintage flair. The nostalgic, retro-inflicted baby blue machine pulls inspiration from vintage soda shop designs and holds an impressive full gallon of frozen drinks.
The handle on top makes it easy to tote the machine around. Bring it to your living room or porch and refill your glasses without getting up. The double-wall construction keeps your drinks cold for hours. The unit dispenses via an easy-flow spout—just flip the spigot and fill your glass. Roughly 35 drinks can be made per cycle, and when you're done, the cord wraps underneath the unit.
Most Versatile: Ninja BL770 Mega Kitchen System
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Capacity: 72 ounces | Wattage: 1500 watts | Measurements: 9.5 x 8.25 x 17.75 inches
Quick
Versatile
Not specifically a margarita maker
Creates a more blended, smoothie-like margarita
Although it's not a dedicated margarita machine, this is an excellent option for making blended cocktails and holds an impressive 72 ounces of liquid. Beyond drink-mixing, Ninja’s Mega Kitchen System is a versatile kitchen workhorse. Use it for all your blending needs, like making salsas, sauces, smoothies, tahinis, batters, and more.
This 1500-watt blender makes quick work of all ingredients. There are four dedicated blending speeds. If you want a chunkier drink, pulverize slower. If you want a fine, smoothie-like margarita, opt for a higher speed.
Included with the base and pitcher are an 8-cup food processing bowl, two to-go cups with lids, and a 30-recipe guide for meal inspiration. All parts are BPA-free and come apart for easy cleaning via the dishwasher.
Best Small: Hamilton Beach Personal Blender
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Capacity: 14 ounces | Wattage: 175 watts | Measurements: 3.94 x 3.94 x 11.9 inches
Compact
Quiet
Easy to clean
Versatile
Not heavy-duty
Not made specifically for margaritas
Looking for a personal-sized blender? Hamilton Beach’s teeny machine can make shakes, smoothies, and more in a snap. Its compact design makes it easy for storing or bringing to your next beach getaway. If you’re a smoothie fanatic, you can even store it at the office. Though it’s on the smaller side, the 14-ounce jar and lid can make two to three margaritas at once.
Outside of margaritas, it makes smoothies, shakes, marinades, salad dressings, and salsas. It’s not as heavy-duty as other blenders on the market, but for the price, it does its job well. As for design, it comes in black, blue, raspberry, red, or white colors. All pieces come apart and are dishwasher safe.
If you’re a die-hard margarita fan, the Margaritaville Key West Frozen Concoction Maker (view at Amazon) was specifically crafted to make excellent, large-batch blended drinks. If you’re an occasional margarita sipper, consider a unit that's more versatile, like the Ninja Mega Kitchen System (view at Amazon).
FAQs
How much tequila do you need for a margarita machine?
A general rule of thumb is 1.5 ounces per person or per drink. Feel to lower or raise that amount depending on personal preference. If you're batching large recipes, do the math. Measure out your ingredients and multiply it by the number of people you’re serving.
How do you clean a margarita machine?
The best options available come apart easily and can be popped in the dishwasher, although many machines do require a hand-scrub to remove scum.
Do you need margarita mix for a machine?
While a great margarita mix is a direct path to delightful cocktails, it's not required. If you’re looking to make margaritas from scratch, measure out your ingredients (lime juice, tequila, and triple sec) for the amount you’re making for. That said, using a margarita mix will make cocktail hour easier since there’s no need to buy separate ingredients or measure them out.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Kate Dingwall is a freelance writer whose work focuses on food, drinks, and travel. She is based in Toronto and holds a Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level III qualification.