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There’s nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold chelada on a hot summer day. Featuring a salt-rimmed glass, a crisp Mexican cerveza, a splash of lime juice, and a pinch of salt, it’s absolute perfection! Serve it on its own, or pair it with snacks like aguachile, sopes, tacos, and more.
Table of Contents
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Refreshing: If you think a cold beer is refreshing, just wait until you try a chelada! The salt brings out the flavor of the beer and the lime adds a perfect tang.
- Quick & easy: All you have to do is combine lime juice, salt, and beer, then serve it with your favorite rim. It’s ready in minutes!
- Customizable: Make this simple chelada recipe as-is, or enhance the flavors even further by preparing a michelada, swapping out the salt rim with Tajin, etc.
- Affordable: There are no expensive ingredients required for this beer cocktail. Everyone can enjoy the refreshing flavors of a chelada in a budget-friendly way!
If you love cheladas, you should really check out our mangonada, cantarito, and mezcalini.
🍺 What is a chelada?
A chelada is a popular way to serve beer in Mexico by combining light beer, fresh lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a glass. This Mexican beer cocktail brings a whole new meaning to the word “refreshing.”
What you end up with is an immensely satisfying way to quench your thirst, especially when the weather is hot. Once the first sip hits your lips, you’ll already be thinking about guzzling down the rest!
The name chelada is thought to have originated from two words:
- Chela is a term used in Mexico to mean cerveza, and helada means iced.
- Combine the two together to get “chelada.”
Of course, this is only a theory as to where the name came from so take it with a grain (or shall we say a pinch) of salt!
🍻 Chelada vs michelada
While you may sometimes hear the two terms used interchangeably, there are a couple of differences between a michelada and a classic chelada recipe.
- Michelada: A Mexican beer mixed with lime, tomato (or clamato) juice, and different spices like black pepper, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. This drink usually comes with a chile-rimmed glass.
- Chelada: As you now know, cheladas aren’t usually spicy at all. In fact, they are simply Mexican beer with lime juice and salt mixed in.
As we said, you might hear both names used interchangeably depending on what region of Mexico you’re in. Just double-check if you don’t know which beer cocktail you’re ordering!
📜 History
We’re not entirely sure if this origin story is true, but we always love reading about how different food and drinks come into existence. The birth of the chelada goes a little something like this:
- Back in the 1960s, a man (Michel Ésper) always asked for his beer to be served with lime, salt, ice, and a straw at a popular sports club (where he got the idea, we don’t know).
- The drink was served in a special cup called a “chabela.”
- People from the club started asking for “Michel’s limonada” to test out his now infamous drink.
- Over time, the name of the drink was shortened to “michelada” and further to “chelada.”
Regardless of whether this is exactly how it happened, it’s a fun story to think about while you’re sipping on your own chelada.
🌱 Is a chelada vegan?
Cheladas are an inherently vegan beverage since most light beers are vegan-friendly. If you are using a different variety, you can always check out barnivore to make sure it’s good to go.
If you’re wanting to try a michelada, just remember to use tomato juice over clamato juice and vegan Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce. No substitutions are necessary for this classic chelada recipe though.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Light beer: A refreshing, light, and ice-cold Mexican cerveza is a must for this chelada recipe. Bohemia, Modelo, Corona, and Tecate are all vegan-friendly, but any light beer will do the trick (remember, just check the barnivore app).
- Lime: A generous squeeze of lime lends a tangy, fruity, and slightly sweet flavor. Make sure it’s freshly squeezed lime juice, not lime juice from a bottle.
- Salt: Adding salt makes this beer cocktail extremely palatable by enhancing the other flavors.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make a chelada
Step 1: Rim the glass
Run a lime wedge along the rim of a chilled glass, or dip it in a shallow dish of lime juice. Then, dip the rim into a shallow dish filled with salt. Coarse salt adds a better texture and overall flavor, so try to avoid table salt here.
Step 2: Mix the lime and salt
Squeeze the lime juice directly into the glass, then add a pinch of salt and stir the two together. If your glass and beer aren’t very cold, you can add ice at this point if you’d like to make it more refreshing.
Step 3: Add the beer
Slowly pour in the beer, stopping well before it reaches the rim because it will fizz up. Stir the drink gently and garnish your chelada with an extra lime wedge. Happy drinking!
If you have questions about making a chelada, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 How to serve a chelada
The most delicious chelada recipes include a salt-rimmed glass, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and an ice-cold cerveza (the colder, the better). Try adding more or less salt or lime until your chelada is just right.
Some people add ice, but others find it dilutes the beer and flavor — try both to see what you prefer the most.
For a light and crispy snack to serve alongside your chelada, try one of the following plant-based antojitos:
🌡️ Storage
If you end up with leftover cheladas or want to prepare some of the ingredients in advance, follow these tips:
- Fridge: Store cut lime wedges in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also save the rimming salt and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freezer: Evenly pour a beer into a few ice cube trays and keep it in the freezer if you want to chill your next chelada with ice.
- Prep ahead: Squeeze the lime juice and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours, make ice ahead of time, chill the glasses, and add salt to a dish with a cover. When you’re ready to enjoy a chelada, it will be that much quicker to assemble it.
♻️ Variations
- Different rim: For a spicy and tangy flavor, replace the salt rim with a chamoy and chile-lime seasoning (like Tajín).
- Skip the rim: If you don’t like drinks with a rim, just skip it and add a little extra salt to the drink itself.
- Michelada: Create more depth in your chelada by adding vegan Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, tomato juice, hot sauce, and a dash of chile powder.
- Tequila: Every great Mexican beer cocktail becomes even better with a side shot of tequila. Bottoms up!
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free beer if you need to accommodate those with gluten sensitivities or allergies.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Keep it light: The best chelada recipes are made from light beer (preferably a Mexican cerveza like Bohemia, Modelo, or Tecate).
- Make sure it’s chilled: If you want the most flavor-intense chelada, don’t add ice. But, make sure the glass and beer are both chilled.
- Make beer ice: To prevent the ice from watering down your chelada (if you’re adding it), make ice cubes out of extra beer.
- Fresh lime juice: Do not substitute freshly squeezed lime juice for store-bought lime juice in a bottle. The most refreshing flavor comes from whole limes.
- Rim with coarse salt: It’s best to use coarse salt for the chelada rim since it adheres better and provides a better flavor and texture.
- Pour the beer slowly: Remember to pour the beer into the glass slowly and stir it gently. The salt can cause excessive fizzing up and overflowing, so just be careful!
- Use a bottle: You can easily make a chelada directly in the bottle or can. Just add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt straight into it.
💬 FAQ
To properly rim a glass, set up two small plates. One has lime juice on it and one has coarse salt. First, rim the glass in lime juice and follow it with salt. You can also just run a lime wedge along the rim and then dip it in salt.
The alcohol content in a chelada corresponds to the beer you’re using. In general, it will range from around 4-5% ABU.
Yes, you can use any type of beer you prefer for this chelada recipe. However, Mexican lagers like Bohemia, Modelo, or Tecate are the most traditional and refreshing choices.
While it won’t technically be a chelada in the most literal sense, you can try this recipe with sparkling water or a non-alcoholic beer.
No, this chelada recipe is not gluten-free. To make a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free beer. If you have gluten allergies, always double-check the label to make sure it’s certified gluten-free.
🍴 More drink recipes
If you enjoyed this chelada recipe, be sure to check out some more cold and refreshing beverages like these:
- Tamarindo Drink: Tart, tangy, and unique agua fresca that will quench your thirst.
- Tejuino: Made with fermented corn and unrefined cane sugar.
- Agua de Jamaica: One of the most popular and refreshing agua fresca flavors.
- Agua de Sandia: Juicy, sweet, and satisfying drink made from watermelon.
Best Chelada Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Bottle opener
- 1 Beer glass
- 1 Citrus squeezer
Ingredients
- 12-ounce cerveza (Bohemia, Modelo, Tecate, etc.)
- 1 lime (squeezed)
- Coarse rimming salt
- Ice optional
Instructions
- Run a lime wedge along the rim of a chilled glass, or dip it in a shallow dish of lime juice. Then, dip the rim into a shallow dish filled with salt.
- Squeeze lime juice directly into the glass. Add a pinch of salt and stir. Add ice if you're using it.
- Pour in the beer, stopping well before it reaches the rim because it will fizz up. Stir and garnish with an extra lime wedge. Happy drinking!
Notes
- Keep it light: The best chelada recipes are made from light beer (preferably a Mexican cerveza like Bohemia, Modelo, or Tecate).
- Make sure it’s chilled: If you want the most flavor-intense chelada, don’t add ice. But, make sure the glass and beer are both chilled.
- Make beer ice: To prevent the ice from watering down your chelada (if you’re adding it), make ice cubes out of extra beer.
- Fresh lime juice: Do not substitute freshly squeezed lime juice for store-bought lime juice in a bottle. The most refreshing flavor comes from whole limes.
- Rim with coarse salt: It’s best to use coarse salt for the chelada rim since it adheres better and provides a better flavor and texture.
- Pour the beer slowly: Remember to pour the beer into the glass slowly and stir it gently. The salt can cause excessive fizzing up and overflowing, so just be careful!
- Use a bottle: You can easily make a chelada directly in the bottle or can. Just add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt straight into it.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
