11 Creative Ways To Use Tequila In Desserts

In the minds of many Americans, the quintessential Mexican tipple, is tequila, made from the distilled sap of the Blue Weber agave plant, does indeed have deep, proud roots in Mexico. Before Spanish contact, indigenous Mexicans enjoyed (and continue to enjoy today) a sweet, lightly fermented agave-based drink called pulque. Spanish settlers to Mexico discovered the drink and realized they could concoct a more powerful pour by distilling it –- and over time, this distilled beverage evolved into today's tequila.

Given this history, it's only appropriate that the first thing many of us do when seated in a Stateside Mexican restaurant is order a margarita. But if this is the only time you ever think about tequila, you're missing out. Its distinctive flavors, which have been described as earthy, fruity, herbal, and a bit savory, not only make it a great base for a range of cocktails beside margaritas, they're a great in the kitchen as well –- especially in desserts.

To give you some inspiration (and fun ways to use up that bottle left over from your last Cinco de Mayo party), we've enlisted a team of tequila-loving experts: Keiry Palma, chef-instructor of Pastry & Baking Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus; Jacqueline Rojo, pastry chef at the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso, Texas; Bill Foss, founder of Suavecito Tequila; Marco Cedano, original master distiller at Don Julio and co-founder and master distiller at Tequila Tromba; and cookbook author Yvette Marquez.

Nothing elevates a simple chocolate dessert like a judicious dose of spirits. While we're used to seeing chocolate cakes and other confections flavored with rum, whiskey, or sweet liqueurs, Jacqueline Rojo likes to liven up her handmade truffles and chocolates with a touch of tequila. "I've used it many times in ganaches for bon bon fillings and truffle fillings," she says.

If you plan to incorporate tequila into your desserts, however, bear mind that different types of tequilas complement different flavors –- so a fruity truffle filling may fare better with a different tequila than a dark chocolate filling. "Most tequilas taste good with a side of lime, so almost any citrus-flavored, high-fat dessert would be ideal for an everyday tequila," Rojo explains. On the other end of the flavor spectrum, according to Bill Foss, is añejo tequila, "which tends to have a deeper flavor due to the barrel aging" and "goes extremely well with chocolatey desserts." So when designing your truffle filling, taste your tequila first and plan accordingly.

Most of us are so used to seeing tequila in citrusy margaritas and other cocktails that we're surprised to learn that it goes equally well with a number of very different dessert flavors. "Tequila is a bold spirit with just a touch of sweetness, so it matches well with citrus-infused desserts, rich chocolates, and caramel-topped treats," Bill Foss says. This means tequila-forward desserts aren't limited to edible tributes to margaritas –- it can add a special touch in places you least expect to see it.

Yvette Marquez, for example, likes to showcase tequila in a dressed-up variation on fried sweet plantains. "I have a Fried Sweet Plantains recipe drizzled with a honey-tequila sauce giving it a bananas foster-esque dessert vibe," she says. In her recipe, she tosses thick slices of ripe plantains with brown sugar, sautés them until the sugar coating caramelizes, then serves them with a decadent sauce of butter, honey, tequila, and cinnamon.

If you're unfamiliar with sweet plantains, they're simply ultra-ripe green plantains. Their skins may look unappetizingly black, but don't let that deter you –- the insides will look like those of a firm, ripe banana and will cook up sweet and fragrant.

We like to think of spiked milkshakes as the best form of payback for all the burdens of adulthood. We may have to put up with traffic, bureaucracy, and office politics, but we also get to indulge in decadent childhood treats such as milkshakes without anyone's permission. Even better, we can make milkshakes with any add-ins we want, including our favorite adult beverages.

Tequila especially makes a surprisingly good add-in to a chocolate milkshake. "Going back to the question about what would be my favorite [tequila dessert], it is without a doubt our Mocha Mexicano Milkshake. I could take down a few of those," Jacqueline Rojo says. In this milkshake, Rojo uses tequila from Cantera Negra, which ages some of its tequilas in cognac and bourbon barrels to add warmth to their flavors. If you've only ever experienced tequila in fruity cocktails or shots, tasting it in a milkshake will be a happy surprise.

Because of its association with icy margaritas, we tend to think of tequila as a summery, hot-weather drink. But the nutty, toasty notes in some types of tequila make it a great addition to winter warmers as well. Yvette Marquez, for instance, likes to add a touch of tequila to Mexican hot chocolate –- a foamy, creamy drink with a distinct hint of cinnamon.

If you've never had Mexican hot chocolate, either spiked or un-spiked, you're in for a treat. Traditionally whisked until frothy, it's not only sweet and spicy, but a taste of history in a cup. Hot chocolate originated in Mexico, where Mayan cooks made an unsweetened, thickened beverage of ground cocoa beans, chilis, and cornmeal, and like modern cooks, they agitated the drink until it was frothy. Today, you can find round tablets of cinnamon-infused Mexican drinking chocolate in supermarkets and Latin specialty shops –- you dissolve them in simmering milk or water to make hot chocolate. To add even more spice, do as the Mayans did and add a touch of cayenne for heat.

We love exploring all the fun cooking hacks and food trends that fill our Instagram and TikTok feeds, but they have a downside: They can make us forget about old favorites. A lot of great desserts that modern diners would love have fallen out of fashion for no good reason. And that's a real bummer for dessert lovers. Consider, for instance, the strangely named Baked Alaska.

A midcentury party staple, Baked Alaska consists of a cake base topped with ice cream, then covered in a thick layer of meringue. The whole thing is then quickly baked so the outside is browned, but the ice cream inside is still frozen. It's not only tasty, but endlessly riff-able and very cool to look at.

Fortunately, Jacqueline Rojo brought the forgotten classic back from the dead with her own variation, which features The Patrón Citrónge tequila, which flavors a soak for the cake base. "The Baked Pearl has a blackberry ice cream center, orange cake surrounded with the Citrónge soak, and a pea flower meringue," she says. Fruity, colorful, and a bit boozy, this dessert is anything but old fashioned.

If you've ever dined at a high-end restaurant, you're probably familiar with the typical assortment of after-dinner drinks that show up on the dessert menu: different types of port, sweet wines, and perhaps the occasional cordial, rum, or whiskey. All of these are on offer because they're not only tasty in their own right, but good matches for the other sweet treats on the menu.

Our experts, however, note that tequila deserves a place on the dessert menu as well, especially now that interesting flavored tequila varieties have emerged. "At The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park, we are about to launch a Dessert/Tequila Trio Pairing with a Tequila Rose, Cazadora Café, and 1921 White Chocolate," Jacqueline Rojo says. "These will be paired with a coffee smores tartlet, a strawberry and cream crémeux, and a tequila white chocolate ganache-filled chocolate bar."

Bill Foss also enjoys pairing tequilas with desserts. "One of my favorite pairings is sipping a Cristalino tequila with Tres Leches cake topped with fruit because of its vanilla notes or with a dulce de leche cheesecake," he says. The darker, deeper añejo tequilas, he added, are great with desserts such as Mexican chocolate pots de crème or even bananas foster.

If you have a favorite dessert recipe that features rum, you can give it a new twist by swapping out the rum for tequila. You can't really go wrong, since, as Keiry Palma notes, tequila harmonizes well with the wide range of dessert flavors that typically partner with rum, such as mangos, pineapples, passion fruit, chocolate, and caramel. So if you have a rum-flavored dessert recipe that you've made successfully and enjoyed, you can simply do a one-to-one swap of tequila for rum, a tactic that Yvette Marquez recommends. "Rum or bourbon cake, turn it into a tequila cake," she suggests.

Be mindful, however, that the type of tequila you use matters –- the bottle you have may harmonize better with some flavors than others. "Dessert flavors that go good with tequila can vary upon the type of tequila," Jacqueline Rojo warns. While it's fine to experiment and try to spike a recipe that doesn't call for tequila or other spirits, be aware of how it may change the structure or texture of the finished dessert. For instance, Palma notes that the sugar in tequila can not only add unintended sweetness but accelerate browning. Alcohol in general can inhibit gluten formation in baked goods, which can be either a good or bad thing, depending on what you're making. Thus, you may need to adjust your recipe accordingly.

Citrus and tequila are a classic pairing in cocktails, and this partnership also extends to desserts –- a touch of tequila can do wonders for citrusy cakes and dessert sauces. But it can make an even bigger impact in desserts with a more intense citrus profile, such as tarts and other pastries filled with powerfully puckery citrus curd. For instance, if you love the tangy, herbaceous flavor profile of a classic margarita, you'll love a classic key lime pie with a touch of tequila in the filling.

Fun fact: While citrus does indeed complement the flavor and aroma of most tequila, the classic slice of lime that accompanies tequila shots wasn't originally meant as a flavor enhancer. Rather, it -– and the salt that drinkers traditionally licked before downing their shots –- were meant to disguise the flavor. This is because many early forms of tequila were crudely made and even more crudely flavored, and the intensity of the salt and lime brought out what little agreeable flavor they had while masking their harshness. Today's artisanal tequilas are smooth enough to stand on their own. But a touch of citrus (and salt) can still be a nice flavor enhancer, not to mention a festive nod to tradition.

One of the more common uses of tequila in desserts is as a flavoring for a rich, creamy cheesecake. "Margarita cheesecake is a great tequila dessert with a perfect balance of creaminess and tanginess," Marco Cordano says. "The rich texture of the cheesecake pairs great with the bright, citrusy kick of lime and the warmth of good tequila, like Tequila Tromba Blanco. A hint of sea salt in the crust or sprinkled on top really makes it taste like a margarita!"

Cordano adds that you can vary the flavor of your cheesecake by varying your choice of tequila. "You can swap blanco for añejo or reposado, it will bring a different flavor profile which can be fun to experiment with," he said. For reference, tequila blanco, the type typically used in margaritas, is clear and usually unaged; reposado ("rested") tequilas are barrel-aged for up to one year and are yellowish in color; and añejo, or extra aged, tequilas are aged up to three years and develop a deep caramel color. "Choose the right tequila — blanco for fresh, citrusy notes, reposado for warm caramel flavors, and añejo for deeper vanilla and oak," Yvette Marquez says.

On sweltering days, even devoted sweet tooths may have little appetite for rich puddings or big slices of layer cake. Chances are, they have even less inclination to turn on the oven and spend hours in a hot kitchen to make a big dessert. For these occasions, smart dessert lovers turn to a Sicilian summertime classic: granita. The icy dessert, which dates back to Roman times, originally featured coarsely grated ice topped with fruit syrup, but now features a frozen, pre-flavored base, much like sorbet.

If you enjoy frozen margaritas, you'll love a tequila-spiked granita. While traditional Sicilian varieties are difficult to make at home, simpler, less-traditional versions are quick and easy to make –- you simply make a base of water, sugar, and flavorings such as fruit juice and tequila, freeze it in a shallow pan, and scrape the frozen treat with a fork to form coarse grains, which you scoop into bowls to serve. The slushy, refreshing treat not only feels elegant and festive, it's both gluten-free and dairy free, so a great way to treat friends with dietary restrictions.

As any 7-year-old can tell you, plain fresh fruit doesn't count as dessert. It's fine as a healthy snack or as a substitute for a vegetable side dish, but a fun and celebratory way to cap off a meal? Not unless you're a walking no-fun zone. On the other hand, fresh fruit zhuzhed up a bit by grilling or the addition of a sweet sauce can be cause for celebration, especially if it's served with cookies or ice cream on the side.

And if you want to elevate a fruit salad or compote from a trusty side dish to a light but festive dessert, just add a touch of booze. While wine is a classic add-in to fruity desserts, Yvette Marquez likes to switch out the wine for tequila –- an easy swap that gives the dessert a completely new vibe. While this isn't a kid-friendly dessert, it can make a light but satisfying dessert for a grown-up summer barbecue.