Chamoy Rim Paste
With the perfect blend of sweet, salty, tangy, and spicy flavors, this chamoy rim paste is a unique way to kick up the flavor of your favorite spirits.
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Table of Contents
About Chamoy Rim Paste
Perfect for warm days and cool drinks, chamoy rim paste can transform your favorite spirits (or fruit, veggies, or meat dishes) into a spicy, tangy delight. You can easily control the spice level or which fruit flavors you’d like to enhance it.
What is chamoy rim paste?
Popular in Mexico, on TikTok, and even food trucks in the state, chamoy rim paste dip is a tart and spicy sauce that is coated around the rim of a drink. The idea is similar to salt on a rim of a margarita, where you add flavor to each sip of your drink with the rim dip.
What’s in chamoy rim paste?
I’ve seen lots of different recipes out there for rim paste, ranging from minimal ingredients to complex, and after trying a few, I found that the following combination of ingredients worked best and allowed for more fun flavors:
- Chamoy – The namesake of this rim dip, chamoy is a condiment from Mexico that’s commonly served with mild fruits, vegetables, or chips. Flavored with chilis, it’s known for its salty sweet-and-sour flavor. It’s sold in varying consistencies and spiciness.
- Tajin – Tajin is a seasoning like Chamoy, but it’s dry and more on the savory side. It’s made from a combination of ground chili peppers, lime, and sea salt. It’s delicious on various meats, like beef, fish, and poultry, but also can be found sprinkled on fruit.
- Pulparindo – This is a Mexican bar candy that’s flavored with tamarind fruit (sweet and tart in flavor) as well as sugar, salt, and chili peppers. With everything combined, this candy is known for being simultaneously sweet, tart, salty, and spicy.
- Lucas Gusano Candy – This is a Mexican liquid candy that comes in two flavors: chamoy or tamarindo. It’s another flavor infusion you can use to enhance either the spiciness (chamoy) or tanginess (tamarindo) of the rim dip. The candy itself tastes is spicy with a hint of sweet.
- Baby Lucas Candy – From the same brand as the gusano candy, this has a consistency of granulated sugar and is flavored with sweet-and-spicy versions of mango, watermelon, or chamoy. And like the gusano candy, this is where you can get creative and inject some extra flavor in your rim dip. In order of spiciness, I’d rank watermelon the least spicy, mango as moderate, and chamoy being the hottest. In my testing, I preferred the watermelon Baby Lucas Candy.
Do you have to use Lucas Candy?
When it comes to making rim paste from scratch, there seems to be a pretty sharp divide: whether to use Lucas candies or not.
And really, you don’t “need” to use these candies. In many cases, they are repeats of flavors that are already present in the rim paste, and if you’re not interested in a fruit flavor infusion that takes away a lot of the reasons for using them. However, in my testing, I did find that the candies were a simple way to reach the ideal balance of sweetness with the spiciness. In other words, this recipe “works” without having to do a lot of taste testing and adjustment while cooking.
However, if for whatever reason you’re dead set on not using Lucas candies, you can try substituting the Lucas candies for an equal amount of granulated sugar. You may need to adjust other ingredients (like tajin or chamoy) to ensure the consistency is still thick enough to cling to the rim of a drink, though. Tips for doing this are listed in the recipe instructions.
How long does chamoy rim paste last?
Once prepared, this dip can be stored in a sealed container on the counter for one to two months.
To help prolong the life of this dip, store it in the refrigerator when not being regularly used. When you’re craving more dip, place the sealed container on the counter and allow it to soften at room temperature.
Can you freeze it?
I personally have not tried freezing this recipe, because, honestly, a batch of it doesn’t last that long in my house.
However, in theory, you should be able to freeze this rim paste in a sealed container for up to six months. Any longer than this and the rim paste may start to lose its flavor.
To thaw, leave the rim paste on the counter until it returns to room temperature. If there’s any problem with the consistency, try heating it up in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds, then stir. If you find that the rim paste has gotten too watery, you could try adding a little more Tajin or Baby Lucas Candy or warming it up in a saucepan to cook off the extra moisture.
What can you do with chamoy rim paste?
Plenty! Any dish that could be made better with a sweet-and-spicy sauce would be a perfect time to try it. Here are just a few ideas:
- Coating the rim of your favorite bottled beer or spirit, as shown in the pictures here.
- Coating the rim of a glass or cup filled with margarita, bloody mary, or strawberry daiquiri.
- Serve as a dip for sliced fruit such as mango, apricot, plum, peach, watermelon, and pineapple.
- A dip for fried foods, like french fries, chicken nuggets, etc.
- Can be served as a topping on vanilla or a mild, fruit-flavored ice cream.
Notes & tips for chamoy rim paste
- Before coating your drinks, make sure you wash the cans or bottles. It’s a simple step, but a crucial one, since everyone will be licking the outside of the cans or bottles while they drink.
- If you’d like a recommendation of which Baby Lucas flavor to use, I preferred the watermelon.
How to make chamoy rim paste
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt down the Pulparindo candies. Be careful with the heat; the candies can burn easily, so don’t hesitate to lower the heat to medium low if the candy starts smoking.
Step 2 – Add chamoy to the saucepan, then cook and stir until the Pulparindo and chamoy are fully incorporated.
Step 3 – Add the tajin, Baby Lucas, and Lucas Gusano to the saucepan, then stir well.
Step 4 – If needed, check the consistency and taste test. Make any adjustments you’d like, but remember, the rim paste should taste tart and spicy.
Step 5 – Let cool!
Step 6 – When ready to serve, dip the top of your chosen drink into the rim paste and gently twist to coat. Use as much (or as little!) as you’d like. You can also sprinkle more tajin on the coated rim for extra spice or presentation.
Step 7 – Serve and enjoy!
Chamoy Rim Paste
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add pulparindo candies. Melt candies, stirring frequently, until a thick paste forms, about 5-10 minutes. Be ready to adjust the heat as needed; candies should not burn while melting. If the candies begin to smoke, turn heat down to medium low.
- Add chamoy to saucepan. If needed, return heat to medium. Allow to cook, stirring constantly, until Pulparindo has fully melted and incorporated in with the chamoy, about 4-6 minutes.
- Add the tajin, Baby Lucas candy, and Lucas Gusano candy. Stir and cook until ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Check consistency and do a taste test. Consistency should be thick enough that it fully coats a spatula or spoon but will slowly slide off (paste will thicken as it cools). Taste should be tart and spicy with a hint of fruit. If you'd like more spice or the consiscenty is too watery, add tajin. Lucas candies can be used to add sweetness. Chamoy can be used of it consistency gets too thick.
- Pour prepared rim paste into a sealable container and allow to completely cool on the counter, about 1 hour.
- Serve by dipping cleaned bottles or cans into the rim paste, twisting the drinks to fully cover the top, rim, and upper sides.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
