Tiered, Lidded or Simple Dish? Best Salt Rimmer for Margaritas

A salt rimmer is a small thing that makes a big difference when you pour more than two margaritas. Instead of a saucer of salt, a wet paper towel and a sticky counter, you get a shallow tray sized to a glass rim, somewhere to wet that rim, and often a lid that keeps the salt clean until the next round.

This guide is about the rimmer itself: tiered trays, lidded rimmers, simple rimming dishes and the ones with a built-in place for lime juice or lime wedges. Which salt to put in it is a separate question, covered in our guide to the best salt for the rim of a margarita glass. Here we compare the tools, their sizes and how they wet the rim, and say which suits which kind of home bar.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a working Mexican kitchen looks for in a margarita rimmer, the makers’ own specifications and retailer product sheets, which we cite.

Quick verdict: which margarita rimmer to buy

The rest of this page explains how these differ and which one suits your glasses.

Five margarita rimmers at a glance

Our five standout rimmers side by side, one for each kind of home bar, with the sizes and features each maker or listing states. All eight rimmers are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Sizes and care instructions are as stated by each maker or listing; where retailers disagree, the review below says so.

Our picks for the best salt rimmer for margaritas

These eight rimmers cover the main designs: stacked three-tier trays with a place for lime juice, a five-tray station for parties, single wide trays with lids, a rimmer with a center compartment for lime wedges, and simple dishes in steel, ceramic, silicone and wood. Each pick gives the sizes the maker states, how it wets the rim, how to clean it, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a margarita rimmer

Five things decide which rimmer suits you. Start with your glasses and how many people you serve.

1. Tiers: one rim or several

A single tray or dish is enough if you only use plain salt. A three-tier rimmer gives you a place for lime juice plus two rims, usually salt and sugar or salt and a chile-lime seasoning. A five-tray station is for parties where guests choose their own. More tiers mean more to wash, so buy for how you actually serve.

2. Diameter against your glasses

Measure the outside of your widest glass rim. A stemmed margarita glass with a wide bowl usually needs a bigger tray than a rocks glass. Rimmers that state a size range from about 5 inches (Houdini) to glasses up to 6 inches (Tablecraft’s lime-compartment rimmer). If a glass is wider than the tray, you can still tilt it and roll the outside of the rim through the salt, but a tray that fits is quicker. Our guide to margarita glasses covers the common styles.

3. How it wets the rim

Salt needs something to stick to. A sponge tier soaked in lime juice gives the most even film; a plain juice tray works if you keep the layer thin; a lime-wedge compartment keeps fresh wedges at hand for the classic method; and a lid that doubles as a cutting board puts the lime right next to the salt. A simple dish leaves wetting to you, which is fine with a wedge in your other hand.

4. A lid, and whether you can store salt in it

A lid keeps dust and moisture out of salt between drinks. Some makers are happy for you to keep salt in the rimmer, such as TonJin and WYMOON; others, such as Outset and Tablecraft’s lime-compartment rimmer, say not to. Lime juice should never sit in a tray overnight: empty and rinse it after each session.

5. Material and cleaning

Plastic three-tier rimmers are light and usually inexpensive; stainless steel is sturdy and easy to clean; ceramic looks good but can chip; silicone is unbreakable; wood needs hand washing. Check the care advice before you buy if you rely on the dishwasher, and note that for some models, such as the Tablecraft 5-tray station and the Outset, sellers disagree.

How we chose these eight rimmers

We started from what a margarita rimmer has to do: hold an even layer of salt in a tray wide enough for the glass, give you a clean way to wet the rim, and be easy to clean and store. We then looked at the tiered trays, lidded rimmers and rimming dishes sold on Amazon in the United States, checked that each was in stock, and took sizes, materials and care instructions from the maker’s own listing or product sheet, using restaurant-supply retailers where the listing was thin and saying so where sources disagree. We chose eight to cover every common design and material rather than listing near-identical plastic towers. We kept the TonJin rimmer as our top pick for consistency with our rim salt guide, and we left out three-tier rimmers from sellers with no identifiable maker, products that were out of stock or nearly so, including Final Touch’s stainless steel rimmers and True’s own three-tier model, and salt products, which that guide covers. We have not used these products ourselves; where we describe how a design behaves, it follows from its shape and the maker’s description.

Using a rimmer without the mess

The technique is the same whatever the tool, and our rim salt guide covers it step by step. In short: fill the salt tray with an even layer, wet only the outside of the rim with lime, dip or roll, tap off the loose salt, and rim the glasses just before you pour. A few rimmer-specific habits help:

• Keep the juice layer thin. A flooded juice tray or sponge sends drips down the glass and clumps the salt.
• Refresh the salt. Salt in a tray picks up juice with every dip; stir it or top it up with fresh salt every few glasses.
• Empty the juice after each session. Rinse the tray or sponge and let it dry before the lid goes back on.
• Use a separate tray for each rim. Keep chile-lime seasoning and sugar out of the plain salt so each stays clean.

Margarita rimmer questions, answered

What is a salt rimmer for margaritas?

It is a shallow tray or set of trays sized to a glass rim, for coating the rim with salt, sugar or a seasoning. Many add a compartment or sponge for lime juice and a lid to keep the salt clean.

Do I need a three-tier rimmer?

Not if you only use plain salt; a single dish works. A three-tier rimmer earns its place when you serve several people or offer two rims, because the lime juice and both rims sit in one tidy footprint.

What size rimmer fits a margarita glass?

Measure the outside of your glass rim and choose a tray at least that wide. Of the rimmers that state it, Outset fits glasses up to 5-1/2 inches and Tablecraft’s lime-compartment rimmer from 3-1/2 to 6 inches.

Can you leave salt in a rimmer?

It depends on the model. TonJin’s snap-on lid and WYMOON’s lidded dishes are meant to keep salt between uses; Outset and Tablecraft advise against storing salt in theirs. Never leave lime juice in a tray.

Are margarita rimmers dishwasher safe?

Many are, including TonJin, Houdini, WYMOON and True’s silicone rimmer, according to their listings. Tablecraft’s lime-compartment rimmer is not, wood should be washed by hand, and for some models sellers disagree, so check before you load the dishwasher.

Our final pick for rimming margarita glasses

Buy the TonJin three-tier rimmer if you want lime juice, salt and sugar in one lidded, dishwasher-safe tool. Choose the Tablecraft five-tray station for parties, the Outset stainless rimmer for wide glasses and a tidy bar cart, and Tablecraft’s lime-compartment rimmer if you rim with fresh wedges. Whichever you choose, keep the juice layer thin and rim the glasses just before you pour, whether you serve them frozen or on the rocks.

A rimmer is one piece of a home margarita bar. Our guide to margarita accessories covers the glasses, shakers and squeezers that go with it, and our pick of lime squeezers makes the juice for the drink itself.

And if you would rather someone else made the margaritas tonight, see the drinks list or call to order.