Easy Homemade Chamoy with Apricots and Chipotle

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"Mexico in a condiment" is how I describe this Easy Homemade Chamoy with Apricots and Chipotle. The combination of heat (chipotle), sweet (fresh apricots and piloncillo), and tart (tamarind and lime) is absolutely addicting! At its simplest, pour it over fresh fruit or veggies, but don't stop there... Glaze fish or chicken, add it to a vinaigrette, make paletas. It's versatile, quick and easy to make, vegan, gluten free, and delicious!

Jump to:

• 👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - What is Chamoy?
• 🍑 Is Chamoy Healthy?
• 📋 Ingredients You'll Need
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Tips
• 🌡️ Useful Stuff
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - What is Chamoy?

If you have seen store-bought chamoy, be forewarned! It is probably full of high fructose corn syrup and preservatives. YUCK! So, just don't go there...

Chamoy is a quintessential Mexican condiment with heavy Asian influences (think sweet and sour sauce). This Mexican condiment has its roots in a Chinese snack - a salty-sweet dried fruit called see mui. It only became popular in Mexico in the 1990s, but it took off in the younger generation among native Mexicans.

Not all chefs and food professionals appreciate chamoy, and much of it is so heavily processed. However, many of these chefs are taking the basic flavor combination, and coming up with their own riffs. In this spirit, I decided to create my own!

From the research I did on chamoy recipes, apricots and plums seem to be the most common fruits. Preserves or jam appear more often in recipes than fresh fruit. I'm always one to use ingredients closest to the source, so that is where I landed. If you can't get decent fresh apricots, see the Tips section for substituting preserves.

🍑 Is Chamoy Healthy?

Compared to store-bought chamoy? A resounding YES! Commercial chamoy is often heavy on ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, sodium, and preservatives. When you make it at home, you have control over how much sugar you use, the quality of the ingredients, the amount of sodium, and of course, you won't be using shelf stabilizing preservatives. The fresh fruit, chiles, raw sugar, etc. provide that addictive sweet, salt, tart combination without the bad stuff!

I would not suggest drinking a bottle of it... Think of it like hot sauce. It's a condiment and a flavor enhancer.

📋 Ingredients You'll Need

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• apricots
• chipotles in adobo
• tamarind paste
• limes
• piloncillo or brown sugar
• sea salt

🔪 Instructions

1. Process the ingredients - Add ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Pulse until smooth.
2. Cook down the chamoy - Pour the chamoy ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer 10 minutes. Cool before adding to an airtight container.

💭 Tips

Can I substitute for the fresh apricots? Many recipes for homemade chamoy use preserves. Choose one with no added sugar, and as natural as possible. Use 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups. Add sugar a little at a time as the preserves will be sweeter than fresh fruit. Conversely, try rehydrating 1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds of dried apricots. Drain water before adding them to the processor. You could also use fresh peaches, plums, or mangoes.

What is piloncillo sugar? Piloncillo is a raw form of pure cane sugar that is very common in Mexican cooking. We love it at Andersen casa! The flavor is similar to molasses. Brown sugar is a decent substitute.

How long can I keep my chamoy? Because homemade chamoy has no preservatives, I keep it in my refrigerator up to a month. Otherwise, I freeze it in zip bags.

This recipe is flexible, and should be adjusted to your tastebuds. Chipotles bring the smoky heat that we love, and with 8 apricots, we find 3 chipotles about right. If you're sensitive to heat level, start on the low end and add. Similarly, add sweetness, salt, and acid (limes and tamarind paste) to taste.

🌡️ Useful Stuff

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps to offset the costs of maintaining my blog and creating awesome content! 😊

I am really excited about creating some healthyish recipes for using your homemade chamoy - a glazed salmon, paletas, perhaps a cocktail. In the simplest application, try it on fresh fruit. We love chamoy on pineapple and melon especially! In the meantime, check out the list down below the recipe for a few ideas!

📖 Recipe