Mexican Fruit Cups Recipe

Whenever it’s a hot and summer day, I always think back to the delicious fruit in a cup dessert that I ate when I was in Mexico. These fresh Mexican fruit cups were sold everywhere. There was almost always a Mexican fruit cup near me that was sold in fruit stands, which showcased a variety of colorful fruits from pineapples and mangoes to Mexican fruits like jicama. It’s a very popular and common street food, and I would always buy one whenever I can. What makes this Mexican fruit cup so special and appetizing to eat is the Tajin seasoning and, sometimes, chamoy sauce that they drizzle all over the fruits.

This Mexican fruit seasoning truly elevates the flavor of the tropical fruits. Tajin seasoning or chile lime seasoning adds a zesty and savory citrus taste with a bit of mild heat to pair. The resulting taste is a perfect mixture of sweet, sour, salty, and even spicy. These burst of flavors blend beautifully with the sweet taste of the tropical fruits. I decided to recreate this tasty Mexican fruit cup at home to satisfy my cravings for it.

In a classic Mexican fruit cup, they always use pineapple, mango, watermelon, papaya, and jicama fruits. You can also add or swap out other fruits for cucumber or cantaloupes. Honestly, it’s like a Mexican fruit salad seasoned with chamoy and Tajin in a cup. For this recipe, however, I’m only using fresh fruits with Tajin because I prefer the zesty and mild spicy flavors it offers. You can buy Tajin seasoning in a lot of mainstream grocery stores. Chamoy sauce is also a popular Mexican fruit seasoning, but I prefer its salty, sweet, and spicy taste more when paired with just mangoes. Feel free to experiment with it though for a variety of flavors.

Once you have your fruits and vegetables, prepare them for slicing or dicing. Make sure they are peeled, seeded, and cored before cutting them into long spears. Some Mexican fruit cups served them diced, but I honestly preferred the long spears since I got to enjoy each individual taste of the fruits. After cutting them into spears, arrange and stack them in a cup. I used clear plastic cups for this one since it’s what they used back in Mexico, but you can use other types of cup.

Afterwards, serve these Mexican fruit cup appetizers (or dessert!) with a side of lemon wedges and sprinkle it with the Tajin seasoning. For more zesty and fresh flavors, squeeze in some fresh lime juice. I ate a lot of these fruit cups alone as a healthy snack. I also tried serving these fruit cups for party celebrations, and they really enjoyed eating these sweet and spicy fresh fruits in a cup! And if you have any leftover fruits, you can save them to make bionico, a Mexican fruit bowl, which is exactly what I did. It’s just as delectable as these Mexican fruit cups!