Homemade chamoy

This all natural Mexican chamoy brings a flavor explosion to your taste buds. You wouldn’t believe its made from a base of all things good for you, like deliciously plump California prunes and other dried fruits. This chamoy hits all the right notes sweet, tart, salty and a little heat. It’s a fabulous pairing drizzled over fresh cut fruit or even to rim cocktails, micheladas and the ever so famous mangonada. If you’ve never experienced this popular Mexican sauce you are in for a real treat plus it’s easy to make right at home!

What exactly is chamoy sauce?

Chamoy is a flavorful sweet & tart sauce that is made from a combination of dry fruits, hibiscus, tamarind, chili and lemon. The end result is a rich sauce with incredible depth. This sauce has very mild heat. The purpose of this sauce is to instill flavor not an obnoxious amount of heat. Instead chamoy adds a whole other level of sweet, salty, mouth puckering goodness when drizzled over fruit and so much more! The beginning roots of chamoy started circling their way through Mexico somewhere around the 1970s and since then has become and iconic addition to snacks all over Mexico and surroundings.

With chamoy sauces gaining popularity and hitting grocery stores right and left. In Mexico and now in the U.S various recipes call for dyes and even corn syrup lets skip all that and make a clean version that doesn’t take a hit on flavor. This chamoy is not only extraordinarily delicious but but made with wholesome ingredients that you won’t feel guilty eating.

The ingredients:

Prunes: The base of our homemade chamoy are delicious CA prunes. They are packed with fiber and antioxidants which is a bonus! Not only are they good for our health and digestive system. CA prunes are the perfect base to this chamoy because they bring natural sweetness and rich thickening caramel tones when cooked down.

“Because they are a low-glycemic food, prunes can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Prunes contain 3 g of fiber. About half of that is insoluble fiber, which helps speed food through the digestive tract. The other half is slow-moving soluble fiber, which is good for enhancing satiety, lowering cholesterol and regulating blood sugar levels.”

Dried apricots: Apricots apport a sweet and tart flavor that complements our homemade chamoy!

Dried cranberries: Cranberries are delightful little flavor bombs that have natural sweetness and also that tart side we are looking for. For this recipe I used sweetened cranberries, unsweetened cranberries will also work although you may have to adjust the sugar ratio.

Tamarind: Tamarind comes in dry pods that have a sweet and sour flavor. Traditionally used in all sorts of mexican candies because of its unique flavor. Look for plain, dry and unflavored pods. The shell will need to be crushed and removed prior to using. The pods contain various large seeds and veins that we will pass through a strainer after boiling.

Dried Hibiscus: Our homemade chamoy is all natural and it gets its red pigment from delicious dried hibiscus. Hibiscus is earthy, tart and refreshing commonly used in teas and agua de jamaica but this unique flavor is a key ingredient in our homemade chamoy. This is a plant that I love growing in the garden! Check out how to grow your own plant!

Chilis: Every bottle of chamoy impairs a bit of heat. We are going with crushed red peppers and ground chile de arbol which give smokey and nutty flavor to our homemade chamoy. This combination is the perfect amount of heat. If you’re like me and enjoy an extra level of heat you can always add more chile de arbol just adjust the heat level to your liking!

Brown sugar: We are using brown sugar for an added layer sweetness. This chamoy is all about balancing out the tart with the sweet!

Limes: We can’t finish our chamoy without the addition of fresh squeezed lime juice.

Most of these ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store. Look for hibiscus and tamarind at your local Hispanic isle. These two ingredients can also be found online if you have trouble finding them at your local store.

Did you know? “California grows 99% of the total United States’ production of prunes and 40% of the world’s supply. Today, there are about 46,000 acres of California Prune orchards concentrated in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys.“

I can honestly say this chamoy recipe is better than what is sometimes found bottled! Made from all natural ingredients with no artificial dyes. Plus you get to adjust the ingredient list and control how much salt or heat you want. The flavorful profiles that go into this homemade chamoy play such a beautiful symphony of flavors.

This homemade chamoy is a great addition to all sorts of fruits. It’s commonly paired with watermelon, mango, pineapple, orange, pomegranate, cucumber and even jicama, but get creative and try it with your favorites!

We are in the midst of so many holiday parties and gatherings, whip up a fruit platter and share this delightful burst of flavors with your friends or loved ones.

* This post is a paid partnership with CA prunes but all opinions expressed are my own check out more delicious recipes using prunes at Californiaprunes.org