Quick Summary: Make your own chile lime salt with just three ingredients: salt, lime powder, and chile. Fresher and more customizable than store-bought Tajín. Use it on fresh fruit cups (Mexican street food style), cucumbers, jicama, grilled corn, popcorn, or as a cocktail rim. Includes guidance on chamoy sauce. Prep: 15 min | Makes: about 3 tablespoons
Chile lime salt is a popular Mexican snack, often served in small cups in Latin America as Mexican street food. In Mexico, vendors sell fruit cups (mango, pineapple, watermelon, cucumber, jicama) sprinkled with this seasoning from carts on every corner.
Tajín is the brand name everyone knows, but homemade chile lime salt is fresher and lets you control the ratios (the store-bought version is really heavy on salt). My version emphasizes the lime, which I think makes better fruit cups.
Three ingredients, five minutes, and you’ll never go back to the jar.
Jump to: RECIPE | What is Tajín? | Key Ingredients | How to Make | Street Food | FAQ
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What Is Tajín?
Tajín (pronounced tah-HEEN) is a Mexican brand of chile lime salt, the red-orange seasoning you will find in most grocery stores and on most Mexican restaurant tables.
The seasoning predates the brand. Mexican cooks have been sprinkling chile and lime on fruit for generations. Tajín just standardized it and made it shelf-stable.
Because the recipe is so simple, homemade versions are easy and often better. You can adjust the salt level, choose your chile, and use fresher lime powder than what’s been sitting on a shelf for months.
The recipe below is my favorite blend, after doing a LOT of trials with different spices, different salts and different ratios.
Chile lime salt is something you want to keep in your pantry. Check out this comprehensive list of ingredients for the Mexican pantry to be ready for any Mexican recipe.
Key Ingredients and Variations
- The lime: I tested fresh lime zest (dehydrated), store-bought dried lime zest, and True Lime powder. True Lime gave the strongest, brightest lime flavor. It’s crystallized lime juice, available in most grocery stores.
- The chile: Tajín uses a blend of mild red chiles. I prefer more heat, so I use chipotle powder. For milder heat, try ancho powder or New Mexico chile powder. For very mild, use paprika with a pinch of cayenne.
- The salt: Kosher salt makes a coarser blend good for rimming cocktails. Pink Himalayan salt makes a prettier color and finer texture.
Tip: Spicier food needs more salt to stay balanced. Chile lime salt solves this by providing both at once.
How to Make Chile Lime Salt
My preferred ratio after testing many versions:
- 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt (or kosher salt)
- 2 teaspoons True Lime powder
- 1½ teaspoons chipotle powder (or other chile)
Mexican Fruit Cups
Fruit cups (frutas con chile) are classic Mexican street food. Vendors cut fresh fruit into spears or chunks, pile them into cups, and sprinkle generously with chile lime salt. A squeeze of fresh lime finishes it.
Best fruits:
- Mango (the classic)
- Watermelon
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Coconut
Best vegetables:
- Cucumber
- Jicama
Cut fruit into spears or planks for easy eating. Sprinkle with chile lime salt just before serving so the fruit stays crisp. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Other Uses for Chile Lime Salt
Tajín is not limited to fruit cups or Mexican street food of course. There are many ways that we use chile lime salt in home cooking,. Here are a few favorites:
- Marinades or rubs for chicken, fish, or shrimp
- Elote: A coating on grilled corn (Elote): The classic Mexican street corn gets mayo, cotija cheese, and chile lime salt
- Fruit popsicles: (Paletas): The sweet-salty-spicy combination
- Popcorn: Sprinkle over freshly popped corn
- Try it with a jicama slaw on a fish sandwich
- Cocktail rims: Try it on Micheladas or this chili chocolate cocktail, or a paloma
- Avocado: Sliced avocado with chile lime salt is a perfect snack
What Is Chamoy?
Where you find Tajín, you usually find chamoy. This sweet-tangy-spicy sauce is made from dried fruit (apricot, mango, or plum), chile powder, salt, and lime. It’s drizzled over fruit cups, swirled into smoothies (chamoyadas), and used as a dipping sauce.
Chamoy often contains Tajín or similar chile lime seasoning. The two work together, with chamoy adding sweetness and fruitiness to Tajín’s tangy heat.
Want to make your own? This recipe for homemade chamoy sauce will walk you through the steps….it’s not that difficult and is totally worth it.
FAQ
Tajín is a brand name. Chile lime salt is the generic term for the same type of seasoning. Homemade chile lime salt uses the same basic ingredients but lets you customize ratios and heat level.
The original Tajín Clásico is mild to medium. Homemade versions can be adjusted. Use chipotle or chile de árbol for more heat; use ancho or paprika for less.
Several months in an airtight container. The True Lime powder can clump over time in humid conditions. Store in a cool, dry place.
Dehydrated lime zest works but provides less punch. In a pinch, very finely grated fresh lime zest mixed with the salt (then dried) works, but the flavor fades faster.
It’s mostly salt with some vitamin C from the lime. Use it to make healthy foods (fresh fruit, vegetables) more appealing. The sodium adds up if you use a lot.
If you enjoy all types of Mexican food, check out this category of ALL Mexican recipes, where you will find over 40 Mexican recipes, from casual, to low carb, to fancy.
“Tajín” for Mexican street food
Equipment
- Medium sized bowl
- wire whisk Or slotted spoon
Ingredients
For the chile lime salt blend
- 1 tablespoon salt kosher salt or pink himalayan salt
- 2 teaspoons True lime
- 1 ½ Teaspoons chipotle spice or other spicy chile powder
Fruit cups
- 1 small jicama
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 mango
- 1 avocado, pineapple, papaya, etc. your favorite fruit or vegetable
Instructions
- For the seasoning blend: With a whisk or slotted spoon, thoroughly blend together the salt, True lime and the chile powder.1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons True lime, 1 1/2 Teaspoons chipotle spice
- For the fruit: wash and peel the fruit you choose to use. Cut into planks or spears (see youtube video above for cutting illustration).1 small jicama, 1 medium cucumber, 1 mango, 1 avocado, pineapple, papaya, etc.
- Place fruit spears in a large bowl and sprinkle with the chile lime salt. Cut wedges of lime and serve fruit/vegetable spears on a plate with lime wedges for people to squeeze over the fruit/vegetables.
Video
Oh, dang, this made my mouth water! I’ll be ordering some True Lime.
? it makes my mouth weather too Beth! Make sure you use a spicy Chile powder in the blend!