A perfect margarita salt rim can make all the difference in how the cocktail tastes. The type of salt matters, and some have a more intense salty flavor than others. After some very devoted taste testing, we found the best salt for margaritas, plus seven more that are also delicious on a margarita glass.
Here are the best of the best margarita salts, plus a few margarita salt recipes if you’d rather make your own.
Best Sea Salt for Margaritas
Collins White Margarita Salt Rimmer
This is a classic margarita salt, with nothing extra, just the perfect consistency for an even layer and a nice salty flavor without the salt taste being overpowering.
This salt adds the perfect rim to your margarita glasses and makes even the best margarita recipes taste better.
Pink Himalayan Margarita Salt
Caravel Gourmet Exotic Cocktail Salt Himalayan Pink Lady
Rock salt or kosher salt are the gold standards for rimming your cocktail glass, but sometimes you want to mix things up a little, and Himalayan pink sea salt is the rock or kosher counterpart that tastes great and looks beautiful on your margarita glass.
Caravel Gourmet allows you to elevate the classic cocktail with a rim of lightly pink salt with a mild flavor that blends perfectly with a little tequila and lime.
Customer reviews love the texture and flavor and this brand’s pink salt, plus it looks nice on your glass with a juicy lime wedge!
Spicy Margarita Salt
LAVA Premium Jalapeno Citrus Margarita Salt
The LAVA Premium Jalapeno Citrus Margarita Salt adds a wonderful zing to your margarita. It’s made with pure ingredients, including jalapeno powder, real lime juice crystals, and sea salt.
This is a great flavored salt mixture for both traditional margaritas and flavored ones. It would even go well with strawberry or mango margaritas, too.
With a nice rim of the glass, you have the perfect balance of spice to complement the sweetness of your drink.
Chili Salt For Margaritas
The Spice Lab Glass Cocktail Rimmer Chili Lime Salt
This cocktail salt is a great housewarming gift, an excellent addition to a themed cocktail gift, or even as a stocking stuffer for your favorite margarita lover.
The mixture of salt, chili pepper, and lime oil is simple and perfect, and this one has a great texture for sticking to the glass.
This one shouldn’t be reserved just for margaritas, however. It’s also great on a bloody mary and will add a kick to salty dogs.
Tajin Margarita Salt
Tajín Clásico Chile Lime Seasoning Rimmer
Tajin is a seasoning that highlights the flavors of chili pepper, lime, and salt. On the right foods, it’s pure perfection, and it’s also perfect as a margarita rim. Tajin has just the tiniest amount of heat, but the tanginess of the lime is more pronounced.
If you want these flavors on the rim of your glass, try this Tajin Clasico Chili Lime Seasoning Rimmer, with a top that’s even meant to hold a little lime juice, orange juice, or triple sec to dip the rim of the glass in before salting it. This way, you can save your Tajin shaker for other things.
Black Salt For Margaritas
Caravel Gourmet Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt
Black salt looks striking on the outer rim of your margarita glass, and this black salt by Caravel Gourmet offers great quality and a nice price point for gourmet salt.
It’s made from Pacific sea salt infused with activated charcoal, trace minerals, and electrolytes. There are no food coloring or artificial ingredients used to produce the rich black color and perfect texture.
Flavored Margarita Salt Trio
Twang A Rita Cocktail Rimming Salt Blend Flavor Variety Pack
The Twang-A-Rita trio of flavored salts is perfect for anyone who loves margaritas or other cocktails that are complimented by salt rims. This variety pack includes sweet and sour flavors, along with a bit of spice.
You get one pouch each of chili lime, grapefruit, and mango. Each is a perfect flavor for traditional and flavored margaritas, and the grapefruit salt also goes great on a Paloma or salty dog.
Each pouch weighs four ounces, so you get a total of twelve ounces of salty flavor and deliciousness with each variety pack.
Classic Lime Margarita Salt
Rokz Lime Margarita Salt Rimmer
Rokz Lime Margarita Salt Rimmer is a champion of flavored salts. The limey flavor and citrus zest pair magnificently with a margarita and add just the right amount of saltiness.
This variety is made with a combination of fine salt, coarse salt, lime zest, and orange zest. Pair this with a lime wedge, and you’re set for one tasty margarita.
Margarita Salt Recipes
Classic Margarita Salt
The only thing that will make your favorite margarita recipe better is a homemade margarita salt recipe. There’s an argument to be made that the best salt mix for cocktail hour is one you make yourself.
This recipe features course kosher salt mixed with lime zest, orange zest, and a touch of granulated sugar. Of course, if you like a sugared rim on your margarita, you can always modify the sugar-to-salt ratio for extra sweetness.
Make sure to store this in an airtight container while not using it to rim your margarita glass.
Sweet and Salty Margarita Salt
by Fed & Fit
You’ll find three different varieties of flavored salt for your margaritas on this Fed & Fit page, but we’re especially fond of the Sweet and Salty margarita salt recipe.
This recipe uses flakey sea salt, but you could use another type of salt, like kosher salt. Then turbinado sugar is added to mix in an equal ratio.
You can also use regular granulated sugar, but you might want to cut back a little on the quantity if you do.
This is the perfect salt for your glass rim to mellow the sour notes of a margarita, and it creates a delicious drink that’s a combination of sour, sweet, and salty at the same time. If you want a bit of heat, add just a pinch or two of chili powder to the mix.
Candied Jalapeno Margarita Salt
This is a great spicy salt that offers just a touch of sweetness to mellow the heat. If you’re looking to make your own margarita salt and want to try a recipe that’s a little fancier and elegant, this is it!
The magic starts by making candied jalapenos. You only need jalapenos, water, and sugar, but we added a little fresh lime juice to the mix too. Once you’ve candied the jalapenos, blend them in a food processor with kosher salt.
Make sure you coat the entire rim of your glass with this salt because it’s delicious.
You could also make several variations of this zesty garnish by adding fresh herbs or citrus zest to the food processor with salt and jalapenos. A pinch of sour sumac is also really nice for a smokey, tangy flavor.
Why Table Salt Is a Bad Idea
Almost every kitchen has a shaker of iodized table salt hanging around, and your first inclination might be to use that on your margarita glasses. We beg you not to.
Table salt in its pure form is just “too much” for rimming glasses. The fine texture creates a really thick coat of salt on the rim. What you end up with is a mouth full of table salt that completely dominates the flavor of the margarita.
Kosher salt or sea salt, which is sourced from evaporated seawater, are the best options for margaritas. When you use the right type of salt, the salt helps balance the tartness of the cocktail and adds depth of flavor rather than completely dominating the entire cocktail.
Kosher salt and sea salt are the way to go. Regular table salt is a definite no!
Tips For Salted Cocktail Rims
- Place the salt in a shallow bowl or dish. Once the salt is added, give it a gentle shake to break up any clumps. If the salt is too coarse for your liking, try putting it in a plastic bag and crushing it a little with a rolling pin.
- Start by rubbing a lime wedge along the glass’s edge to moisten it. You can also dip the rim of the glass in a plate of citrus juice, simple syrup, or orange liqueur.
- Turn the glass upside down and place the glass gently in the salt. Wiggle the glass a little until the outer edge of the whole rim is covered in salt. Now you have the perfect salt rim, and you’re ready to pour your margarita into the glass.
- If you prefer a sweeter garnish, a little granulated or powdered sugar can be used in place of the salt.
Bottom Line
Our choice for the best salt for margaritas is Collins White Margarita Salt Rimmer for its pure, simple perfection. Still, there’s something about a nice flavored salt rim or making your own salt for your next margarita night. So make sure to fill your glass nice and full and enjoy the combination of flavors.
