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Home » Homemade Chamoy Sauce

Homemade Chamoy Sauce

by Mike Hultquist · Sep 16, 2022 · 4 Comments

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Chamoy Sauce Recipe

This homemade chamoy sauce recipe is the most versatile Mexican sauce ever, the perfect mix of sweet, savory and spicy, easy to make, perfect drizzled over fruits, desserts, snacks, and more. So delicious and so many ways to enjoy it!

Chamoy Sauce Recipe

Chamoy Sauce

We're making Homemade Chamoy Sauce in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends! I think you're going to love this recipe. Chamoy is one to have on hand at any given time, as there are so many says to use it.

What is Chamoy?

Chamoy sauce is a popular Mexican condiment made from a variety of dried fruits and chile peppers. It is an incredibly versatile sauce, used in making Mexican candies, adding to fruits and desserts, making drinks, serving with street foods and other Mexican foods, and so much more.

It is known for its powerful and addictive flavor profile of sweet, sour, salty, spicy. What a great combination.

There are different ways to make it, with ingredients varying from recipe to recipe and cook to cook. You can easily customize it to make it your own, such as adding different dried peppers and seasonings, or varying up the fruits used.

We personally love it in so many ways, whether its for spreading onto morning toast, spooning over ice cream, making drinks, or glazing fish or chicken fresh off the grill. When I say it's versatile, I mean "versatile"!

We really love this stuff, and it's so much better than store bought.

Let's talk about how to make chamoy sauce, shall we?

Chamoy Sauce Ingredients

  • Dried Apricots.
  • Dried Prunes. You can also use raisins. See the Recipe Notes for other fruit options.
  • Dried Hibiscus Flowers.
  • Chiles de Arbol. Chiles de arbol add a wonderful touch of heat. You can use your favorite spicy chili powder or hot sauces instead (about a teaspoon or less), or skip it for a less spicy version.
  • Water. 
  • Sugar. Use white sugar, though brown sugar is fine, too.
  • Tajin Seasoning. Tajin seasoning is a popular Mexican chili lime seasoning. So good!
  • Salt.
  • Lime Juice.

How to Make Chamoy Sauce - the Recipe Method

Simmer the Ingredients. Add all of the ingredients except the lime juice to a large pan or sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the ingredients soften.

Starting to simmer ingredients in a pan to make chamoy sauce

They will plump up a bit. See how they have plumped, and the color of the liquids have changed. It's ready!

Simmering ingredients in a pan to make chamoy sauce

Process the Chamoy Sauce. Cool, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the lime juice and process until smooth. Thin with water as needed. You can also strain it for a thinner sauce.

Chamoy Sauce in a food processor

Adjust and Enjoy! Taste and adjust for seasonings. Enjoy!

Boom! Done! Your homemade chamoy sauce is ready to serve. So good, isn't it? So many uses. We like ours a little bit thicker, almost like a jam, but not quite that thick. Perfect for spreading onto toast in the morning!

Chamoy Sauce in a jar, ready to serve

Ways to Serve Chamoy Sauce

You can enjoy chamoy sauce is so many ways! It's incredibly versatile. Here are some ideas.

  1. Serve with Fruits. Chamoy sauce is a great dipper for sliced fresh fruits or even pickled fruits, like fresh mango, watermelon, pineapple, or strawberries. Perfect for a fruit platter.
  2. Enhance Your Snacks. Use it a dip for chips or spicy hot Cheetos, or any other type of crunchy snack.
  3. Use as a Spread. We love to spread sweet, salty chamoy onto our morning toast in place of jellies and jams.
  4. Amp Up Dessert. Drizzle chamoy sauce over ice cream, or use it to make shaved ice. 
  5. Use it a Glaze. I enjoy using chamoy sauce to glaze fish, chicken or pork for the grill. Use a bit more as your finishing sauce for more than just Mexican cuisine.
  6. Drink It Up! Use chamoy sauce in place of hot sauce for an amazing Michelada Recipe. It's also an essential ingredient in the shaved ice drink called the Mangonada. So good!
Fruit served on a platter with Chamoy Sauce for dipping

Recipe Tips & Notes

Customize Your Chamoy. There are many ways to customize chamoy sauce with different ingredients. For chile peppers, consider guajillos or pasillas, or fresh peppers.

For fruits, consider dried mango or fresh peach or raspberries. Brown sugar can be used. I've seen some recipes that use apricot jams or preserves as their base. Go for it!

Vinegar to Preserve. If you'd like to keep your chamoy sauce longer, add in a few tablespoons of vinegar, which will help to preserve it for longer. It will also add a touch of sourness to the flavor.

Storage

Chamoy sauce will last about 1 month in the refrigerator kept in a sealed container.

You can also freeze chamoy sauce, where it will keep for 6 months. Try freezing it in ice cube trays for smaller serving portions.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my chamoy recipe. Let me know if you make it and how you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you and how you served yours. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Mexican Hot Chocolate
  • Mexican Fruit Snacks
  • Mexican Brownies
  • Candied Jalapeno Peppers (Cowboy Candy)
Sweet and spicy Chamoy Sauce on a spoon

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Chamoy Sauce Recipe
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Homemade Chamoy Sauce Recipe

This homemade chamoy sauce recipe is a versatile Mexican sauce with the ideal mix of sweet, savory and spicy, perfect on fruit, desserts, snacks and more, so easy to make!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Dessert, sauce, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: apricot, chile de arbol, hibiscus, prunes, tajin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Calories: 11kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 40 tablespoons
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup dried prunes or use raisins
  • 1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers
  • 4 dried chiles de arbol dried chili de arbol peppers - optional, for spicy
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon tajin seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice juice from 1 small lime

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients except the lime juice to a large pan or sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the ingredients soften. They will plump up a bit.
  • Cool, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the lime juice and process until smooth. Thin with water as needed. You can also strain it for a thinner sauce, if desired.
  • Taste and adjust for seasonings. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Makes about 2.5 cups.
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Will last 1 month or longer.
You can freeze chamoy sauce.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 11kcal   Carbohydrates: 3g   Protein: 1g   Fat: 1g   Saturated Fat: 1g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g   Monounsaturated Fat: 1g   Sodium: 30mg   Potassium: 30mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 2g   Vitamin A: 110IU   Vitamin C: 1mg   Calcium: 2mg   Iron: 1mg
Chamoy Sauce Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 9/16/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 2/14/22.

Categories: Condiments Tags: chile de arbol, Chili Pepper Madness, chili pepper recipe, cinco de mayo, patty's favorites

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Barbara Mays-Stock says

    October 10, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    Hi,
    I am new to your site and am enjoying it very much. I am a preserver, so I’m wondering if you can water bath can the Chamoy Sauce in 1/2 pint jars. I assume that if you can, it will be good for a year and will be shelf stable. Is that right?
    Thank you,
    Barbara

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 13, 2022 at 7:45 am

      Thanks, Barbara. If you'd like to water bath this recipe, you might need to add some acid to get the pH down to 3.5 or lower for home canning. Once you're low enough, yes, it can be shelf stable. Or look into pressure canning.

      Reply
  2. Michael Sweeney says

    February 14, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    5 stars
    I have an odd question...

    I live in Burlington Vermont. Most the peppers in your recipes are not available here. What can I use instead?

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      February 15, 2022 at 6:27 am

      Michael, not odd at all. Some peppers are hard to find. This recipe uses chile de arbol, which you can find at Mexican grocers or even online, but as a sub, you can use a mix of paprika and cayenne powders, maybe a teaspoon or so total, for some heat. Let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy.

      Reply

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