Chamoy sauce is the ultimate combination of sweet, sour, spicy, tangy, and sticky. This Mexican condiment is amazing on fresh fruit or rimmed on your favorite drink. Now you can make it at home in under an hour!
I love chamoy so much! I have so many childhood memories of eating pretty much anything and everything drenched in chamoy sauce — fruit, candy, and even ice cream!
There was just something about the tangy, slightly spicy, and sweet sauce that I couldn’t get enough of. Fast forward to today, and not much has changed, except now, I’m the one making homemade chamoy sauce and it’s just as good, if not even BETTER, than the store-bought stuff.
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- Easy to batch. This recipe yields 4 cups, which is a decent amount of chamoy, considering most recipes don’t use large amounts, so this will last. Luckily, this condiment is easy to jar and stores in the fridge for up to 1 month!
- Great flavor. I love how the flavor of this recipe turned out! Sometimes I find that store-bought chamoy is too acidic or artificial tasting, but this homemade version gives you the best of all the flavor profiles.
What Is Chamoy?
Chamoy is a sweet, sour, sticky, and tangy condiment made from dried fruits, chilies, sugar, and lime juice.
It’s most commonly used as a topping or drizzle on fruits, candy, and desserts.
However, chamoy is incredibly versatile and can be used in various ways, including as a dipping sauce, a marinade, and even as a component in cocktails and drinks! Learn more about chamoy.
Homemade Chamoy Sauce Ingredients
- Dried fruits: I used a combination of dried apricots, prunes, and dried mango. See my variations section for other dried fruit recommendations.
- Dried hibiscus flowers: A staple ingredient in chamoy! It adds a slightly tart flavor. You can easily find it in most Hispanic grocery stores or online.
- Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar helps balance the tartness and spice. You can also use turbinado sugar.
- Chili lime seasoning: I used chili lime seasoning from Simply Organic. It has the right ratios of sweetness, salt, and spice and a great kick of lime. You can also use Tajín.
- Lime juice: Adding lime juice adds more sourness and acidity to balance all the sweet flavors together.
How to Make Homemade Chamoy
Add ingredients to the pot. In a medium saucepan or pot, add water, dried apricot, prunes, dried mango, dried hibiscus flowers, granulated sugar, and chili lime seasoning. Bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Take off the heat, uncover, and allow it to cool slightly for about 10-15 minutes.
Blend. Add everything into a blender or food processor along with lime juice and blend until completely smooth. The chamoy should have the consistency of barbeque sauce.
Serve. Chamoy is great on fresh fruit, desserts, or is perfect for rimming your glass when making agua fresca or margaritas.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the consistency. This homemade chamoy sauce has the consistency of thick barbeque sauce, so adjust accordingly for your desired consistency. For a thinner consistency, add water 1 tablespoon at a time while blending. For a thicker consistency, use 3 cups instead of 4 cups of water when cooking.
- You can adjust the spice level to your liking by adding or reducing the amount of chili lime seasoning, just taste as you go. You can also add 2-3 dried chile de arbol into the dried fruit mixture for an extra spicy kick.
How to Serve Chamoy Sauce
There are many ways to use chamoy. Here are a few of my favorite easy methods to enjoy it:
- Have it as a snack: Cut up some fruit or veggies, such as cucumber, apples, watermelon, jicama, pears, or strawberries, and drizzle on top, like my Mexican fruit cups.
- If you like candy apples: Coat a whole apple in the Chamoy sauce! Seriously so good.
- Enjoy it in a mangonada: A mangonada is a popular Mexican frozen drink made from mangoes, chamoy, and chile lime seasoning. It’s typically served as a slushy made from blended frozen mangoes and ice, then layered in a cup with generous drizzles of chamoy. It’s sometimes referred to as a chamoyada.
- Make it spicy: Add some chamoy on nachos as a hot sauce or as a marinade for meats.
- Use it as rim paste: For cocktails like my mango margarita, chelada, or micheladas.
- Toss your favorite candy: Gummy candies work exceptionally well!
Recipe Variations
There are many different ways you can flavor your chamoy. Here are a few variations to make it your own:
- Dried fruits: I recommend using dried apricots and prunes as a base, but feel free to add dried pineapples, tamarind paste, papaya, or even blueberries.
- Spice level: Add even more spiciness by adding 2-3 dried chile de arbol into the mixture. Just make sure to adjust the chili lime seasoning accordingly.
- Citrus juice: Swap lime juice for orange or pineapple juice.
- Make it sweeter: If you like your chamoy on the sweeter side, increase the amount of granulated sugar.
Storing and Reheating
To store, transfer the chamoy into glass jars, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
More Mexican Recipes
- Mangonada
- Mexican Fruit Cups
- Agua de Melon
- Agua de Fresa (Strawberry Agua Fresca)
Homemade Chamoy
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup dried apricot
- ½ cup pitted prunes
- ½ cup dried mango
- ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers (can be easily found in most Hispanic grocery stores, sometimes labeled as “flor de jamaica”)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons chili lime seasoning (like Tajín)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan or pot, add water, dried apricots, prunes, dried mango, dried hibiscus flowers, granulated sugar, and chili lime seasoning. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and uncover. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add mixture into a food processor or blender along with lime juice and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more lime juice or chili lime seasoning if desired. For a more runny consistency, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer chamoy into glass containers for storage. Serve with fresh fruit or rim glasses for drinks and cocktails.
Notes
- Adjust consistency: Chamoy has the consistency of thick barbeque sauce, so adjust accordingly for your desired consistency. For a thinner consistency, add water 1 tablespoon at a time while blending. For a thicker consistency, use 3 cups instead of 4 cups of water when cooking.
- Dried fruits: Get creative with using different dried fruits. I recommend keeping the base recipe of hibiscus flowers, dried apricots, and prunes, but feel free to use dried pineapples, papaya, or even blueberries.
- Spice level: You can adjust the spice level to your liking by adding or reducing the amount of chili lime seasoning, just taste as you go. You can also add 2-3 dried chile de arbol into the dried fruit mixture for an extra spicy kick.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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