Frozen Margarita Pie (No Bake Recipe)

Margarita Pie – luscious creamy frozen margarita pie with the adulting addition of tequila and Triple Sec and lots of bright, citrusy lime in a crunchy salty sweet no-bake pretzel pie crust! This crave-worthy margarita pie belongs at all your summer parties!

One bite of this no-bake pie recipe, and I’m magically transported back to the click of ice in a chilled margarita on the rocks or the frosty melty slush of a frozen margarita. Good times and laughing with friends, the sunshine warming shoulders, the scent of fresh-cut limes lingering in the air, and loud music on the boom box. Heaven!

Sumptuous frozen margarita pie recreates that nostalgic vibe with no effort. I do have to play nice with Mr. Quervo these days, religiously wear sunscreen, and Alexa plays our music at an appropriate decibel. We have great times and appreciate our fun-loving friends even more! (And they appreciate me more when I make this frozen margarita pie recipe! lol)

Why You’ll Love, Crave, & Rave Margarita Pie

• Creamy nuanced agave flavor and bright citrus layers.
• Buttery, crunchy, salty-sweet pretzel crust is only three ingredients. 
• Margarita pie is a luscious and refreshing warm-weather treat.
• A delightful, hassle-free, no-bake pie recipe.
• Margarita pie is a fantabulous treat for guests!

What You Need For Margarita Pie With Pretzel Crust

Creamy frozen and refrigerated desserts yearn for the crispy, buttery, salty-sweet combo of a crushed pretzel pie crust! 

For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

MARGARITA PIE PRETZEL CRUST

• Salted Pretzel Twists – using smaller pretzels gives you more surface area of the pretzel that is crunchy, caramelized, and malty in flavor.
• Sugar – white granulated sugar is suggested.
• Unsalted Butter – to keep your pretzel pie crust from being too salty, unsalted butter is a ideal! Unless your straits are dire…see below* 🙂

MARGARITA PIE FILLING

• Heavy Cream – keep the cream well chilled right up to using it.
• Fresh Lime Juice – wash the citrus well, roll each fruit between your palm and a hard surface, zest the peel, then extract the juice.  
• Lime Zest – there is plenty of zest from the limes you juiced. Always zest the limes first, avoid the bitter white pith, and freeze any leftover zest for future use. (You’ll be glad you did!)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk – a sweet, caramel flavor that adds velvety creaminess to recipes. 
• Tequila – I suggest using a Reposado, the “goldilocks” tequila for cooking, not too heavy in flavor (Añejo’s) and not too light (Blanco). Look for 100% agave with no added glycerine or caramel coloring.
• Triple Sec – sweet orange-flavored French liqueur. For special guests or important occasions, try Grand Marnier or Cointreau.
• Kosher Salt

*Salted Butter Pretzel Pie Crust Hack: No un-salted butter and you need to throw this margarita pie together last minute? Don’t despair! You can easily remove some of the salt crystals from the pretzels using a paper towel, clean silicone “sponge,” potato brush, or your fingers.  

Making Frozen Margarita Pie

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(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

A smooth, sophisticated citrus-forward adult dessert with tequila, Triple Sec, and lime that is incredibly easy to make. Gather up a food processor (or rolling pin), electric mixer and whisk, 9” springform pan (or pie plate), spatula, and mixing bowl. Let’s do it! 

NO-BAKE* MARGARITA PIE PRETZEL CRUST:

Blend the pretzel pie crust ingredients in a food processor, and press into a springform pan (for easier serving) or pie plate.

or

Crush pretzels in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Mix with sugar and butter, then press into a pie plate; put in the freezer.

*OPTIONAL BLIND BAKE: Bake for a more caramelized crust for eight minutes at 350° F. Cool completely. 

MARGARITA PIE FILLING: 

ONE: Combine lime juice, zest, condensed milk, tequila, Triple Sec, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.

TWO: Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form and fold half into the lime juice mixture. Fold the rest until just incorporated.

THREE: Pour margarita pie filling into the frozen pretzel crust and smooth. Sprinkle with lime zest and freeze for eight hours.

FOUR:  Allow frozen pie to warm 10-15 before slicing and serving.

Notes On Frozen Margarita Pie With A Pretzel Crust. 

• You can use a cookie or graham cracker crust.
• Pretzel crust too dry? The pretzel crust mixture should have the consistency of wet sand. If your crust mixture is too dry, try adding 1 tablespoon of melted butter, one tablespoon at a time, until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
• Too wet? Add pretzel crumbs until you reach wet sand consistency.
• This pie can be made in a springform pan, a shallow 9-inch pie plate, a 9-inch square pan, or in large-mouth jars for single servings.
• If using a square baking dish, line with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang so you can easily remove the dessert from the pan and transfer to a cutting board to slice.
• Make additional whipped cream to decorate the top of the pie.
• You can replace whipped cream with CoolWhip if you’re pressed for time.

Family Friendly Margarita Pie Options: 

You can leave out the alcohol for this margarita pie and replace the tequila with more lime juice and the Triple Sec with orange juice for a non-alcohol version.

HuffPost’s article has an interesting take on using limeade substitute for full-flavored frozen margaritas, so I will incorporate that tidbit. If you try using a limeade substitute, I’d love to hear about it!

If you’d like to try frozen limeade concentrate, I would go with ½ cup thawed limeade to heighten the lime impact.

How To Store Frozen Margarita Pie (Maybe)

Cover with plastic wrap once pie sets up, and keep frozen until ready to serve.

I’ve joked before about not having leftovers, but when you make a margarita pie for parties, there’s only a wee chance it won’t be gone. You’ll see! 

If you don’t stand guiltily eating that last piece in the kitchen, remove it from the pan and wrap it or put it in an airtight container. I suggest burying it in the back of the freezer if you’re a margarita lover! 

Frozen Margarita Pie With Pretzel Crust  FAQs

Can I use large pretzels for this margarita pie pretzel crust? 

Of course, you can, but you will end up with more of the powdery texture “dough” content and less of the salty, crunchy malted flavor of the outside of the pretzel.

Should I bake the pretzel pie crust even though it’s “no-bake?”

Hey, you do you! Frankly, if you don’t pre-bake, you’ll wonder how it could get any better! Some people go the extra mile for a couple of reasons. The sugar will caramelize when you heat the crust, and the butter will bind the pretzel crust even more. This results in a crisper, deeper, nuttier flavor you might not need for margarita pie but would work great with another frozen dessert. 

Can I use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?

Yes, and maybe. The answer is yes, but the maybe is how far you’re willing to go with a “no way to tell the difference” or “it’ll do” substitute. Evaporated and condensed milk’s water content is reduced by ~60%. However, condensed has been prepared with the addition of sugar. This sweet syrupy milk has the hallmark caramel flavor, so I highly recommend sweetened condensed milk for this recipe.

If you enjoy no-bake desserts like this margarita pie there’s no doubt you need to try our No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert, Frozen Peanut Butter Pie, No-bake Lemonade Pie, and No-Bake Raspberry Cheesecake.

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