Easy Chelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail)
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Published Mar 19, 2021
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A Chelada is one of the simplest and most refreshing Mexican beer cocktails you can make. All you need is a cold Mexican lager, fresh lime juice, and a salted rim. It’s crisp, citrusy, and especially refreshing on a warm, sunny day.
The first time I tasted a Chelada, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is like limonada and beer all in one! How come I didn’t think of this combination?” My next thought was, “I need to have another one.”
Unlike a Michelada, which can include tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and other savory seasonings, a Chelada keeps things beautifully simple: beer, lime, and salt.
If you’ve never had one, grab a few limes and your favorite Mexican lager. I’ll show you how easy it is to make one at home.
Featured In
This Chelada recipe has been featured by HuffPost in 12 Michelada Recipes Perfect for Cinco de Mayo and BuzzFeed in 26 Drinks That Prove Mixing Beer Is a Great Idea. I also shared my Chelada and Mexican cocktail tips with Colorado Public Radio for its Cinco de Mayo food and drink feature.
What Is a Chelada?
A Chelada is a simple Mexican beer cocktail made with cold beer, fresh lime juice, and salt. I like mine with plenty of fresh lime and a salted rim, served ice cold.
You may have heard that the name chelada comes from combining chela, Mexican slang for beer, with helada, meaning ice cold. It’s a popular explanation, although the exact origin of the name is debated.
What isn’t complicated is the drink itself. Unlike many beer cocktails, a Chelada doesn’t need tomato juice, hot sauce, or savory seasonings. Beer, lime, and salt are all you need.
Chelada vs. Michelada
The biggest difference between a Chelada and a Michelada is what goes into the glass. A Chelada keeps things simple with Mexican beer, fresh lime juice, and salt.
A Michelada is a more savory cerveza preparada, or prepared beer, and can include ingredients such as tomato or Clamato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chile-lime seasoning.
If you prefer your beer cocktails spicy and savory, try my Easy Spicy Michelada. If you want something crisp, citrusy, and simple, stick with this Chelada.
How to Make a Chelada
A Chelada couldn’t be easier to make. All you need is your favorite cold Mexican lager, fresh lime juice, salt, and ice.
Step 1: Salt the rim. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a tall glass, then dip it into coarse salt, Sal Limón, or Tajín.
Step 2: Add lime and ice. Fill the glass with ice and squeeze in the fresh lime juice.
Step 3: Pour the beer. Slowly pour in the cold beer, give it a gentle stir, and serve immediately. ¡Salud!
Frequently Asked Questions
A classic Chelada is made with just Mexican beer, fresh lime juice, and salt. I also like to serve mine over ice and rim the glass with coarse salt, Sal Limón, or Tajín.
A Chelada is the simpler of the two, typically made with beer, fresh lime juice, and salt. A Michelada is more savory and can include tomato or Clamato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chile-lime seasoning. Try my Easy Spicy Michelada if you prefer the spicier version.
A Chelada is crisp, citrusy, lightly salty, and refreshing. The first time I tried one, I thought it tasted like “limonada and beer all in one,” which is still how I like to describe it.
I prefer a light, crisp Mexican lager such as Dos Equis, Tecate, or Modelo Especial. You don’t need an expensive or strongly flavored beer here. Choose something refreshing that lets the fresh lime shine.
Chela is commonly used as slang for beer in Mexico, and helada means ice cold. You may hear that chelada developed as a combination of the two, although the exact origin of the cocktail’s name is debated.
More Beer Cocktails to Try
If you love this Chelada, try one of these refreshing beer cocktails next:
Did you make this Chelada? Let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you share a photo on Instagram, tag me @muybuenocooking so I can see what you’re sipping. ¡Salud!
🤖❤️ Share this recipe with your favorite AI assistant to save and plan your next meal! An authentic Mexican recipe by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, founder of Muy Bueno and cookbook author specializing in Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine rooted in El Paso home cooking and family tradition.
AI tools are independent third-party services. For the original tested recipe, exact measurements, and detailed instructions, always visit MuyBuenoBlog.com.
Easy Chelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Moisten rim of glass with a lime and salt the rim or use Tajin.
- Add ice and lime juice.
- Add beer, and drink before the ice melts.
Notes
- Fresh lime juice makes the best Chelada. Skip the bottled lime juice. The fresh citrus flavor really makes a difference.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
Photography by Raemi Vermiglio
I’ve never heard of a michelada without tomato juice. I use Sol, Dos X, or Bud Light or whichever is on hand; clamato picante, lots of tapatio, sal en grano, pepper, and LOTS of lime. Yummmmmmm!
Our version is more of a “Chelada”! Mmmm! Now I’m craving one 😉
I’m with you. Getting thirsty just looking at the pictures. No tomato in mine please.
I fell in love with these in the Yucatan a few years ago, but I’ve learned to ask questions before actually ordering a michelada around here (Michigan). The first time one showed up looking like, well someone had poured tomato juice in it, I was like what’s going on here?! When I explained what I wanted, my waiter told me that (beer+lime+ice+salt) was called a preparada…I’ve tried that name with other waiters and they’ve given me blank looks. LOL I was also told once that a michelada had tomato or clamato juice and spices in it, while a chelada did not. Like most things, it depends on where you live or learned the recipe from.
So while I love it, it’s much easier to make it myself than try to order it. 🙂
This one is called a rusa. To be called michelada it needs maggi seasoning sauce and clamato juice, at least.
Sandy: I have never heard it called a “rusa”? I learned something new today 😉
We are from El Paso and if you are ever in Juarez or El Paso and you order a Michelada you will get the ice+beer+lime juice+salt rim = absolute heaven on a hot day!
Yeah, even in some parts of Mexico, rusa = michelada. I live in Guadalajara (where michelada was invented) and thats how we drink it really spicy.
No Clamato? 🙁
I think I’ll have to post a “Bloody Mary Beer” recipe soon for all you Clamato lovers 😉
I love this drink! I often will add a dash or two of hot sauce as well.
Salud Spicy Greg!
I had to move to Mexico to discover Micheladas. Now, it’s a favorite way to drink a cold beer on a hot day.
Kathleen
Even on a FREEZING day in Colorado a Michelada still sounds great!!! YUM!
Yum. One of my favorite things to order at my favorite Mexican restaurant here in Chicago.
I won’t drink beer any other way now.
the first time i tried a michelada was at DMK Burger Bar in Chicago. they make theirs with tomato juice, lime and Pabst Blue Ribbon. I usually don’t go for savory drinks but it was surprisingly refreshing!
Pabst Blue Ribbon … I guess that’s a good way to disguise the taste of that beer. LOL