Salted Margarita Bars

By Vaughn Vreeland

Updated July 23, 2024

Salted Margarita Bars
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.
Total Time
45 minutes, plus 2 hours’ freezing
Rating
4(2,048)
Comments
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This edible cocktail is an ideal party dessert, mingling all the fun of a margarita — and its salted rim — with the efficiency of a slab pie. Key lime pie’s boozier, saltier cousin, it comes together quickly and maintains its consistency when frozen, making it a great make-ahead treat for a barbecue or a trip to the beach. Any tequila will work, but blanco is preferred for its milder taste. Don’t make the curd more than 10 minutes in advance, as the lime juice will start to thicken it, which could affect the bake. 

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Ingredients

Yield:16 bars

    For the Crust

    • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing the pan
    • About 40 saltine crackers (from one 4-ounce/113-gram sleeve)
    • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt

    For the Filling

    • 2teaspoons lime zest plus ½ cup juice (from about 4 limes)
    • ¼cup tequila (preferably blanco)
    • 2tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier 
    • Pinch of kosher salt
    • 5large egg yolks
    • 1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
    • Flaky salt, for finishing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

163 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 102 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter (or use the wrapper from your stick of butter). Line the buttered pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides. (This will help you pull the bars out of the pan easily.)

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the crust: In a food processor, pulse the saltines until ground like coarse sand. (Alternatively, place them in a zip-top bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.) It’s OK if there are a few larger pieces. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt, and pulse a few more times until all the crumbs are evenly saturated (or mix to combine in a medium bowl). Pour the mixture into the lined pan, press into an even layer and freeze for about 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    After the crust has chilled, bake it until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    While the crust cools, make the filling: In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur and salt.

  5. Step 5

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Add the tequila-lime mixture to the yolk mixture, whisk to combine, then pour into the prepared crust. (It’s OK if the crust is not yet completely cool.) You may be tempted to prepare the curd earlier, but don’t do so more than 10 minutes before baking, as the lime juice will start to thicken it, which could affect the bake.

  6. Step 6

    Bake 15 to 17 minutes until the curd is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center.

  7. Step 7

    Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, then freeze for at least 2 hours.

  8. Step 8

    After freezing, remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper overhang and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with flaky salt, cut into 16 bars and serve right away. Store leftovers in the freezer. Cheers!

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,048 user ratings
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Comments

Cookie

These boozy bars are unique and a crowd pleaser. They are definitely tequila-forward, very true to the flavor of a Cadillac margarita. While delicious and easy to prepare, they unfortunately get very soft at room temperature (68°F in air conditioned home) and best kept in the freezer or in the fridge.

Chris

These bars taste so good, and were a big hit with neighbors. Adjustments: omitted the 1 t salt from the crust; added 1.5 t of pectin to the filling for firmness (worked perfectly); added zest on top of the bars, too.

Kristen

No need for a food processor or zip lock bag to grind the saltines. I crushed them inside the sleeve the crackers come in--first with my fingers, and then with a heavy pestle to press further. The bag held up nicely until they were fully crushed, and I had fewer dishes to wash :)

Elena

If I make a few days before serving, should I cover the dessert before freezing?

Bridget C.

I absolutely loved these and combing the flaky salt with lime was a great tip. Here is another tip….don’t decide you want to try making the crust with shortbread cookies like I did. While the bars still tasted amazing, I didn’t take into account the huge amount of butter already in the cookies and then the stick of melted butter on top of that. The crust became more of a solid butter brick than a crust. Lesson learned :)

Carley

My friends - please do not learn this the hard way as I did: condensed oat milk will NOT work for this. I saw comments that said condensed coconut milk worked, but oat milk is all my grocery store had for non-dairy options. Complete failure - turned out like quiche. I hope to save someone the heartache!

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