You’ll love this delicious Mexican Chili Lime Seasoning! Perfect to sprinkle on fruit, put on the edge of a drink glass, & even savory dishes.
This seasoning rocks! It’s a blend of awesome Mexican spices from that packs a punch. It’s super easy to make your own delicious Mexican Fruit Seasoning.
This is the real deal my friends! There is no need to run to the store for one of those spicy fruit seasoning in a bottle then be disappointed that they’re not as good as you wanted them to.
Forget about having to buy Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning or even the famous Tajin seasoning….just make your own!!
Why you’ll love it
- This seasoning is free of preservatives.
- You can make it to your own liking.
- Make as much as you want!
Ingredients
All of the ingredients are likely sitting right there in your spice cabinet! Just do a little measuring, a little mixing, and you’re ready to make your favorite Chili Lime Seasoning………It is seriously that easy!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can choose your favorite ground chili powder and it does not have any unknown ingredients or preservatives!
- The chili powder. It can be the combination of a ground chiles or just one! Pick your favorites: chile guajillo, chile ancho, chile de arbol, chile california, etc.
- The citric acid: This is what will give your seasoning the lime flavor so I highly recommend that you do not skip this ingredient! I used this one from Amazon but you can find it anywhere baking ingredients are sold. Use 1 teaspoon for one 1/4 cup of chile powder.
- Salt: I use 1 teaspoon salt per 1 teaspoon of citric acid. I think this is the perfect balance 🙂
- Sugar: This is optional if you want to give it a hint of Mexican candy or if your chili seasoning comes out too spicy for your taste.
How To Make Chili Lime Seasoning
Making your own Chili Lime Seasoning Recipe at home it’s easier than you think!
- If using whole dried chiles, remove seeds from chiles and add to a blender.
- Grind until it reaches a powder consistency.
- Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt & citric acid. Mix well.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways you can enjoy this Mexican seasoning but here are a few of the most popular ones in Mexico:
- Sprinkle on fruit like Mango, oranges, pineapples, watermelon, fresh coconut. jicama, membrillo (fresh quince).
- To snack on veggies like cucumbers, carrots, celery and tomatoes.
- On Elote Asado (Grilled corn) and Esquite.
- Add to the edge of a cocktail glass.
- It also tastes great on soups like Albondigas, Sopa Mexicana and Lentejas.
Tips and Notes
- Why is it called Chili Lime seasoning when it does not contain any real lime? Well, the citric acid is the lime component of this recipe. If we were to use real lime juice, then it would not have a long lasting shelf life. Citric acid is used in many recipes to provide the citrus taste we all love in dishes. It’s safe to use and delicious!
How to Store
- Place in an airtight jar or container and keep it in a cool, dark place, away from moisture.
- Freezer Trick: You can also freeze it in freezer bags, but protect from moisture.
More Condiments To Try:
Try any of my delicious sauces, dips & dressings…. Always easy & delicious!
I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
Print Recipe:
Chili Lime Seasoning
Equipment
- Blender or grinder
Ingredients
- ¼ cup chili powder like chile guajillo, chile ancho, chile de arbol, or chile california. Or use a combination of your favorite dried chiles.
- 1 teaspoon salt kosher or table salt will work
- 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
- If using whole dried chiles, remove seeds from chiles and add to a blender.
- Grind until it reaches a powder consistency.
- Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt & citric acid. Mix well.
- Add sugar: this is optional if you want to give it a hint of Mexican candy or if your chili seasoning comes out too spicy for your taste.
Video
Muy Delish Notes:
Add Your Own Private Notes
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Nutrition
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Hi, years ago I was served a whole fish covered in chili lime sauce in a Chinese restaurant. Could this be similar to what they used? It was so delicious-I ate the whole fish. It was completely mild. If I make this, what pepper is mild but flavorful? Now that they have freeze dried citrus juice of several kinds, I will use real lime. Thank you for the help!
cant wait to try this with crystallized lime, they sell it at my grocery store. citric acid is actually made from corn and is not that great for you. Hopefully the crystal lime is better, haven’t tried it yet. Ive been looking all over for a recipe like this, I’m going broke buying and eating so much chamoy and chili lime seasoning 😀 but it’s more for health reasons to make my own
This seasoning was the perfect balance of savory, tart and salty! I added it to fruit salad and it made for a delicious snack!
This chili lime seasoning will be a great addition to my spice cabinet. I can’t wait to try it on citrus. That sounds fantastic.
Yes Andrea, let me know what you think, when you try it!
Found citric acid online and have made this several times now. So good.
Great!!!
Homemade seasonings are the best. Looks so good.
So delicious! I can’t wait to sprinkle it on watermelon 🤤
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing this!
What Brand and Type of Salt are using in this Recipe and others? If using Morton Table Salt you need to use Half as much versus Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. 1/2 teaspoon Morton Table equals 1teaspoon Diamond Kosher. I don’t want to over-salt my food. Thank you for the great, authentic recipes and you mentioned you grew up in Obregon. I have a cousin in southern CA who has an Agricultural ranch in Obregon and it is a beautiful area and not far from the ocean.
Question: Could you give instruction to use Sumac powder in place of the citric acid, or with less citric acid? I think it will get a more intense red color, but with a milder “lime” flavor. (I love the citric acid, but I think it makes my teeth sensitive.)
Ana,
If we want to try a combination of all Chile’s, is it a 1/4 cup of each one? Thank you
Irma
Do you have any tips for which chiles to use to get it to be more red
Hi D! You can use chile de arbol but it’ll be more spicy. I believe the commercial ones like tajin are very red because they use artificial coloring if that’s the look you’re going for.
Do you then have to let it dry out?
The citrus comes in a powder form so no.
That’s what I say! Where’s the lime! Very misleading!
How is this misleading? The lime citrus flavor comes from the citric acid in order to make it last. If you add fresh lime then it does not turn out to be in the powder form. Thanks for your concern though.
I think she is noting that while the recipe name is Chili Lime Seasoning, there is actually no lime in this recipe. While it is delicious with the citric acid (which is what makes lime and lemons tart, naturally), actually adding some dehydrated lime juice, or dried lime zest could be a great addition, to make it closer to Tajin, if someone is looking for a copycat Tajin seasoning blend.
Thank you for the recipe!
Ana,
Is the citric acid used as the “lime”?
Hi Mia, yes it is!
Is it 1 tsp salt per 1 tbsp citric acid or 1 tsp salt per 1 tsp salt? There’s conflicting information. Also, do you think I could use something like lemon powder instead of citric acid and have it turn out? I just have a lot of it. Thanks!
Hi Kathy! My apologies for the confusion! The recipe card is correct and I have fixed the text on the post. It should be 1 tsp citric per 1 tsp salt. I think the lemon powder should work! Use what you have for sure….the key is to get that hint of citrus to balance the flavors. Let me know how it turns out!
xo,
Ana
Amazed how popular this type of seasoning has become in the U.S. all of a sudden. Now I don’t have to go buy it. I can make my own!
I tried it over the weekend over watermelon and it was sooo good! Thanks!