chamoy sauce
chamoy sauce

How to Make Chamoy

5/5
Chamoy is a popular Mexican condiment equal parts hot sauce and candy made from chili peppers, citric acid, sugar, and salt. It's fantastic on fresh mango with a little pinch of Tajin seasoning, but you could also use it to make mangonada popsicles, smoothies, or snow cones.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes
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Recipe Rundown

chamoy condiment with fresh mango and tajin

If there’s one condiment that triggers mania here in Arizona, it’s chamoy. We pour it over mango, snow cones (aka chamoyada), and lace our cocktails with it. With 25 cents in hand, I’d chase down the ice cream truck as a kid to buy a mini bottle of this stuff. I’d suck that bottle dry by dinner time and have the red stained tongue to prove it.

If you’re searching for chamoy, it can mean only one thing. You’re probably hooked for life, which means you need your spicy candy sauce fix pronto. No matter where you are in the world, you can make authentic chamoy in 5 minutes with a few simple ingredients.

testimonial from instagram

With your homemade chamoy, I’m sure you’ll be making your own swirly chile popsicles or refreshing mangonadas all summer long!

chamoy condiment sauce made with ancho chili, apricot jam, salt, sugar, and lime juice

What’s in chamoy?

Chamoy is made up of:

  • chile
  • salt
  • sugar
  • citric acid

Sometimes it contains fruit and is like a cross between a hot sauce and candy.

Why This Recipe Works

Chamoy must be equally salty and sour, then spicy, and a little sweet. It should hit your tongue and instantly make you want some more. To get the signature flavor profile, this recipe is made of ancho chili peppers, lime juice, apricot jam, salt, sugar, and water. That’s it.

It comes together quickly in a blender. It’s easy and there’s no artificial ingredients or preservatives.

FAQ

How long does chamoy candy last?

You can dip candy in chamoy and dry on low heat in the oven. If completely dry (no humidity), chamoy candy will last for months. If you’re lucky enough to own a freeze dryer, freeze dried chamoy candy will last for years!

What do you do with chamoy?

There are many variations when it comes to chamoy. Taste it by itself so you can adjustment the profile to your preferences (e.g. extra lime juice or salt). A popular street food is chamoy sauce with fresh mango, lime or Tajin – a salty, spicy Mexican seasoning. If you want the ultimate chamoy experience, check out these mangonada smoothies, where chamoy is used to coat the inside of a glass or make mango chamoy fruit roll ups (a total blast of flavor).

ripe mangos

Which pepper is best for chamoy?

I recommend dried ancho chile peppers that have a reddish hue. However, if you are sensitive to spicy food, try using the milder New Mexico dried chile peppers instead. Both of these peppers have a pleasant fruity flavor.

chile peppers

I’m curious to know — where did you first try chamoy? I was introduced to it by a neighbor kid when I was 8. While it’s readily available in Arizona, I’ve seen it as far north as New York City. For those of you in-the-know, I think you’ll find this is the chamoy recipe you’ve been looking for.


More Chile Recipes For You:

Chamoy

Chamoy is a popular Mexican condiment equal parts hot sauce and candy made from chili peppers, citric acid, sugar, and salt. It's fantastic on fresh mango with a little pinch of Tajin seasoning, but you could also use it to make mangonada popsicles, smoothies, or snow cones.
4.72 from 82 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chamoy, chamoyada, chili, gluten free, hot sauce, mangonada, Mexican, sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Chef Sara Furcini

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3 dried ancho chili peppers
  • 1 cup apricot jam 10 oz jar
  • 1/2 cup lime juice from 4-5 large limes
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Add the water to the blender. Wipe the chili peppers to remove any dust. Pull off the stem and shake out the seeds. Place the whole pepper in the blender along with the apricot jam, lime juice, sugar, and salt.
  • Blend on high speed until extremely smooth. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Use chamoy with fresh mangos for a fun snack.

Video

Notes

Selecting the Best Ancho Chile (Chili) Peppers

You can identify the best ancho chiles by the color. Look for red tones in the dried peppers because that is a signal for a fresher, more flavorful ancho.

Selecting the Best Apricot Jam

Read the ingredients on the jar of apricot jam. I like Crofter’s organic apricot jam (red label or blue are both 8 grams of sugar and work interchangeably) because the flavor of the apricot is pure and there’s no artificial ingredients or preservatives. Plus, it comes in a 10 oz jar, so you can just use the whole jar in this recipe.

Possible Variations

I really like this recipe because it tastes authentic, but you may consider adding a bit of citric acid powder (start with 1/4 teaspoon). Another idea to get that extra tangy oomph would be to add extra lime juice or a teaspoon of tamarind paste (just concentrated tangy tamarind) or any brand tamarind candy (tamarind and chile with sugar added). Just start by adding a little bit at a time (a small pinch or teaspoon), then add more to get it just right.
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1765mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 855IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

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Cynthia
Cynthia
3 years ago

Just made this! I used a jar of peach jam that I had left over from last year’s harvest & Dried New Mexico chilis as that’s what I had on hand. AMAZING!!! I NEVER really how easy it was to make & my husband is just giddy because we tend to do no sugar, so spicy Mexican candies aren’t allowed in the house ? ( also because when we DID have them around my husband could easily polish off a pound a week) I had used erythritol in my peach jam when I made it & monkfruit for the sweetener… Read more »

Kay
Kay
3 years ago

Do you know how I could preserve this so that it does not need to be refrigerated ?

Nicole
Nicole
3 years ago

I’m curious as to why you don’t cook your chiles first?

Ronda
Ronda
3 years ago

I love mangonadas and yours looks so yummy and refreshing! Cheers! I love everything about this, from the mango to the tajin!

Chelle Thompson
Chelle Thompson
3 years ago

Great instructions and a very thorough post! I really enjoyed making this recipe!

Sara @ TheFrayedApron.com

Thanks for the feedback!

Allie
Allie
2 years ago

Very addicting sauce! Thanks for this super easy recipe. I used honey instead of sugar and added a couple more chili’s along with some seeds for more of a kick.

Kenny
Kenny
2 years ago

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.

Kate
Kate
2 years ago

I have ground ancho chili already, is there a way to sub for the dried whole chili?

shasah
1 year ago

ummm what if you cant find the ingredientsany were

Teemun Store
1 year ago

It’s looks so yummy and refreshing! Cheers! I love everything about this, from the mango to the tajin!

Michelle
Michelle
11 months ago

Whew. It is spicy. Burned the back of my tongue. Mouth still on fire. Maybe I got the wrong peppers. Pasilla ancho. Maybe the fruit will cool it off. The first time I found this at a food truck I was licking the sauce off the plate.

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