These Mexican Fruit Cups bring the taste of real authentic Mexican fruit stands right to your own kitchen! Fresh fruit drizzled in salty sweet chamoy sauce, chile lime Tajin seasoning and fresh lime juice. Pretty much the best fruit salad snack ever!
If you’ve ever been to Mexico or lived in or around authentic Mexican restaurants and shops, then you’re probably familiar with Mexican Fruit Cups.
What are Mexican Fruit Cups?
Mexican Fruit Cups are made of fresh fruit that’s typically cubed or cut into long spears, stacked into clear plastic cups and topped with Tajin chile lime seasoning, chamoy sauce and lime juice.
This snack is everywhere in Mexico, especially in outdoor markets where fruit vendors are on every corner. It’s super simple to make, is the perfect little snack on a hot sunny day and is fairly healthy considering the main ingredient is fruit!
Types of fruit
The type of fruit that’s typically used in these Mexican Fruit Cups varies from vendor to vendor, but here’s what I used:
- watermelon
- pineapple
- mango
- jicama
Some other fruits that are commonly used are papaya, cucumber and cantaloupes. Feel free to use whatever you can find in a grocery store near you.
Tajin and Chamoy – the best fruit seasonings
The seasoning on the Mexican fruit is a combination of Tajin chile lime seasoning and chamoy sauce.
Tajin is a popular brand of Mexican chile lime seasoning that’s widely available in the US. It’s made from a blend of chile powder, dehydrated lime juice and salt. It’s sold in many grocery stores nowadays, but if you’re not able to find it near you, you can easily order a bottle on Amazon here.
Chamoy is a thick sauce and condiment (similar to the consistency of honey or syrup) made from pickled fruit like apricots, plums or mangos mixed with spicy chiles and a salty brine. It’s the perfect mixture of sweet, sour salty and spicy and it pairs beautifully with sweet fruit! It’s popular and easy to find in Mexico, but it’s still gaining some ground here in the states.
You can find chamoy in most hispanic grocery stores near you as well as on Amazon here.
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Ingredients
- 1/4 medium-large watermelon, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cubed (about 4 cups)
- 2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 2 cups)
- 1 jicama, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
- Tajin seasoning, for topping to taste (I recommend about 1/2 teaspoon per cup)
- chamoy sauce, for topping to taste (I recommend about 1 tablespoon per cup)
- lime wedges, for topping plus more to taste
Instructions
- Evenly distribute the fruit into 6 18-ounce clear plastic cups or 12 9-ounce clear plastic cups.
- Top each fruit cup with a sprinkle of Tajin seasoning, a drizzle of chamoy sauce and a lime wedge.
- Place a fork in each cup and serve immediately.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
Can you create a low sodium or diy Tajin recipe? I love ingredients recipes because I can adjust the sodium.
Hi Cristina! We haven’t tried making our own tajin but that’s a great idea! Since there’s a low sodium version, you can substitute it for any recipe that uses regular tajin, like these fruit cups or even rims on cocktails.
How long do the leftovers last in your refrigerator
Hi Jackie! For optimal freshness I would say a few days. To help them last longer, I would suggest storing the fruit before adding the toppings.
Can you pre mix the fruit in a large bowl with a little chamoy and let guests add their own amount of tajin per serving
Hi Pat! Yes, that is a great way to serve it!
I love fruit cups but I would like to know how many calories are in one cup
One fruit cup contains 167kcal. You can find more nutrition information underneath the recipe.
How do you pick a mango? I always struggle with this
Hi! I usually give them a gentle squeeze or smell them. If they’re softer to the touch or smell a little stronger, they’re ripe!