Skinny Spicy Margarita Recipe (Keto, Sugar-Free)

How do you stick to your keto diet when you’re hanging out with friends who enjoy a lazy cocktail or two? You need this zesty Low-Carb Skinny Spicy Margarita…olé.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or just life in general (why not?) with a Low-Carb Spicy Margarita cocktail.

Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

A lot of people celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, particularly in the state of Puebla and the United States. But it’s largely unheard of here, down under. So much so, that I somewhat embarrassingly googled “when is Cinco de Mayo?” to find out that it’s the 5th of May (duh!)

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the unexpected win of the Mexican army against the French on May 5, 1862 in the Battle of Puebla. In the USA, it is a day for Mexican culture to be celebrated. I guess this means lots of tacos, burritos, guacamole and margaritas!

Check out our 30-minute Low-Carb Taco Burrito Bowl recipe here.

And Lazy Low-Carb Tortilla Chips recipe here.

Having said that, I traveled to Mexico many years ago, before kids arrived and put a swift end to any adventurous travel plans.

I’ve always loved the Mexican culture and the cuisine though and I know, like me, you’ll love being able to enjoy a Margarita while on a keto diet.

This recipe can be made with or without the spices (ground chili and jalapeño) so feel free to enjoy it either way.

 

 

Keto Margarita – the health benefits

Low-Carb Spicy Margarita not only provides a nice buzz from the tequila, but because of the chili salt rim, you’re also getting that extra sodium your body needs on a keto diet to keep your electrolytes up. It’s practically healthy!

It doesn’t get much better than that….well maybe if we could enjoy 3 or 4 of them….which I don’t recommend! Unfortunately, ketogenic diets lower alcohol tolerance so aim to stick with 1 or 2 drinks at the most per day. Otherwise, you’ll wake up feeling as if you’ve sunk half a bottle of rum the night before.

What to order at a bar when on keto

While there are plenty of low-carb alcohol choices – cocktails are not usually one of them. Cocktails contain way too much sugar, sugar syrups and fruit juices and are therefore very high in carbs. Steer well clear of cocktails when heading to a bar.

Your best bet, if you enjoy hard liquor, is to order gin or vodka and have it with soda or seltzer water and a squeeze of lemon/lime. Hard liquor has 0 grams of net carbs so as long as you choose a keto-friendly mixer, you are good to go.

To find out which wine, beer and mixers are low-carb, check out our comprehensive guide (and FREE cheat sheet):

The Practical Guide To Low-Carb Alcohol (and FREE cheat sheet)

 

 

Adjust the sweetness and spice in Spicy Margarita

Low-Carb Spicy Margarita is quick and easy to make – it has 2g net carbs and 74 calories per serve. You can shake this one up in around 7 minutes.

If you like your Low-Carb Margarita to be even spicier, leave the shaken cocktail to stand for up to 5 minutes. This will allow more spice to develop. Alternatively, add an extra jalapeño slice to the cocktail shaker.

To make it sweeter, add more liquid stevia (stevia glycerite) or add less (initially) to reduce the sweetness.

Stevia glycerite is a liquid form of stevia, a low-carb sweetener, made from the stevia plant. I use SweetLeaf Sweet Drops Liquid Stevia Sweetener.

Liquid stevia is easy to use – just add a few drops to drinks, smoothies, coffee, tea, food or anything you want to sweeten up. It lasts forever because you only use a few drops at a time and I still haven’t got close to using up a bottle!

 

 

Making the salt rim on a margarita glass

You’ve seen the fancy salt rims on Margaritas glasses in bars and wondered how they do it? Well, it’s surprisingly easy and if you’re thinking of skipping this step – don’t!

The salt rim is part of the taste experience as you take a sip of your spicy margarita. The chili salt melts into the margarita as it touches your lips, and the flavor explodes as it hits your tongue. You wouldn’t want to miss that, right?

To create the salt rim:

1. Mix up your salt and spices and tip them onto a small plate
2. Now, grab a small wedge of lime – cut a fresh piece or use a wedge that’s already been squeezed. Run the juicy part of the lime all the way around the glass rim.
3. Take the glass by the base and gently place the rim into the salt on the plate. The salt will stick to the rim because of the lime juice.  Turn the glass slowly so that the whole rim becomes coated in the salt.

 

Creating a low-carb, sugar-free Margarita

Margaritas have long been my favorite cocktail so I’ve always wanted to create a low-carb version. A margarita typically contains Cointreau which adds sweetness but too many carbs to be keto-friendly.

One option is to make a low-carb sugar syrup to provide the sweetness. The lazy option (and the one I chose) was to use a little liquid stevia as a shortcut and it worked perfectly well. I like how easy it is to add a little more sweetness if you need it by adding just a few drops.

Kick back and enjoy this very grown-up spicy keto cocktail.

 

 

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

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This post was originally published in April of 2018, but was updated with a video in February of 2021.