Best Chamoy Sauces, Ranked

If you’re not familiar with chamoy, it’s a Mexican sauce that’s made by pickling fruit in brine and vinegar, then mixing it with chili powder. The result is a sauce that’s often a mix between spicy, sweet, sour and salty. It’s also delicious, and is a staple of Mexican cuisine, being used in everything from Mexican street food like tostilocos (tortilla chips and pork rinds mixed with chamoy), frozen treats like shaved ice, and even drinks like the Michelada. (If you want to learn more, check out our article on “What Is Chamoy?”)

But, as you might expect from a sauce with so many different flavor elements, the taste can vary wildly from brand to brand, with some more sweet, while others really bring the heat. How can you tell which chamoy is right for you? Well, we went through and taste-tasted a range of different brands and flavors, judging each by heat, tanginess and sweetness. Here are our picks for the best supermarket chorizo you can find on your local store’s shelves or Amazon. 

Best Chamoy Sauces

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I Love Chamoy Sugar Free

Amazon

One of the mildest sauces on this list, this sugar free chamoy goes heavy on the fruity and sweet flavors. The sweetness comes from monk fruit, which avoids the kind of overpowering sweetness you can find in sauces that use high-fructose corn syrup. And while it does have a little heat from its chile peppers, it’s only a slight kick that lingers after that sweetness fades. And as the label says, it’s “carb free, sugar free, gluten free and vegan,” and has zero calories. So if you’re concerned with such things, this might be the best chamoy for you.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Best Sweet Chamoy

Chamoy Sauce Amor Mild Sauce

Amazon

Yeah, this is definitely a “mild sauce,” as you can probably tell from the cartoon dinosaur on the label. It’s also the sweetest chamoy I tried, although the only thing I could find on the label to explain it was “carrot powder.” You still get plenty of salt and some citric acid tartness to complement that sweetness, though. But the main difference between this and the others is that there’s almost no chile flavor. If you’re looking for spice, then you should definitely try our number one pick. But if you’re looking for mild heat and lots of sweetness, this is the best chamoy to buy.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best Citrusy Chamoy

Tajin Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce

Amazon

While this chamoy gives plenty of the chile-flavored heat, the real draw is the good amount of citric acid and lime juice, which gives it a great tart and tangy flavor with just a hint of sweetness. There’s a good amount of sea salt, too, which makes this the best chamoy to add to your favorite drink, like a Michelada or a spicy Margarita.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Fruity Chamoy

Siete Bolanca Sauce Sweet & Tangy Chamoy

Amazon

I’ll admit, I’ve been a big fan of Siete’s products since I reviewed them for our Best Taco Seasoning article. And their chamoy sauce didn’t disappoint. It has a great mix of pear puree, apple juice, dates, apricot puree, and lime juice that delivers a strong fruit flavor with plenty of sweetness. It’s definitely a mild sauce, as it delivers just a “hint of chile,” but there’s just enough to let you know that this is chamoy sauce and not a liquified fruit roll-up. It’s a really tasty mix that’s the best chamoy to use on fruit, candy, or shaved ice.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Cholula Chamoy Sauce Sweet & Spicy

Amazon

The best chamoy sauce on this list had to have everything that a chamoy sauce has to offer. It should be spicy, sweet, salty, and tangy, all at the same time. And this Cholula sauce delivers, with a vinegar base that gives plenty of tang, plenty of sugar and salt, as well as a healthy dose of arbol and piquin peppers to kick you right in the taste buds. The label describes it as a “medium heat,” but I can definitely report that it’s the kind of heat that lingers in your mouth, building up. It’s got plenty of heat, but also plenty of flavor to go with it.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Other chamoy sauces we tried:

Chamoy Mega Original, El Chilerito Chamoy