You may have seen a Frozen Prickly Pear Margarita or Cactus Pear Margarita on the menu at a fun cocktail bar or a Mexican restaurant but wait til you give them a go at home! This frozen margarita uses fresh red cactus pears but then takes a big shortcut swerve with a couple of cans of frozen margarita mix.

The drink’s color is phenomenal, the flavor is like a pop in the kisser, and it’s dangerously delicious and refreshing. The prickly pear margarita recie can be made successfully and deliciously with either tequila (more traditional) or rum. Adjust the amount of alcohol up and down as you like!

This is the perfect summer drink, slushy, icy cold, and so refreshing. I would serve up these icy prickly pear margaritas with a big bowl of guacamole, some pico de gallo, and some chips or Baked Chicken Flautas. Or maybe just an ear or two of Mexican Grilled Street Corn! That would be a perfect late summer meal.

This is the type of drink you’d be thrilled to see on the menu of a good Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant, but with a handful of ingredients and a blender, you don’t have to go anywhere to share the cool margaritas vibes with your friends. Most recently these were the cocktail of choice for my son’s birthday (who is over 21, which is ridiculous).

Frozen Prickly Pear Margaritas: Cold and refreshing, turn cactus fruit into a brilliant frozen margarita for summer!

Cactus Pear Margarita Ingredients

• Ripe cactus pears – The cactus pears (also called prickly pears) should be a bit soft to the touch and mostly deep red in color. Be sure to puree and strain them before making the drink (step-by-step directions below!)!.
• Frozen margarita mix – Total shortcut, and a good one!
• Tequila or rum – Your choice! I have been making these with a fabulous Jalapeño Cucumber tequila made by 21 Seeds, and I highly recommend it.
• Lemon or lime juice – Use fresh if at all possible! Add more if you want your margaritas a bit more on the tart/sour side, less if you like it sweeter.
• Hot honey – I am a huge fan of hot honey, and honestly while the red cactus pears are the star of this drink, the hot honey is a critical supporting actor. Hot honey is available in many supermarkets and grocery stores and can also be ordered online. I like Mike’s Hot Honey, but there are loads of other brands out there.
• Ice – You’ll want to use 5 to 6 cups, filling the blender.

Cactus Pear Margarita Tips

• It’s easier if you add half of the ice to begin with, puree the mixture, and then add the rest of the ice. This allows the mixture to blend up smoother and more quickly without you needing to yank off the lid and keep stirring things around inside the blender.
• If you have a smaller blender, you may need to make this in two batches.
• You can sub in regular honey for the hot honey if you don’t want the slight kick to this frozen cocktail. Or, you can use 2 tablespoons of honey and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper if you don’t have hot honey in your pantry.

How to Prepare the Cactus Pear Puree

Basically, you want to puree the flesh of the fruit and then strain it to remove the seeds. Use a mesh strainer, but not a superfine mesh strainer, which will just kind of clog up thanks to the seeds.

1. Make sure your cactus pears are ripe; they should give easily when you press into them.
2. Use a paring knife to trim off the ends of the cactus pears, then slice down the length of the cactus pear through the skin.
3. Peel the skin off the flesh and the end of the cactus pears. Scrape any excess pulp from the inside of the skin.

4. Roughly chop the fruit and put it in a blender or food processor. Process to puree the fruit.
5. Strain the puree through a mesh strainer and press down on the puree to get as much juice out as possible. Discard the seeds and any solids left in the strainer. You should have about 1/2 cup puree.

How to Make Prickly Pear Margaritas

1. Blend: Place the cactus pear puree, margarita mix, tequila or rum, lemon or lime juice, and hot honey in the blender. Pulse until it starts to combine. When it is fairly combined, add 2 cups of ice and puree. Do this in two batches if needed to fit your blender. Add the rest of the ice and puree until smooth.
2. Enjoy: Serve immediately in fun glasses, with lime or lemon wheels for garnish if desired.

How to Serve Red Cactus Pear Margaritas

Ideally, you will serve these in margarita glasses! But any largish, fun-shaped glass works, as does a rocks glass or regular old water glass. You can (and should) add a lime or lemon wheel to the side of the glass (which, obviously, I forgot to do here).

What to Serve With Prickly Pear Margaritas

Shrimp Tacos

Steak Fajitas

Mexican Pizza with Avocado Crema

More Summer Cocktail Recipes

• Summer Fruit and Berry Sangria
• Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail
• Blood Orange Pomegranate Screwdriver
• Cucumber Mint Gin and Tonic
• Pitcher Pomelo Palomas

Explore even more summer cocktails!