I am Mexican and have been eating delicious fruit and vegetable cups with chamoy, lime, salt, and chili powder for as long as I can remember.
Our authentic Mexican candies are sweet and sour with a boost of acidity, spicy, and a bit of umami. Just like this chamoy sauce – it has all the ideal flavors of my childhood.
This quick and easy homemade chamoy recipe is thick and perfect as a dipping sauce or condiment for candy or savory snacks.
What is chamoy sauce?
Chamoy is a thick sauce (condiment) made from dried fruit, chile, and acid. I like to use vinegar and lime juice for it. The sauce is everywhere in Mexico, from street snack carts to store shelves. There are a lot of variations for this recipe, but this homemade chamoy recipe hits the spot for me.
Why is it better to make Mexican chamoy at home?
It will always be best when made from scratch; you know the exact list of chamoy ingredients is not so healthy. This recipe for homemade sauce has no artificial colors, preservatives, and other ingredients like xanthan gum, high fructose corn syrup, or sodium benzoate.
homemade chamoy ingredients
- Lime, it is better to use limes than lemons.
- Ancho chili, use ground ancho chile powder. You can put in the blender ancho chiles without seeds and stems until they become powder if you do not have any.
- Dried apricots. When you buy the apricots, buy them without sugar. The apricot is acidic, and we don’t want to lose that flavor in the sauce with sweetened fruit.
- You could substitute with sour apricots, hibiscus flowers, ume plums, or tamarind.
- Apple cider vinegar (affiliate link). I buy organic apple cider vinegar (affiliate link) because it has the most nutritional value. Substitute with rice vinegar if needed.
- Sugar. Use cane sugar or coconut sugar, whichever you like best.
How to make chamoy sauce (chamoi)?
Boil some water in a saucepan, soak the fruit until plump and blend with the remaining ingredients: the couple tablespoons of chili pepper, acid, and sugar. Then taste, taste, taste until it is perfect, sour, sweet, and spicy. Let it rest, chill and taste again before enjoying it.
How to eat chamoy sauce?
- Carrot, cucumber, and jícama sticks.
- Mangoes. Make cuts around the mango and finish it with the chamoy sauce. Any fresh fruit tastes great with it.
- Mangonadas. Chamoy is also the best in mangonadas (a mango slushie) or with lemon, mango, and strawberry paletas or chips.
- Fruit with sliced apples or fresh coconut, watermelon, pears, papaya (affiliate link), etc.
- Micheladas or margaritas. You can use this chamoy sauce to prepare the rim of a glass for a margarita or michelada. Place an upside-down glass in a bowl with the sauce, carefully turn around, sprinkle with chili powder, and then serve your drink.
- Raspados (shaved ice), chamoyada, paletas (perfect over hibiscus flower- jamaica ones), drizzled over a sorbet.
How do Mexicans eat chamoy?
- In Mexico City, a very famous sushi place adds Chamoy to their steamed rice and uses it to finish some of their most renowned sushi rolls.
- If you go through the streets of Mexico, you’ll find snack carts or food trucks with “prepared” fruit. The “prepared” means fruit with chili, lemon, salt, and spicy sauce.
- A Mexican snack is fruit cups mixes fruits and vegetables (pineapple + cucumber + carrots + jicama) with lime juice, chili powder, and chopped peanuts. And, of course, it all finished up with this chamoy sauce and a dash of Tajin.
- You can make this sauce as spicy or as acidic as you want.
Is chamoy spicy?
Yes, it can be, but the beauty of making your chamoy recipe at home; you can control the spiciness. My kids are in love with it.
Other recipes that you may like:
So here is my recipe for making Chamoy, a Mexican favorite and super famous spicy sauce perfect for fruit and vegetables. This sauce makes the perfect spicy and flavorful healthy-ish snake. If you like the recipe, please share it on FB or Instagram or save it later on Pinterest.
How to make chamoy at home?
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- ¾ cup dried apricots
- 1 ½ cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon ancho chili powder or more if you like it very spicy
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the apricots in the boiling water until the water cools.
- Add the dried apricots and soaking water to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend until everything is well integrated. If it is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you achieve the perfect texture.
- Try and adjust the flavor.
- Add more chili or more lemon depending on your taste.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I have a Profesional Certification in vegan cooking; in the world of cooking based on vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes… in clean, organic and vegan food.
My cookbook is called Yo Cocino Latino..
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My sister and I made this chamoy and we are OBSESSED!! We bought a pre-made bottle from the store to compare and there is no comparison. The homemade one is WAY better obviously. We currently have multiple bags of different candies coated in the chamoy sitting in the refrigerator. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Omg!!! Thanks for letting me know! You just made my day.