Learn how to make Chamoy sauce with only a few simple ingredients, including dried apricots, dried hibiscus flowers and prunes. Whip up a batch in just 30 minutes.
We love drizzling chamoy over fresh fruit, using it as a cocktail rim on our Cantaritos, Mango Micheladas, Michelada, Mexican Candy Shot and Beermosa and making chamoy Mexican candy with it.
Table of Contents
What Is Chamoy Sauce?
Chamoy sauce is a very popular Mexican condiment made from dehydrated fruit (such as plums, apricots and mango) and either chili peppers or chili powder. For ease, we’ve used chili powder in this version.
While attributed to Mexico, it actually originated when Chinese immigrants brought sweet and sour snacks to Mexico centuries ago. These snacks were made from a fruit called Prunus mume, a fruit closely related to an apricot.
What Does Chamoy Taste Like
This popular Mexican condiment hits all the tastebuds – it’s sweet, sour, spicy, tangy and salty! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy thanks to the natural sweetness in the dried fruit and slight heat from the chili powder. The hit of lime gives it a slight citrus flavor to round it out. It’s highly adaptable to suit your needs.
Ways To Use This Mexican Condiment
There are so many uses for Chamoy sauce. Here are six of our favorite ways to use it:
Chamoy Rim Paste
Keep the consistency on the thicker side to create a Chamoy paste thick enough to use as a rim on your favorite Mexican cocktails!
Chamoy Candy
Chamoy Mexican Candy is exactly what it sounds like. Your favorite fruity candies are coated with chamoy and tajin. Chamoy gummies, made with gummy bears, peach rings, gummy snakes, etc. are the best. We use them as a garnish on our favorite drink recipes, such as a Beermosa.
Chamoy Dip
The most popular use for Chamoy is as a dip (or drizzle if you like your chamoy on the thinner side). Think mangos, melons, jicama, pineapple and coconut. Chamoy apples are also extremely popular.
Chamoyada
A chamoyada, also called a mangonada, is a popular frozen slushy made with frozen mangos and chamoy. Recipe to come!
Dessert Toppings
Drizzle thin chamoy on popsicles, ice cream or shaved ice.
Glaze
Use it as a marinade or glaze on chicken, beef or pork.
How To Make Chamoy Sauce
There’s not a ton of work that goes into making chamoy dip. You basically throw everything, except the lime juice, into a saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled you transfer the mix to a blender and blend away!
What is Chamoy Made Of
You’ll likely need to plan ahead to make this recipe unless you live near a fully stocked supermarket. To get started, you’ll need:
- Dried Hibiscus Flowers – Look in the international section of your supermarket. We just grab a bag from Amazon for ease.
- Dried Fruit – We’ve seen dried raisins used, but we stick to dried apricots and dried prunes.
- Sugar – Feel free to use white sugar, brown sugar or a combo of the two.
- Chili Powder – Feel free to replace the chili powder with dried chilis, if you prefer. Arbol chilis would be a great substitution.
Is Chamoy Spicy?
It can be. The chili powder does give it heat, but should be palatable for most peeps as written. If you’re not a fan of heat, you can easily reduce the amount called for (or even add more for more kick).
Tajin and Chamoy
Is there a difference between the two? You bet there is! Chamoy is a sauce while Tajin is a dry seasoning. You can actually add some tajin to chamoy as it’s a mix of chili and lime flavoring. The flavor profile fits right in.
Recipe Tips
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- This recipe is suitable for canning. Just follow the canning safety guidelines for best results.
- We keep the consistency thick when initially making chamoy. If we find we need a thinner sauce, to drizzle on fruit or desserts, we just add what we need to a blender along with water and re-blend. Add a tablespoon of water at a time.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a recipe rating, snap a pic and use the hashtag #foodieandwine, after you’ve made the recipe, and post to social media!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Dried Apricots
- ½ Cup Prunes
- ½ Cup Dried Hibiscus Flowers
- 3 Cups Water
- 6 tbsp Chili Powder
- ¼ Cup White Sugar
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice
Instructions
- Add the dried apricots, prunes, dried hibiscus, water, chili powder and white sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the sauce cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the cooled sauce to a blender and add the lime juice. Blend until well combined.
- The sauce will be thick at this point. Continue to add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until your preferred consistency is reached.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- This recipe is suitable for canning. Just follow the canning safety guidelines for best results.
- We keep the consistency thick when initially making chamoy. If we find we need a thinner sauce, to drizzle on fruit or desserts, we just add what we need to a blender along with water and re-blend. Add a tablespoon of water at a time.
