You don’t have to be hosting a party to need a margarita machine. Margaritas can be enjoyed at home with you and your friend or spouse any day of the week.
But how do you avoid the large chunks of ice that always find their way into your frozen margarita when using your household blender?
Well, that’s why the margarita machine was born.
A margarita machine is designed to blend the perfect margarita every time. A margarita machine will add the ice as needed to create a pitcher of margaritas. This significantly reduces the chance of chunks of ice ending up in your drink because the ice is added a little at a time to be perfectly shaved.
And it doesn’t stop at margaritas. You can make any frozen drink in a margarita machine. Daiquiris, pina Coladas, smoothies, and frozen sangria can all be enjoyed by using a margarita machine.
So how do you choose the best margarita machine?
You can choose one that we have included on our list below and follow our helpful buying guide to help you make the right decision!
Best Overall Margarita Machine
1. Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Margarita Machine
Our pick for the best overall margarita machine is this model made by Margaritaville. It can make a pitcher of frozen margaritas up to 36 ounces and has a simple, easy-to-use design.
You have two options to choose from when making your favorite frozen concoctions. An automatic mode and a manual mode.
In the manual mode, you can select to shave the ice first. Once the ice is shaved, you can then switch the machine to blend. This gives you control to shave and blend as you feel necessary, giving you more control over the margarita machine.
The other function is the automatic mode, which is the shave-and-blend option. This will shave the ice and blend the mixture in one process.
The pitcher of the margarita machine has a handle that makes it easy to pour the margarita or other frozen concoction straight from the pitcher as soon as it has finished blending. Just flip up the lid of the pitcher when you are ready to pour.
The ice reservoir holds enough ice for one pitcher, so you never have to worry if you have enough ice in the reservoir to make a full pitcher.
The best feature may be the No-Brainer mixer that comes with the margarita machine. The No-Brainer mixer tells you exactly what ingredients to use and how full to fill the mixer with each ingredient. Once you have filled the mixer with the right amount of ingredients, you will pour it into the margarita machine's pitcher and then start the machine.
The pitcher, lid, and No-Brainer mixer are all dishwasher safe. There is also a one-year limited warranty included from the manufacturer to cover the machine if something happens.
Best Budget Margarita Machine
2. Nostalgia Margarita Machine
The best budget margarita machine is this model made by Nostalgia. It makes one gallon of frozen drinks and has a convenient dispenser on the machine's front for easy serving.
Unlike the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker that shaves the ice before adding it to the drink mixture, the Nostalgia margarita machine combines both the drink ingredients and the ice in the pitcher before blending together.
Unlike a blender that uses a blade to crush ice, the Nostalgia margarita maker has a patented stainless steel shaving-blending cage that will shave the ice instead of crushing it. This style of ice shaver is what keeps large chunks of ice from ending up in your drink.
When you’re ready to make a gallon of frozen margaritas, just add all of your ingredients to the container of the machine and fill with ice. Make sure the container is locked into place and then seal the lid. Then, flip the switch to on and let the margarita machine do its job.
There is a convenient handle on the top of the margarita maker that allows you to carry the machine anywhere you want to go. This is ideal when you want to bring your frozen margaritas to the beach or the pool. Just make a gallon of frozen margaritas and carry it to wherever you want to enjoy them.
When you’re finished using the margarita machine, detach the container and the blending chamber from the base and place them, along with the spout and the lid of the container, into the dishwasher for easy cleanup.
Best Premium Margarita Machine
3. Margaritaville Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker
It’s no surprise that our choice for the best premium margarita machine is another Margaritaville model.
The Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker is arguably the best top-of-the-line margarita machine on the market today.
First, it comes with three 24-ounce blending jars, instead of just one large jar or pitcher. This allows you to make three different kinds of frozen concoctions or flavors of margaritas.
Do your guests prefer flavored margarita over traditional? No problem. Just add their favorite flavoring to one of the pitchers to give them their favorite flavored margarita.
Do you have a guest who prefers a different frozen concoction from the rest of the group? That’s easy. Just use one of the pitchers to make their favorite frozen drink.
The possibilities are endless when you have three 24-ounce blending jars to use to make frozen drinks.
Each blending jar has a corresponding drink setting that you will choose for the type of drink you’re making. You can choose a margarita, daiquiri, mojito, smoothie, mudslide, or pina colada. This will ensure that the drink you are making is blended perfectly.
Once each blending jar of this frozen drink machine has been filled, and the turn dial for that jar has been set, just press start and let the margarita machine do all the hard work for you. The ice shoot will rotate to each blending jar to begin shaving ice and blending the drink. Once it has completed, it will move to the next blending jar and repeat the process until it has made each jar of drinks.
You also have the option to manually shave ice or blend the beverage jar. This gives you complete control over the drinks you are making. If you want more ice, just press the shave button on the machine's front for the beverage jar you are adding more ice to.
If you need to blend the beverage jar, press the blend button for the beverage jar you want to blend. And if you don’t need to make all three beverage jars of drinks, just use the beverage jars you need. It can be one, two, or all three.
All of the pieces of the margarita machine are dishwasher safe and includes a one-year limited warranty.
4. Classic Cuisine Store Frozen Margarita Maker
This margarita blender by the Classic Cuisine Store is extremely affordable, considering the features that it includes.
The ice shaver has two settings that give you the option to shave ice for frozen drinks or crush ice for a shaken cocktail. If you prefer your next margarita to be on the rocks, you have this option with this margarita machine.
Best of all, you don’t have to dirty a cocktail shaker to make a shaken drink. Just put all of the ingredients in this margarita maker and select to add crushed ice instead of shaved. The mixing paddles will shake the drink as a drink shaker would, which shakes it perfectly.
The pitcher holds 32 ounces and has a stirring and mixing paddle that will stir and blend the beverage when the ice is added. The machine will not operate without the lid in place, which is a safety feature to keep you safe while using the machine.
The machine disassembles and can all be placed in the dishwasher for quick and easy cleaning.
5. Margaritaville Bali Frozen Concoction Maker
The last margarita machine on our list is another model by Margaritaville. It is a pricy option, but you always know what you’re getting when you choose Margaritaville.
It has a single pitcher that makes 60 ounces of your favorite frozen concoction. You can choose to make a full serving or a half serving by turning the second dial on the side of the machine. Then, you will choose the setting for the type of drink you are making. You can choose margaritas, daiquiris, pina coladas, or smoothies. This setting will ensure that your frozen drink gets the exact amount of ice it needs and blends it as necessary.
You can choose to automatically shave and blend the frozen drink, or you can choose to manually shave and blend. This gives you complete control over the type of drink you’re making. If you want to quickly blend a drink, you can choose to blend it automatically. If you want to add more ice or blend the drink further, you can choose to do this with the manual controls.
The front of the margarita machine has an easy pour spout that you will push to pour the drink automatically from the pitcher. The machine automatically blends the drink before dispensing it, so you always get a perfectly blended drink every time.
All of the pieces of the margarita machine are top-shelf dishwasher safe.
The Difference Between a Margarita Machine and a Blender
Just because you have a blender doesn’t mean you have the best way of making a margarita. Blending ingredients together is only half of the process when making frozen margaritas. The first and arguably most important part of making a frozen margarita is shaving the ice.
Blenders don’t shave ice. They will crush and break up the ice, but it won’t get shaved the way that it should be to create a true frozen drink. This is why you get large chunks of ice in your frozen margarita.
A blender uses a cross blade at the bottom of the pitcher to chop, crush, and blend the contents within the pitcher. For shaving ice, blenders lack the effectiveness that a margarita machine has.
This is what makes the margarita machine so effective. Instead of having cross blades at the bottom of the pitcher, there is an ice shaver. The ice shaver will shave the ice to create a perfect amount of shaved ice to blend with the drink ingredients.
How to Choose the Best Margarita Machine: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide
Capacity, functionality, and affordability are just a few of the features you should consider when choosing a margarita machine. We will go over these features and a few others that you should recognize when making your decision.
Size/Quantity/Capacity
One of the first features you should consider when making your decision is how big the margarita machine should be.
Will you be serving many guests, or will it just be you and one or two others?
This can help you decide which size margarita machine you should choose. If you don’t need the largest margarita machine available, you can opt for a smaller one, which will likely save you money.
At the same time, if you will be making a large number of frozen drinks at one time, it would be best for you to spend the extra money for the larger capacity; especially an option that may include more than one drink pitcher for you to make more than one drink at a time.
Functions
Many margarita machines, especially the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction models, have multiple functions you can choose from when making your favorite frozen beverage. This can help you create the exact drink you’re making because the margarita machine will add the right amount of ice and blend the drink for the exact amount of time.
Dishwasher Safe
Another consideration that can influence your decision when choosing a margarita machine is if the margarita machine is dishwasher safe.
Dishwasher safe pieces will make cleaning the margarita machine quick and easy, especially if there are many pieces you will need to disassemble to clean.
Dispensability
A margarita machine will have a removable pitcher to pour or a beverage dispenser spout that you can press or lift to dispense the drink. This may be a feature you want to consider for convenience and practicality.
If it will just be you or one other person who will be enjoying the frozen margaritas, then a pitcher you need to pour would be a practical option. Otherwise, you will likely want to choose a margarita machine with an easy-to-use pour spout or dispensing spout that will easily refill any guest’s empty glass.
Transportability
You may want to have the option easily carry your margarita machine from one place to the next, and this will be next to impossible with a big, bulky margarita machine. For this reason, you will want to choose a margarita machine with a handle for easy transportation.
Accessories
Many margarita machines, especially the Margaritaville models, come with recipe booklets, drink mixers, or additional beverage jars. This can be helpful when you need to know how to make a variety of drinks but don’t want to buy a separate recipe book or measured drink mixer.
Warranty
Finally, you may want to choose a margarita machine that comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. This is especially recommended if you will be buying a high-end margarita machine. Spending a large amount of money on an appliance should be backed with a manufacturer’s warranty to give you peace of mind that you won’t be out a large amount of money with nothing to show for it.
Conclusion
This guide should have everything you need to know to make the best choice when buying a margarita machine. Perhaps the best thing about the Margaritaville margarita machine is that it is called a Frozen Concoction Maker, a homage to Jimmy Buffett’s famous one-liner in his hit song. That’s because frozen concoctions include more than just margaritas. Just because it’s a margarita machine doesn’t mean that you can only use it for margaritas.
But you don’t need the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker to make all types of frozen drinks. You can make any frozen drink of your choice using any margarita machine, and any of the 5 margarita machines we have included on our list can do just that.
