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Make your own homemade Chamoy Sauce! This flavorful Mexican condiment the perfect blend of sweet, tart and spice. Use it in drinks, on fruit, snack and candy!
Love authentic Mexican food recipes? Make sure you check out our Mexican crema, Agua de Jamaica, and fresas con crema recipes.
Homemade Chamoy
If you’ve ever had mango topped with Tajín and chamoy, a mangonada from your favorite snack shop, or a bag of chamoy-covered candy, then you already know why people become obsessed with this sauce.
Chamoy is one of those flavors that’s hard to describe until you’ve tasted it. It’s sweet, tangy, salty, and slightly spicy all at the same time. Somehow, it makes fresh fruit taste sweeter, candy taste more exciting, and drinks feel like a special treat.
The good news is that homemade chamoy is surprisingly easy to make.
This version combines fruit, hibiscus, lime, and chili into a bold, flavorful sauce that’s perfect for drizzling over fruit, swirling into drinks, coating candy, or using to make homemade mangonadas.
Once you have a jar in the refrigerator, you’ll find yourself reaching for it constantly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make at home
- Sweet, tangy, salty, and spicy
- Better than many store-bought versions
- Perfect for fruit, drinks, and candy
- Easily customizable
- Great for meal prep
- Keeps well in the refrigerator
Why This Homemade Version is Worth Making
Store-bought chamoy is convenient, but making it at home gives you complete control over the flavor.
You can:
- Adjust the sweetness
- Make it spicier
- Increase the tanginess
- Control the consistency
And because it’s made with real fruit, the flavor is fresher and more vibrant.
After making this recipe a few times, I found myself preferring it over anything I could buy at the store.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Hibiscus: Dried Hibiscus flowers are commonly used for making teas or other drinks (like our Agua de Jamaica). When these dried flowers are steeped in hot water they release a tart, almost cranberry like flavoring. Plus this is what gives that deep color that chamoy is known for. Find this ingredient in Mexican markets, the Hispanic section of your local market, or online.
- Prunes & Apricots: This homemade chamoy can be made with dried prunes, dates or raisins. Use these fruits to add sweetness to the sauce.
- Tajin: A popular seasoning made with chili peppers, lime and salt. Use a store-bought version or make our homemade chili lime seasoning mix. If needed you could swap this ingredient out for chili peppers, dried or powder, and increase the amount of salt and lime juice in the recipe to get the taste you are wanting.
- Lime Juice: always go for freshly squeezed lime juice without any additional sweeteners or ingredients added.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
How to Make Chamoy
- First, add the dried apricots, prunes, and hibiscus flowers to a pot. Pour water over the top. Stir in the tajin, sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Next, bring this mixture to a simmer and let it cook for about 30 minutes.
- Finally, blend the hibiscus mixture together to make a smooth sauce. Add more or less water as needed to get the desired consistency. Squeeze in the fresh lime juice to taste.
Blending Hot Liquids
Blending hot liquids can easily cause burns. Allow the liquid to cool briefly before placing the lid on the blender. Placing the lid on too soon can cause pressure to build up and cause the lid to come off during the blending process.
Tips From Making This Recipe on Repeat
- Taste Before Blending The sweetness and tartness can vary depending on your fruit. Adjust as needed.
- Blend Thoroughly A smooth chamoy has a better texture for drizzling and dipping.
- Let It Cool Completely The flavor develops and balances as it cools.
- Make a Double Batch It disappears faster than you think.
Storage Information
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- Freezer: Freeze in an ice cube tray to easily create one serving amounts, once frozen, remove form the tray and place into a freezer safe bag or storage container for up to 6 months. Simply thaw and use as needed.
How to Use Chamoy
- Drinks: Layer your drinks with chamoy sauce, or top with a drizzle for extra flavor. One of the most popular drinks with chamoy is a Mangonada.
- Rim Dip: Mix the sauce with some melted Mexican tamarind candies to make a paste (Rim Dip Recipe) for use on the rim of your favorite cocktails.
- Fresh Fruit: Try our Watermelon with tajin, or slice up fresh mango, jicama, apples, strawberries.
- Candy: this has become a popular option! Coat your favorite candies for dulces enchilados. Some ideas would include: peach rings, sour candies, gummy bears, skittles, and Gushers.
- Chips: enjoy a homemade Tostilocos, a popular mexican street food. Load up some Salsa Verde Tostitos with spicy Takis, diced up jicama, cucumbers, mango, Japanese peanuts, then drizzle it all with some hot sauce and chamoy.
How to Make Chamoy Rim Dip
If you love mangonadas and chamoy-coated drinks, you can turn this sauce into a thick rim dip by mixing it with fruit preserves and Tajín.
This creates a sticky consistency that’s perfect for coating glass rims and fruit cups.
Get our recipe for Chamoy Rim Dip!
Recipes with Chamoy
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Homemade Chamoy Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dried apricots (6 ounces)
- ½ cup dried prunes seeded (3 ounces)
- ½ cup dried hibiscus flower petals
- 3¼ cup water
- ⅓ cup tajin seasoning
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup lime juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Add the apricots, prunes and hibiscus flowers to a medium size saucepan. Pour water over the top. Stir in the tajin, sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Heat over medium heat until simmering, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and keep at a low simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour the hibiscus mixture into a blender and add the lime juice.
- Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Use caution when blending hot liquids, allow to cool briefly before placing the lid on the blender.
- If too thick, add small amounts of water to get desired consistency.
- Serve this over fresh fruit or in smoothies or drinks.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Dried Hibiscus: dried hibiscus flowers, this is commonly used for making teas or other drinks. When these dried flowers are steeped in hot water they release a tart, almost cranberry like flavoring. They can be found in Mexican markets, in some markets in the Hispanic section, or online.
- Prunes: This recipe can be made with dried prunes, dates or raisins. These are used to help sweeten the sauce.
- Dried Apricots: Find these in the snack aisle in your local markets, they are simply dehydrated apricots, used to add flavor and sweetness to the sauce.
- Tajin: this is a popular seasoning made with chili peppers, lime and salt. If needed you could swap this ingredient out for chili peppers, dried or powder, and increase the amount of salt and lime juice in the recipe to get the taste you are wanting.
- Lime Juice: always go for freshly squeezed lime juice without any additional sweeteners or ingredients added.
- Consistency: use more or less water as needed to make the sauce as thin or thick as you need.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published March 8, 2023. Updated April 8, 2024.
Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
