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These Margarita Machines Whip Up Tasty Drinks At Home — & It's The Summertime Splurge You Deserve
A margarita may only have a few simple ingredients, but if you’ve ever tried to make a frozen marg at home, you know that having the right equipment is important. The best margarita machines can give you slushy cocktails in the capacity and price point you need. That being said, margarita machines are costly one-use appliances, and if you’re not making frozen cocktails regularly, you may want to consider a conventional blender with a blade attachments that can crush ice into the right powdery consistency. Either can be a great option, so choosing which one is right for you will come down to how often you plan to use it and how much you ultimately want to spend.
When it comes to dedicated margarita machines, there's one brand that stands out in the category: Margaritaville, founded by musician Jimmy Buffet. These have a reputation for having the best technology and making the highest-quality drinks. When deciding between these high-end frozen concoction makers, you'll notice that while they all shave ice to perfection, their key differences are cost, capacity, power, and features. Basically, the more you spend, the more drinks you can pour and the more bells and whistles you gain.
For the occasional user, the smaller and less expensive models won't offer any special drink-specific presets, but can still be outstanding for serving small groups. If you're doing lots of entertaining, you may appreciate extra features like a larger pitcher, a spout dispenser, and automated controls that go beyond margs.
If you're set on using a conventional blender because you want a multipurpose machine or you're keeping cost in mind, you'll find that most have a sufficient capacity to serve a handful of guests. But for the frothiest cocktails, you'll want look for models that clearly indicate their blades are optimized for crushing ice. And while watts may not be an indicator of performance, a minimum of 300-500 watts will be give you the right chopping power.
To get your party started, take look at the best margarita makers on Amazon below; there's a pick for every budget and party size.
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The Best Dedicated Margarita Machines
Let’s start with the most well-known home frozen drink machines: the ones by Margaritaville. These gadgets are not only stylish, they are one part ice shaver, one part powerful blender. And they'll deliver restaurant-quality drinks every time.
1. The Overall Best Margarita Machine
Power: 450 watts
Jar Capacity: 36 ounces
This Margaritaville Key West machine will make happy hour a breeze thanks to its extra-large, top-loading reservoir, which holds enough ice to make two and a half pitchers, so when you're ready to whip up another batch, all you'll need to do is select between one, two, or three drinks, pour mixers and tequila in, and hit the power button. The machine will automatically shave the right amount of ice and blend. If you're making other frozen drinks, there are three additional drink settings for coladas, mud slings, and smoothies, plus manual shave-only or blend-only buttons. This model also has a detachable reservoir to catch water from unused ice, so your drinks won't be watered down. The best part? All removable parts are dishwasher safe.
Fans dish: "This machine provided a shaved ice consistency every time! I have used it to make margaritas (equal parts frozen limeade and tequila is the easiest and best tasting), milkshakes, egg nog, smoothies... Pricier than some of the other machines, but totally worth it!"
2. The Upgrade Pick: A Sleek Machine With A Lever Dispenser
Power: 650 watts
Jar Capacity: 60 ounces
If you host a lot of gatherings, this Margaritaville Bali machine will make it easy to keep a drink in everyone's hand, while freeing yours up. A self-dispensing lever lets guests help themselves, and the machine automatically re-blends cocktails before each pour, though you can also choose to press the manual shave and blend controls for customized control. The top-loading ice container holds enough for the whole pitcher (60 ounces), but you can also choose the half pitcher mode and the machine will adjust quantities automatically. As with other Margaritaville machines, this Bali model has four drink settings that will crush or shave ice to the perfect texture for margaritas, coladas, mud slings, and smoothies.`Both the pitcher and lid are dishwasher safe.
Fans dish: "This thing is the life of the party! Took it for it's trial run on a girls weekend with 12 of us! It was PERFECT! Very easy to fill and so handy to just push your glass against it instead of taking the pitcher out and pouring it into your glass! I've only made margarita's in it so far but I plan on trying the other settings too!"
3. The Best Margarita Machine For Making Multiple Drinks At One Time
Power: 700 watts
Jar Capacity: 72 ounces
No doubt, you'll please crowds with the functionality and the looks of this Margaritaville Tahiti model. You can use each of the three 24-ounce jars to make larger batches of the same drink or opt for different recipes in each — there are three corresponding dials to make operating it as easy as possible. Besides a "shave only" or "blend only" setting, each of them has options for six drinks (margaritas, daiquiris, mojitos, smoothies, mudslides, and pina coladas). The ice reservoir holds enough to feed all of the containers and will automatically rotate from one to the other. All the blending jar components are dishwasher safe.
Note, before investing in this cool pick, you'll want to ensure you have the proper counter space as this is bulkiest option on this list.
Fans dish: "Favorite drink machine!! I own 2 other Margaritaville machines but I love the size of this one. It looks so classy. I leave it out on the bar and get compliments about its look. Once drinks start flowing the real beauty shows. It automatically revolves to the side you want it’s great for parties! If you haven’t seen the video for this...it’s a must!! Amazon had the lowest price and it was in stock!"
4. The Most Budget-Friendly: This Cute Margarita Machine With A Spout
Power: 150 watts
Capacity: 128 ounces
While not quite at the quality level of a Margaritaville model, this no-frills option comes at an affordable price point that still gets the job done. The 1-gallon capacity pitcher is insulated to keep frozen drinks cold, and the machine has a lever-style dispenser so guests can pour refills themselves. It operates just like a regular blender, only its patented stainless steel blades have one sole purpose (and setting): shaving ice and mixing your ingredients to make frozen beverages.
With only 150 watts, it's not nearly as robust as the other picks on this list, but it will still make a fantastic slushy. You'll just want to take your time with the blending to make sure to get all of the ice to a smooth consistency— a few Amazon users reported that it takes about 10 minutes to grind up ice properly. To hurry up the process, and ensure there aren't any big ice chunks, other reviewers recommend using smaller ice cubes. Note, per the brand's guidance, all removable parts should be hand-washed only.
Fans dish: "Best item I own in my kitchen by far! Makes every party amazing, produces delicious and consistent margaritas, and it is very portable so I bring it with me to friend's parties as my potluck item and it always gets the party going. I highly recommend this!"
The Best Conventional Blenders For Frozen Margaritas
Though these are much more affordable than the ones by Margaritaville, your ice and mixers are all blended at the same time in the jar, which could still result in noticeable ice chunks. Still, they have an advantage in that some offer different containers and blades that allow it to serve multiple functions beyond your home bar.
5. The Best Blender With A Powerful Ice-Crushing Blade
Power: 1100 watts
Jar Capacity: 72 ounces
Though not strictly a margarita maker, this Ninja blender comes with the brand's "Total Crushing Pitcher" which features a 6-blade design that will pulverize ice to the "perfect consistency" for a frozen drink. The multitasking appliance has four settings, including mixing, blending, crushing, and pulsing, and can be used to mix boozy milkshakes or fruit smoothies, too. The generously sized pitcher is great for big groups, but this model also comes with two 16-ounce containers that can be used to make single-sized to-go cup servings of your favorite concoctions. The cups are all BPA-free and all removable parts can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Fans dish: "I Love This Blender! My life is now complete. My bucket list is irrelevant now that I have this blender. The smoothies, the margaritas, the pina coladas! All delicious! Seriously though, this is the [best] blender I have ever had and I can’t ever see myself buying any other brand. Get this blender!"
6. The Most Affordable Blender For Frozen Margaritas
Power: 600 watts
Jar Capacity: 48 ounces
Like the Ninja pick above, this Oster blender is not technically a margarita machine, but it does have the upper hand in the countertop blender arena because it's not only super affordable, it also has a preset button for "frozen drinks." That functionality utilizes the device's sharp, 6-point stainless steel blades to give you ice pulverized to the right consistency. Plus, this model is designed to automatically reverse its blades during your mixing session so even the thickest of slushies or smoothies won't jam up. You also don't have to worry about taking this pick out to the pool or an outdoor gathering as its Boroclass glass blending jar is extra durable and shatter-proof. All removable parts are dishwasher safe, too!
Fans dish: "Oh my nerves! If this isn't the best blender I have ever had! I can't say enough good about this blender. I am so happy I made the decision to buy it. I searched and searched. I am over 1/2 a century old so I have had some blenders in my time and this takes the cake. [...] I so look forward to making my frozen margaritas now- not a speck of a chunk in them, no chunks of ice, no chunks of fruit (frozen strawberries), just smooth, velvety drinks."
