Take your taste buds to the next level with spicy-sweet candies like dulces enchilados, simple chamoy candy, spicy mango gummies, and even chocolate chile candies.
Tajin, Tamarind, and Chamoy are three of the most popular seasonings and sauces often used to make spicy Mexican candies. While they each bring unique types of salty, sour, and sweet flavors, they also include some form of chiles to add a great punch of spiciness to the mix.
Mexican candy recipes with chili powder are slightly spicy, perfectly sweet, tangy and totally addictive. Here we share everything you need to know about the different ingredients, plus easy sweet and spicy Mexican candy recipes you can make at home!
Mexican Candy Flavors Overview
Tajin
What is Tajin? This vibrant seasoning blend is made with dried chili peppers, dehydrated lime, and sea salt. The trio creates a big kick of sweet, salty, and (lightly!) spicy flavor.
Tajin seasoning is mellow on the spiciness. However, it still packs a nice zing of heat that compliments the salt and lime. The bold spice blend is added as a seasoning to sweet and/or sour candies, like gummies and chewy ropes, to balance the sweetness.
Tamarind
What is Tamarind? Tamarind is a unique legume-like fruit that grows in pods on trees. It’s usually cooked down and concentrated, similar to a chutney or jam. Or, the pods themselves can be quickly processed to make a thick paste. Either way, once prepared the taste is a delightful combination of sweet, sour, and tangy!
Tamarind candy often uses the concentrate or fruit pulp to create soft and chewy balls. They have bright tropical flavor, which can be balanced with spicy chili powder and other exciting ingredients.
Chamoy
What is Chamoy? Sauce, paste, or candy – Chamoy is a versatile and delicious condiment made with pickled sour fruits and spicy chilies in a salty brine. It is commonly made with dried fruit, like apricots or prunes, which are tasty but without being overwhelmingly sweet.
In all forms, the flavor of Chamoy is fantastically tangy, tart, and salty, with a great bite of spiciness to round everything out. The sauce or paste is used as a binder to make all kinds of chili powder seasoning-coated Mexican candies.
popular Mexican Candy Recipes With Chili Powder and Spices
Dulces Enchilados
Dulces Enchilados is a popular type Mexican candy with chili powder. The sweet-spicy combination embodies Mexican cuisine. It is also sometimes called Pica Pica candy, chamoy covered candy, Mexican spicy candy or Mexican gummies.
And although it’s a traditional Mexican recipe, social media users on platforms like TikTok and Instagram have taken the Dulces Enchilados concept to a whole new level with fun and crazy videos.
This Mexican-style candy can be made with many different kinds of sweets, but typically uses gushers or peach rings. But you can definitely make it with your favorite fruity candy.
These popular treats are often combined with Chamoy sauce, Tajin seasoning, and sugar to really take those classic candies to the next level of deliciousness. The layers of spicy chili powders with sweet, salty, and sour flavors create an unbelievably fun mouth party with every piece of candy!
Dulces Enchilados Mexican Spicy Candy Recipe
Use your favorite candies to make crave-able sour, spicy, and sweet Dulces Enchilados in only about 5 minutes. This delicious candy recipe is made with 4 simple ingredients:
- Try a delicious variety of fruity flavors like gummy bears or worms, sour ropes, peach/apple/watermelon rings, Gushers, Skittles or fruit roll ups. For an extra flavor punch, try a sour candy – like sour patch kids!
- Chamoy
- Tajin
- Powdered sugar
–> Get the full recipe for Dulces Enchilados Mexican Spicy Candy
Tamarindo Candy
Mexican Tamarindo candy is a type of confection made primarily with Tamarind fruit, plus sweeteners (like dates), nuts, and bold seasonings.
Tamarind on its own has a deep sour and slightly sweet flavor; when used to make candy it takes on the sweetness or spiciness of other ingredients included.
The sticky concentrated Tamarind fruit is combined with other ingredients, then rolled into balls and coated in granulated sugar for a pop-able treat!
Tamarindo Candy Recipe
This healthier twist on classic Mexican Tamarindo chili powder candy is fun and quick to make in 10 minutes. The recipe is inspired by the popular Mexican treat called De la Rosa pulparindo tamarindo candy which can be found in Mexican grocery stores and online.
This easy recipe uses concentrated Tamarind, which is much easier to work with versus fresh Tamarind. If you can’t find it at a local grocery store, it can be ordered on Amazon. For this recipe you need:
- Unsalted cashews
- Medjool dates
- Tamarind concentrate
- White sugar
- Tajin seasoning
–> Get the full recipe for Tamarindo Candy
Spicy Fruit Candies
When you think of traditional combinations of Mexican candies, a few words that come to mind are sweet, sour, and spicy!
Spices have a long history in Mexican culture, so it’s no wonder the countries sweet treats also have a kick of spicy flavor.
Spicy Air Fryer Mango Candy Recipe
This spicy mango candy recipe is a perfect example of blending the perfect mix of sweet and spicy into a treat.
This super simple recipe captures the essence of Mexican candy with just 2 ingredients: mango and Tajin. The sweetness of the mango candy pairs beautifully with the spice from Tajin.
Simply pop the fresh fruits into your air fryer and in a few hours, you’ll have a delicious snack to enjoy. It would also be great added to a trail mix.
–> Get the full recipe for Spicy Air Fryer Mango
Chocolate Candies With Chili Powder
If you’ve ever tried Mexican Hot Chocolate, you know it’s a heavenly blend of sweet and spicy flavors. It has a distinctive spice flavor from cinnamon. And sometimes other chile and spices are added too.
These exciting flavors date back to ancient Mexico, but they are still super popular today.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge Recipe
The flavors of Mexico are captured perfectly in this sweet and spicy fudge recipe. It’s a unique modern-day interpretation of the unique flavors of Mexican chocolate.
For the recipe, you’ll need about 20 minutes and the following ingredients. You don’t even need a candy thermometer for this sweet treat.
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Cinnamon
- Chili powder
- Vanilla
- Mini marshmallows
–> Get the full recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the spice on Mexican candy?
A. Several popular Mexican spices found on Mexican candy include chili powder and Tajin. Tajin is a seasoning blend made with chiles, lime, and salt. Chamoy and Tamarind are other popular Mexican candy flavors.
Q. Why does all Mexican candy have chili powder?
A. Not all Mexican candy has chili powder, but it definitely is popular. Using spices such as chili powder is a tradition that dates back to ancient Mexico and other Latin American countries. Chili powder and other spices are still used today in Mexican cooking, including in candy.
Q. What chile powder is used for Mexican candy?
A. Mexican candy often has a spicy coating or flavor component. The spicy may come from chili powder which is made from dried ground chile peppers. It may also come from Tajin which is made from ground chili, salt and dehydrated lime juice.
Q. What is the red stuff on Mexican candy?
A. The red seasoning on Mexican candy is usually Tajin. It’s a popular spice blend used in Mexican cooking. It is made with salt, dried chili peppers and dehydrated lime. It adds a pop of spice and depth of flavor. When a little bit is added to the top of fruits or candy, it adds a nice contrast to the sweetness.
Q. What is the difference between chamoy and Tajin?
A. Tajin is a popular Mexican spice made with salt, dried chili peppers and dehydrated lime. Chamoy is a versatile and delicious Mexican condiment made with pickled sour fruits and spicy chilies in a salty brine. It is often used to coat candy or fruit before adding chili powder or Tajin.
We hope this article has helped you learn more about delicious Mexican candies that use a combination of chili powders to create amazing spicy-sweet flavors.
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