Salted Margarita Bars
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus 2 hours’ freezing
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:16 bars
- 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
- 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
For the Crust
For the Filling
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.
Powered byPreparation
- 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.)
- 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.
- Step 3
After the crust has chilled, bake it until fragrant and golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Step 6
Bake 15 to 17 minutes until the curd is set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center.
- Step 7
Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, then freeze for at least 2 hours.
- 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!
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
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.
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 :)
Taylor
I brought these to a party and they were a huge hit! I made the recipe exactly as written, sprinkling the tops with more lime zest and Maldon salt. The saltine crust is *everything.* The filling is pretty soft so keeping them frozen works best, but they did okay sitting out on the table for an hour also.
hollys notes
WOW! Delicious, taste just like a margarita! I took someone’s advice and mixed the flaky salt with lime zest for the topping and that was a hit. Made them in cupcake tins-baking time for the crust was the same and a few minutes less for the curd. Easy and will make again.
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.
MrsMillspaugh
Happy to report that if all you’ve got is an 8x8 pan, you can still make these AND they will still be delicious. We baked them a few minutes longer to accommodate the difference in pan size, and they turned out just fine.
jeannine
I made a double batch of this - one with alcohol one without for my kids. The one with alcohol I used Cointreau since I had it and that worked well. They’re delicious and you can adjust the amount of salt you want on each bar. They didn’t taste as boozy as some described but you can taste the tequila just like a margarita. For the non-alcoholic version I replaced the alcohol with orange juice and that worked just fine. Both versions are best coming from the freezer.
Lissy
Does cooking these bars cook out the alcohol?
Kelly T
We make these but with a pretzel and butter crust.
KT B
I've made these for years but use pretzels instead of saltines, it's divine.
Sue
The orange liqueur is part of the true-to-a-margarita flavor, so it depends on how interested you are in mimicking that flavor. If veritable margarita-ness isn't a priority, you could sub an equal quantity of orange juice or omit it entirely. If you want the full effect, it's worth picking up a bottle. If you like margaritas, you'll find a use for the rest of it!
Stacey
To make them dairy free, substitute sweetened condensed coconut milk. A good health food store should carry it.
Willow K
These were delicious, even with the cheap tequila. More cookie recipes I’m not allowed to share with my kid, please.
Purple GIrl
And then you can have the lime with the coconut... sounds like a good combo!
Zing's Mom
No. Please see this Wikipedia link; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_with_alcohol#Alcohol_in_finished_food
C
Brought these to a BBQ and everyone raved about them. Tastes just like a margarita! I did have to pop them in and out of the freezer a few times to keep them from getting too soggy. I may try the pectin additive another suggested. These are going to be a summer staple for sure.
Four Cats Now
These bars are stellar. I used a shortbread crust from another recipe, adding a few crushed-up saltines, but other than that, I made it as written. Vaughn Vreeland's recipes are always perfect. I will make this recipe again and again and again. It's that wonderful. I took a pan of these to a Memorial Weekend cookout tonight and they were a huge hit! 🇺🇸
Kim von Keller
As easy and delicious as they seem. I cut them into small bars and took them to a taco party, and everyone enjoyed them. A great sweet for a casual dinner!
Jenn
These are sooo salty. If I made them again I would not add salt to the crust, filling, or top. The salt from the crackers is more than enough.
natalia
I made these for a party, and even though we had lots of other food and deserts, this was crowd’s favorite! I’m so happy to have discovered these, will be making them for parties all the time!
Jane Linderman
Made these when my daughter ( great cook) and some friends came to visit. Found the lime to make it bitter more than flavorful ( I know how to properly zest...) and just not an interesting dessert for the time that it took. Not a crowd pleaser and ended tossing all of it--
Julie Parker
I made it in an 8x 8 pan. So there was too much crust for the top. I used graham crackers not saltines and added salt and sugar but it was too salty so next time leave the salt out. It was very hard to get out of the pan and cracked as I was trying to get it out. So you need a pan with a removable bottom.
Friend Pot Luck Approved.
The theme of today’s get together was brownies and bars. These were the first and only recipe I wanted to do. It was a huge hit among the crew. I almost did not get any. I cannot wait to make them again.
xo
Would you really consider these boozy I mean I can down 1/4 of tequila in one go....this is over the span of an entire square inch sheet pan....you'd have to entire consume the entire bake to get the equivalent of like....a shot and a half of booze....
Pam Terenzi
Excited to make this, but aren’t we about due for another recipe video, Vaughn? I am imagining the witty commentary already.
MaeMae
I found these too tequila forward, almost in an off putting way. Also found the crust to be too thick which made the ratio of filling to crust less than pleasant. Next time I might try reducing the tequila amount and subbing in something to cut it such as OJ.
Brian K
I tried to make this recipe exactly as stated, but oh darn - I absentmindedly zested all of my limes, and reluctantly tossed two heaping tablespoons of zest into the mix instead of the two teaspoons asked for. "Oh well", I thought as I put it in the oven, "I guess I'll reap what I've sown." As you can probably guess, it turned out to be the most happy of accidents! These are absolutely a margarita on a crust, and I'll make them again and again!!
Winokur Family
I bloomed a tsp of gelatine in about ⅛ cup cold water and then dissolved over low heat just before adding to the tequila egg yolk mixture. I immediately poured it into the crust and baked for 16 minutes. The bars came out perfectly and held their shape even when sitting out for over an hour. They were super delicious as well!
Austin
Fantastic recipe. Personally, I believe the amount of tequila could be lowered, depending on how much you like the taste of tequila. However, for someone who wants a simple recipe that is extremely delicious, I would recommend this.
gd
I accidentally forgot the booze (found it on the counter when cleaning up). I then grabbed the pan from the freezer; it was not solid yet, so I slowly stirred the alcohol with a fork into the topping until it was all even and creamy, and returned to freezer. FANTASTIC! Nice crisp crust remained intact, and topping was VERY margarita like.
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