Homemade Tajin Seasoning Recipe
This homemade
With just 5 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes of kitchen time, you’ll be able to scratch, make this fiery Mexican spice blend to sprinkle over your fresh fruits, snacks (like my Tajin popcorn)and tons of other favorite foods. This is one homemade spice mix that will take your taste buds on a ride!
Commonly called Tajín Clásico, the Mexican chili-lime seasoning is a popular Mexican spice blend that has a lot of character and flavor. If you love the bold, hot flavors that Mexican cuisine takes pride in, you definitely need to try out this homemade spice mix.
I recently tried my hands at it, and already put it to use in my mango con Tajin, Tajin and Chamoy strawberries and my cucumber and Tajin salad- all of which have already become a huge hit!
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this spice mix is the fact that it is actually super customizable too.
You can totally adjust the level of spice based on your personal taste preference, and create something that works for you and your family. I made a milder version of this for my Air Fryer Tajin chickpeas for the kiddos!
Recipe Ingredients
Red chili powder: You’ll need powdered mild chili peppers making up the bulk of this spice mix. Unless, of course, you want to make it have that extra spicy kick.
Guajillo Chile powder: Guajillo chili peppers are a staple in Mexican cuisine, and if you can get your hands on it, great! If not, you can substitute with some Chipotle instead.
Smoked paprika: This one lends a nice smoky undertone to the spice mix. Again, an essential in my opinion. If you don’t have this, you can use some Chipotle powder instead.
Pink salt: I used pink salt, but you can also use some sea salt, an infused salt (like citrus salt) or even some regular table salt for the recipe.
Dehydrated lime powder: You’ll also need a bit of lime powder, commonly marketed as crystallized lime powder to bring some tanginess into the Mexican seasoning.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- In addition to the ingredients, you can also add some garlic powder and/or onion powder into the seasoning.
- If you want your homemade Tajín recipe to have a bit more heat, you can use dried habanero chillies or dehydrated jalapeno too.
How to Make Homemade Tajin Seasoning
Ready to make the homemade Tajín seasoning? Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
Step 2: Give it a good mix and transfer it to an airtight jar to store for later.
💭Top Tip
If you’re starting off with whole red chillies of any kind, you’ll need to use your spice grinder to get the chillies to the right, powdered form. You can also use a coffee mill if you want to.
How to Store the Leftover Tajin Seasoning
Storing your
Remember that since this is a homemade seasoning mix, it doesn’t have any anti-caking agents added in, so you might notice a bit of clumping.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- I would highly recommend you use dehydrated lime for this homemade
Tajin spice. The tangy flavor it lends is unmatched. If you can’t find it, you can use a dash of citric acid instead. - If you can’t find either of these, you can add some fresh lime zest into the mix to get that citrusy lime flavor you’re looking for.
- I would also recommend slightly dry roasting the chillies in a pan and letting them cool down before you grind them. This will help release their natural aroma and lend the Chile lime seasoning an extra intense flavor. I followed this step while making my instant Rasam powder too.
How to Use the Tajin Seasoning
There are tons of ways to use this spicy and tangy Mexican Chile-lime seasoning. Here are a few good ideas to get you inspired.
As a Seasoning
My favorite way to use this homemade
And it’s not just fruits- the
With Snacks
This
In fact, I recently used it to season some nuts I had at hand, and made a batch of Tajin nuts to munch on. I also love adding it to my bag of Air Fryer walking tacos and even on my Elote casserole for that perfect Mexican kick of flavor.
As a Marinade
This spice rub can also double up as an insanely flavorful marinade or rub for your grilled meats and other grilled foods. I’m planning on using it for my grilled tandoori corn too!
You’ll also find
Recipe FAQs
You can use a mix of different chillies of your choice to make homemade
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If you tried this homemade
Homemade Tajin Seasoning Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon guajillo chile powder
- 2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon pink salt
- 2 teaspoon dehydrated lime juice powder
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Give it a good mix and transfer it to an airtight jar to store for later.
Notes
- I would highly recommend you use dehydrated lime for this homemade Tajin spice. The tangy flavor it lends is unmatched. If you can’t find it, you can use a dash of citric acid instead.
- If you can’t find either of these, you can add some fresh lime zest into the mix to get that citrusy lime flavor you’re looking for.
- I would also recommend slightly dry roasting the chillies in a pan and letting them cool down before you grind them. This will help release their natural aroma and lend the chile lime seasoning an extra intense flavor.
