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
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 a sauce 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 chili 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 anything from the grocery store.
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.
They will plump up a bit. See how they have plumped, and the color of the liquids have changed. It's ready!
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.
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!
What Does Chamoy Taste Like?
Chamoy is famous for its combination of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. It hits every section of your taste buds with its mix of sweet fruits, spicy chilies, salt, and sour lime.
Ways to Serve Chamoy Sauce
You can enjoy Mexican chamoy sauce is so many ways! It's incredibly versatile. Here are some ideas.
- Serve with Fruits. Chamoy sauce is a great dipper for sliced fresh fruits or even pickled fruits, like fresh watermelon, mango, pineapple, or strawberries. Perfect for a fruit platter.
- Enhance Your Snacks. Use it a dip for chips or spicy hot Cheetos, or any other type of crunchy snack.
- Use as a Spread. We love to spread sweet, salty chamoy onto our morning toast in place of jellies and jams.
- Amp Up Dessert. Drizzle chamoy sauce over ice cream, or use it to make shaved ice.
- 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.
- 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!
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
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.
Homemade Chamoy Sauce Recipe
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
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/4/23 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 2/14/22.
Claire Desrochers says
Can it be canned. (Water bath) ?
Claire
Mike H. says
Claire, 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. Or look into pressure canning instead.
Shane Keene says
Hey, Mike, thank you for all the great work you do here. I'm a longtime fan. I wonder, do you have a favored brand of dried chilis? Or do you buy bulk from Mexican grocers? The last few batches of arbols I've gotten from my local grocer have been VERY tame. I'm assuming that's a freshness issue?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Shane. I don't have a preferred brand, and do usually buy them in bulk. Yes, freshness is very likely the issue, though some peppers can vary in heat levels.
Lorna says
I cannot find died Hibiscus Flowers. Is there a substitute or can it be left out?
Mike Hultquist says
Lorna, you can skip it and use more of the other dried fruits. Enjoy!
Lorna says
I found Hibiscus flower tea. Is that a good sub?
Mike Hultquist says
I haven't tried that, Lorna. I'm not sure it is the same consistency as dried hibiscus.
Chris says
If you have a store near you that sells Mexican products you can usually find dried Hibiscus flowers in a small cellophane package hanging on a wall/display. It really adds dimension if you can find it.
Kathryn says
Great, addictive sauce! I spoon it over a bowl of fresh cut pineapple and watermelon topped with sprinkling of Tajin. What a treat!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! I love it! Thanks, Kathryn.
Barbara Mays-Stock says
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
Mike Hultquist says
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.
Michael Sweeney says
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?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.