This popular spice blend from Mexico is made with dried chilis and lime. It’s a wonderful seasoning for homemade fajitas, chicken wings, and to rim cocktail glasses. And now, I’ve made it easy to make your own Tajín seasoning at home!
Add delicious spice and citrus to a variety of foods with this homemade Tajín seasoning. There’s no hard to find ingredients, just delicious flavor.
Note: Below you’ll find a recipe for a full 1/2 cup (4oz.) batch of Tajín seasoning. In addition, in case you’re trying to make a recipe that calls for Tajín seasoning and you just want to make a little bit, we’ve also given a recipe below that makes a small batch of just 2 tablespoons. We hope you find this helpful!
What Is Tajín Seasoning?
Tajín is a popular seasoning in Mexican cuisine made with a combination of three main flavor profiles: chili, lime, and salt. Pronounced “ta-heen,” the Tajín Clásico powder is produced by the Mexican company of the same name, Tajín.
The chilies traditionally used in Tajín seasoning range from mild to hot, each with its own hint of smokiness, depending on how it was dried. The citrus flavor in the brand mix comes from dehydrated lime juice.
Because the dried chili peppers and dehydrated lime can be difficult to find in regular grocery stores, I created a blend that delivers all of the spicy, smoky chili flavor and punch of lime with easy-to-find ingredients.
Ingredients For Homemade Tajín Seasoning
For the lime flavor, I’ve added fresh lime zest. The salt in the recipe draws out the moisture and oils in the zest, perfuming the chiles in the process. The salt also preserves the freshly-grated zest and prevents bacteria from growing.
After zesting the limes, I like to place the zest on a paper towel and let it dry out for a few minutes before adding it to the rest of the ingredients, which will help to keep it from clumping. If you don’t want to use lime zest in this blend, you can use a teaspoon of ground coriander to get that citrus note. (If just making 2 tablespoons of Tajín, use just a quarter teaspoon of the coriander).
Most chili powders contain a variety of peppers, as well as garlic powder and other spices to round out the flavor. This variety helps the homemade Tajín taste like the store-bought.
The addition of smoked paprika and ground chipotle adds more depth and complexity. If you don’t have ground chipotle, you can use extra chili powder and smoked paprika to replace it.
Some other recipes I’ve seen also include garlic and onion powder in their versions, but I prefer it without. It’s closer to the store-bought seasoning and allows you to use it in more ways.
How To Make Tajín Seasoning
To make your homemade spice blend, combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, ground chipotle, salt, and lime zest. After everything is well mixed, I’ll often let it sit on the counter for a while longer so I can press out any clumps that may have formed.
Transfer the homemade Tajín to a glass jar or container and store it in a cool, dry, dark place for up to three months.
Making a Small Batch of Tajín Seasoning
If you want a full batch of Tajín Seasoning in your pantry that you can grab and use whenever, then scroll down to make the full recipe. However, if you just want a small batch to use right now in a recipe that calls for it, or, if you just want to know approximately how much of each ingredient to add directly to something that you’re cooking, I have the info for you here.
Here is how to make 2 tablespoons of Tajín seasoning. Note that there is salt in this blend so you may not want to add any more salt in dishes you make that you add Tajín to.
| To Make 2 Tablespoons of Tajín Seasoning, Combine: |
|---|
• 2 and 1/4 tsp. chili powder • 1 and 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika • 3/4 tsp. ground chipotle • 3/4 tsp. salt • Zest from 3/4 of 1 lime |
To Add Directly to the Food You’re Cooking: Add equal amounts of chili powder and lime zest. Then add half that amount of smoked paprika, then half as much of that of ground chipotle and of salt.
Using Tajín
My favorite way to enjoy this spicy, citrusy seasoning is to sprinkle it on slices of mango and pineapple. It’s amazing on the rim of cocktails and mixed drinks, like a Spicy Bloody Mary or mango margarita. It’s also great on popcorn, and of course, as a seasoning for steak, shrimp, and chicken.
In particular, it’s becoming very popular on chicken wings, and is super-delicious tossed with these crispy baked chicken wings. Tajín can also be used on all sorts of vegetables, especially if they’re crispy like many of these air fryer vegetable recipes.
I hope you share all the delicious uses you find for this homemade Tajín spice mix in the comments below.
More Homemade Seasoning Mixes
If you loved making this Tajin recipe, I bet you’ll love these other seasoning blends too.
- Garam Masala Recipe
- Pork Chop Seasoning Mix
- Fajita Seasoning
- Copycat Old Bay Seasoning
- Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Podcast Episode: Making Tajíin Seasoning
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Tajín Seasoning
Use Tajín on meats and veggies or sprinkled on fresh fruit or popcorn.
Fits into a standard (4-oz.) spice jar as written, recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: About 4 oz. (1/2 cup) 1x
- Category: Spice Blend
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 3 limes, zested
- 3 Tbsp. chili powder
- 2 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp. ground chipotle
- 1 Tbsp. salt
Instructions
- Spread the lime zest out on a sheet of paper towel. Put another piece over top and press down. Remove the top piece and let the zest sit and dry a bit for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together chili powder, paprika, ground chipotle, salt, and the zest until well combined.
- Let it sit in the bowl for 15 minutes, then go and stir again to make sure any clumps that formed have broken up.
- Transfer mixture to an air-tight container. Store up to 3 months in a cool, dry, dark, place.
This post originally appeared in May 2022 and was revised and republished in June 2024.
What’s the smallest amount of salt you can use and still have this taste OK?
Oxa, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. But if I was you, I’d try one of two things. 1) Just make it without the salt. When you add it to a recipe, taste thee food, and then add the salt you need to taste. 2) Make it without the salt, and then add salt in 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and taste after every addition until you like it. If you try it and get an answer, come back and let me know. I’m really curious!
Great recipe
This version of the homemade rim drift was colorful and delicious. Making it for my raspberry and watermelon mocktails were the hit of my party and was a beautiful toping. I included both lemon and lime zest.
That sounds wonderful, Liz! If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you adding a 5 star rating which helps others find this recipe too. Thanks!
Thanks so much for the recipe~ it showed up in a sugar-free BBQ sauce recipe, & I’d never heard of it. I do have a question about the storage, & that is do you dry out the lime zest before adding? I’m concerned the wet zest might mildew or somehow spoil the dry seasoning if simply stored airtight in the pantry or spice cupboard. Thanks for any additional info.=)
You’re welcome, Samantha! I put the zest on a paper towel and let it sit for a few minutes to dry out a little before adding it to the mix. Then once mixed, let it sit a little longer before sealing it up. If you’re super concerned, you could dehydrate it in a warm oven.