Virgin Bloody Mary Mocktail: How to Make a Virgin Mary

Name: How to Make a Virgin Bloody Mary
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups (600 ml) tomato juice (chilled); 4 Tablespoons (60 ml) green olive brine (chilled); ½ medium cucumber (chopped (no need to peel)); 1 celery rib (chopped, plus extra celery stalks for garnish if you like); ½ lemon (juiced); 1 garlic clove (peeled); 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 ml) hot sauce (adjust to taste); 1 teaspoon (5 g) prepared horseradish; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional); ice (for serving); green olives and celery stalks (for garnish, optional)

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This virgin Bloody Mary mocktail is savory, salty, spicy, and so refreshing, and it blends up in 10 minutes with tomato juice, olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon, and horseradish. It is a perfect non-alcoholic brunch drink alongside a plate of vegan breakfast tacos.

Virgin Bloody Mary mocktail in a tall glass with ice, garnished with green olives and a celery stalk.

A Virgin Mary drink has all the bold, savory flavor of a classic Bloody Mary with none of the alcohol, so everyone at the table can enjoy one. It is perfect for New Year’s Day brunch, Dry January, baby showers, and weekend get-togethers, and the flavor gets even better after a night in the fridge.

Quick Glance

Recipe Name: Virgin Bloody Mary Mocktail
Why You’ll Love It: Savory, spicy, and refreshing, with no alcohol and no fancy mixers.
Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes, no cooking, beginner friendly.
Main Ingredients: Tomato juice, green olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon, garlic, horseradish, and hot sauce.
Method: Blend, pour over ice, and garnish.
Texture and Flavor: Smooth and chilled, salty and tangy, with a little heat from the horseradish and hot sauce.
Quick Tip: Chill every ingredient first so you can serve it the second it comes out of the blender.

What Makes This Virgin Bloody Mary Mocktail So Good
What Is a Virgin Mary Drink?
Virgin Bloody Mary Ingredients
Make It Your Own
How to Make a Virgin Bloody Mary
Serving Virgin Marys for New Year’s Brunch
Toni’s Recipe Tips
How to Store Virgin Bloody Mary Mix
Virgin Bloody Mary FAQs
More Vegan Drink Recipes
How to Make a Virgin Bloody Mary Recipe

What Makes This Virgin Bloody Mary Mocktail So Good

Toni Okamoto smiling and holding a slice of watermelon.

This virgin Bloody Mary is a drink everyone at brunch can enjoy, including friends who skip alcohol, kids, and anyone doing a dry month. Blending in fresh cucumber and celery gives it more body and flavor than tomato juice alone, and the olive brine adds that salty, savory bite people love in a Bloody Mary.

Big savory flavor: Olive brine, horseradish, garlic, and hot sauce give it all the punch of the classic.
Fresh veggies blended right in: Cucumber and celery make it smoother and more refreshing than a bottled mix.
Made with simple ingredients: Most of them are pantry and fridge staples, and you can make it with a regular blender.
Great for a crowd: Double or triple the batch and keep a pitcher in the fridge for brunch.
Naturally vegan and gluten-free: Just check the labels on your Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.

What Is a Virgin Mary Drink?

A Virgin Mary is a Bloody Mary made without alcohol. You will also see it called a virgin Bloody Mary, a Bloody Mary mocktail, a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary, or a Bloody Virgin. They are all the same savory tomato drink, seasoned with citrus, horseradish, hot sauce, and something salty, then poured over ice and garnished with celery or olives.

Since it has no alcohol, a Virgin Mary is perfect for brunch, Dry January, baby showers, or any time you want a savory drink. My version is vegan because it uses vegan Worcestershire sauce, since traditional Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies.

Virgin Bloody Mary Ingredients

You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this Virgin Mary recipe. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.

Ingredients for a virgin Bloody Mary mocktail measured out on a white surface, including tomato juice, green olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon, garlic, horseradish, hot sauce, and vegan Worcestershire sauce.

Tomato juice: This is the base of the drink, so use one you love the taste of. Fresh-pressed is wonderful when you can find it. If you are watching your salt, a low-sodium tomato juice works well, since the olive brine adds plenty of salt.
Green olive brine: The liquid from a jar of green olives gives this mocktail its salty, savory flavor. Save the olives for garnish.
Cucumber and celery: Blending them in adds a fresh, garden flavor and makes the drink extra refreshing.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice balances the tomato and brine. Lime juice works too.
Garlic: One clove adds savory depth without taking over.
Prepared horseradish: This gives a Bloody Mary its signature kick. Look for it in the refrigerated condiment section.
Hot sauce: Use your favorite, and start with less if you are serving guests who prefer mild drinks.
Vegan Worcestershire sauce: It is optional, but it adds even more savory, umami flavor.

Tomato juice is a good source of vitamins A and C and potassium, and according to MyPlate, 1 cup of 100% vegetable juice counts as 1 cup from the vegetable group.

Make It Your Own

More heat: Add a pinch of cayenne, a splash of jalapeño brine, or a little grated fresh ginger. If you love ginger, try my lemon cinnamon ginger tea too.
More veggies: Blend in a little finely grated beet or carrot.
More spices: Try smoked paprika, black pepper, Old Bay seasoning, or a pinch of my homemade chili lime seasoning.
Extra savory: Add a dash or two of Maggi seasoning.
Fresh herbs: Basil, parsley, or cilantro all pair well with tomato. If you love basil in drinks, try my basil lemonade too.
Spicy pickle twist: Swap some of the olive brine for dill pickle brine. I haven’t tested this swap, so start with a little and taste as you go.

How to Make a Virgin Bloody Mary

Before you start, chill the tomato juice, olive brine, cucumber, celery, and lemon in the fridge so the drink is cold as soon as it is blended. Then rinse and roughly chop the cucumber and celery (no need to peel the cucumber) and peel the garlic clove.

Tomato juice, olive brine, chopped cucumber, celery, and garlic in a blender before blending for a virgin Bloody Mary.

Step 1: Add the tomato juice, green olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon juice, garlic, hot sauce, horseradish, and vegan Worcestershire sauce (if using) to a blender.

Blended virgin Bloody Mary mix in a blender, smooth and red.

Step 2: Blend until completely smooth, then taste and add more hot sauce, horseradish, or lemon juice if you like.

Step 3: Fill two glasses with ice and pour the virgin Bloody Mary over the ice. Garnish with green olives on a skewer or a celery stalk and serve right away.

PRO TIP: For a salted rim, run a lemon wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip it in a shallow dish of salt before adding the ice.

Serving Virgin Marys for New Year’s Brunch

This recipe makes two drinks, and it doubles or triples easily in a large blender (or in batches) for a crowd. Blend it the day before, pour it into a pitcher, and set out a little garnish bar so everyone can build their own glass.

Classic garnishes: Celery stalks, green olives, and lemon or lime wedges.
Pickled veggies: I’m partial to dill pickle spears, and my quick refrigerator pickles are perfect here. Pickled carrots, green beans, or a hot pepper are fun too.
Rim seasonings: Salt alone, or salt mixed with celery salt, black pepper, chili powder, or smoked salt.

This mocktail goes great with savory brunch dishes like English muffins with vegan hollandaise sauce or a big pan of tofu scramble with veggies. Black-eyed peas are a New Year’s Day tradition in the South, and a pitcher of Virgin Marys fits right in next to a pot of my vegan black eyed pea soup.

If you are doing Dry January and want something sweet to sip on, too, my cucumber lemonade and homemade strawberry juice are great options.

Toni’s Recipe Tips

Use chilled ingredients: That way, it is ready to serve right after blending and extra refreshing.
Use good tomato juice: I recommend fresh-pressed when you can find it, but any tomato juice you enjoy drinking works.
Taste and adjust: Tweak the hot sauce, horseradish, lemon, and brine until the balance is just right for you.
Make it ahead: I love preparing it the day before so the flavors have time to meld.

Virgin Bloody Mary mocktail in a textured glass with celery and olive garnish, with a pitcher in the background.

How to Store Virgin Bloody Mary Mix

Fridge: Store the blended virgin Bloody Mary mix in a sealed pitcher or jar for 3 to 5 days. The flavors deepen over time. Stir or shake it before serving.

Freezer: Freeze it in an ice cube tray for up to 4 months. Thaw the cubes in the refrigerator overnight and re-blend if needed. For a summer twist, blend the frozen cubes into a slushie, the same way I make my watermelon cooler.

Virgin Bloody Mary mix stored in a glass bottle with a lid.

Virgin Bloody Mary FAQs

Is a Virgin Mary drink alcoholic?

No. A Virgin Mary, also called a virgin Bloody Mary or Bloody Mary mocktail, is made without any alcohol. This version is tomato juice blended with olive brine, cucumber, celery, lemon, garlic, horseradish, and hot sauce.

How many calories are in a virgin Bloody Mary?

This recipe has about 70 calories per glass, and most of them come from the tomato juice. Tomato juice and olive brine are both salty, so if you are watching your sodium, use a low-sodium tomato juice and start with less brine.

Can I use store-bought Bloody Mary mix?

You can use a bottled Bloody Mary mix in a pinch, but check the label, since many mixes contain Worcestershire sauce made with anchovies. I haven’t tested this recipe with a bottled mix, and the cucumber and celery in this version give it a fresher flavor.

Can I use fresh tomatoes in a virgin Bloody Mary?

Sure, though I prefer the richer flavor of tomato juice. You can roughly chop and blend ripe, in-season tomatoes, then pour the purée through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the skins and seeds.

What are the best garnishes for a Bloody Mary mocktail?

Celery sticks and green olives are the classics. I also love dill pickle spears, lemon or lime wedges, pickled vegetables, cherry tomatoes, or a hot pepper. For the rim, try salt on its own or mixed with celery salt, black pepper, chili powder, or smoked salt.