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How To Make Tamales

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Learn how to make tamales with this easy recipe and step-by-step tutorial! They’re easy to customize (chicken, beef, pork and vegetarian filling recipes provided), they’re made without lard or shortening, they’re easy to freeze, and taste as delicious as ever!

The Best Homemade Tamales Recipe

Guys, I finally learned how to make tamales! ♡

Turns out, they are actually quite simple to make at home and next-level delicious when served fresh outta the steamer. They do take a considerable investment of time, about two hours to assemble and steam. But in that time, you can make literally three dozen servings, you can customize them with just about any meat or vegetarian filling and sauce that you prefer (either 100% homemade, or I have some speedy store-bought shortcuts below), you can steam them either on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, and — in the end — you get to enjoy the most delicious homemade tamales made from scratch.

Seriously, we can’t get enough of these homemade tamales…which is good news, since we now have a freezer full of ’em.

Over the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with various recipes for tamales and have finally landed on a base masa recipe that is light and moist (without being greasy) and super-flavorful. This particular tamales recipe also happens to be made with zero lard or shortening, and can be filled with your choice of protein (chicken, pork, steak, etc), cheese, beans, veggies, or whatever sounds good to you. And it also freezes beautifully, making these tamales a great meal prep option for easy-to-grab lunches and dinners in the weeks ahead.

So pick up some corn husks and masa and your favorite fillings, set aside a few hours, turn up the music in the kitchen and make some margaritas, maybe invite a friend over to help out, and let’s have a tamales-making date!

How To Make Tamales | 1-Minute Video

Easy Tamales Recipe

What Is A Tamal?

First off, just a quick note for English speakers that the singular for tamales in Spanish is actually tamal (not tamale). Tamales are actually a traditional dish in dozens of countries around Central and South America. But today, we are specifically talking about Mexican tamales, which feature a corn-based masa (dough) wrapped around a filling and steamed in a corn husk. They are traditionally filled with either chicken, pork, beef, cheese and/or beans, but you’re welcome to customize the filling in this recipe however you would like.

Tamales Ingredients:

To make this recipe, you will need the following tamales ingredients:

  • Dried corn husksThese may be available in the Latino or produce section of your grocery store, or if not, you can order them on Amazon. In general, you want to look for husks that are wide enough to wrap around the entire tamal filling. But if you happen to get a bag of husks that are fairly narrow, hakuna matata, you can just overlap two on top of each other. We will also shred a few husks into lots of long skinny pieces to tie the tamales together.
  • Masa (dough) ingredients: For the masa dough itself, you will need:
    • Masa harina: Finely-ground nixtamalized corn flour. (“Maseca” is the most popular brand.)
    • Corn oil or avocado oil: I prefer these two, but any mild-flavored oil will do.
    • Stock: Chicken, beef or vegetable stock will work — yoou pick!
    • Baking powder, salt and ground cumin: To season the masa.
  • Filling: As I said, you can literally fill these tamales with just about anything! They are a fantastic way to use up leftover taco fillings, meat, veggies, cheese, you name it. Or, you can totally cook up a new batch of filling from scratch to go in these. You will need about 2-3 cups of filling this recipe, so feel free to mix and match whatever sounds good. Ideas could include:
    • Chicken: Any kind of cooked, shredded chicken will do. Shredding a large rotisserie chicken would be the quick and easiest route here. Or, you could make (and shred) my recipe for Baked Chicken Breasts, or make this delicious 3-Ingredient Mexican Shredded Chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
    • Beef: Any kind of cooked and shredded (or ground) beef will do. You could brown some ground beef, or use some leftover steak or roast beef. Or I would highly recommend making a batch of this Barbacoa Beef in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
    • Pork: Any kind of cooked and shredded/pulled pork will do. I’m a big fan of using this Carnitas recipe, either made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
    • Refried beans: Refried pinto or black beans are a delicious (and super-easy!) vegetarian option, which you can either use on their own, or mix with cheese and/or roasted veggies.
    • Cheese: Cheese is another delicious vegetarian option that you can use on its own, or pair with any other fillings. I would highly recommend Oaxaca cheese (sort of a Mexican mozzarella), but any cheese will do.
    • Veggies: And of course, you can always use any kind of veggies, either on their own as a vegetarian option or paired with any other fillings. The veggies will need to be cooked ahead of time however you prefer (<– I highly recommend roasting them up), and finely-chopped. Some tasty options could include peppers (poblano, bell, or jalapeño peppers), potatoes (Yukon gold or sweet), cauliflower, mushrooms, squash, onions, carrots…you name it.
  • Sauce: If your filling recipe includes quite a bit of sauce (such as if you make the barbacoa or carnitas recipes), you may not need to add any extra. But in general, I highly recommend adding some extra sauce to your meat or vegetarian fillings. Store-bought salsa will definitely save you a big step, but feel free to go the extra mile and make homemade salsa if you’d like! You will need about 1-ish cups of sauce for this recipe — enough to add a light coating to the filling, without making it too juicy/watery. And then I would also recommend having lots of extra salsa on hand for serving once the tamales have cooked. You can choose just about any kind you love. I would recommend either:
    • Red salsa: Either homemade or store-bought, and as mild or spicy as you prefer.
    • Green salsa (salsa verde): Either homemade or store-bought, and as mild or spicy as you prefer
    • Enchilada sauce: This enchilada sauce recipe is my all-time fave.
    • Mole: I still don’t have a recipe for mole here on the blog, but mole tamales would be incredible.
  • Toppings: Once the tamales are cooked, I’m a big fan of loading them up with lots of toppings. They are totally optional, but I would recommend any combination of:
    • Salsa: Red, green, or pico de gallo
    • Chopped cilantro: always a winner
    • Avocado: always always a winner
    • Sour cream (or Mexican crema) or crumbled cotija cheese: Delicious!

How To Make Tamales (with Chicken, Pork, Beef, Cheese, Beans and/or Vegetables)

How To Assemble Tamales:

It’s much easier than you might think! Simply:

  1. Soak your corn husks.  Find a large stockpot or pan big enough to fit the corn husks, then fill it with very warm water and a lid. The corn husks will float to the top, so you may need to add something to weigh them down a bit so that they are submerged. They will need to soak for about 30 minutes, or until softened.
  2. Mix up your masa (dough). Meanwhile, mix up your masa. You can either do this in a stand mixer (the easiest) or with a hand mixer (a bit more messy) or by hand (lots of work). Mix it up according to the recipe below, and then cover with a damp towel and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Prepare your fillings and salsa. See options above for ideas! Whatever sounds good to you, prepare both your fillings and salsa, them toss them together in a bowl until combined.
  4. Then…assemble the tamales! As I said, this is the part that will take a little while. But I find it totally relaxing and repetitive. So prepare an assembly line of your ingredients, and get in your groove. Simple:
    1. Lay the soaked corn husk on a flat surface. A simple plate or cutting board will do.
    2. Spread your masa on the corn husk. About 1/4 cup (or a little more) will do. I highly recommend using a large cookie scoop to measure out the masa. Use a spoon or your fingers to spread it out into a rectangle large enough to enclose your filling. (I keep a little bowl of water nearby to dip my fingers regularly, which helps the masa from sticking to them.)
    3. Add your filling/sauce to the center of the masa.  Tamales use surprisingly little filling — just a tablespoon or two will do. Add it to the center of your masa.
    4. Fold the corn husk in half vertically.  Then very carefully, fold the corn husk in half so that the masa wraps completely around the filling, maybe using your fingers to pinch it together just a little bit.
    5. Wrap the corn husk into a little burrito.  Continue folding the corn husk completely over to one side so that it is a burrito/cylinder shape.
    6. Fold the top (skinny) end down to enclose one end of the tamal. The image above explains this best. One end of the tamal will be exposed, and the other will be folded over. (I like to fold my tamales to cover the side with the seam.
    7. Tie the tamal together.  I like to shred a few corn husks into long skinny strips to tie the tamales together (this is a perfect use for the husks that are too skinny!). But you can also use baking string.
    8. Then…STEAM! See below for stovetop or Instant Pot options.

How To Steam Tamales | A Step-By-Step Tutorial

How To Make Tamales On The Stovetop:

To make the tamales on the stovetop, you will need a large stockpot with a strainer. I used a strainer pot that came with my stockpot. But you can also purchase various kinds of strainer baskets separately.

To make tamales on the stovetop, simply add the tamales to the strainer, add 2 cups of water to the base of the pot, cover and steam on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, or until the masa separates easily from the husks.

How To Make Tamales In The Instant Pot:

Yep — turns out that tamales are also easy to make in the Instant Pot (or your brand of pressure cooker) too! Simply add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot, insert the strainer basket, add the tamales, cover and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes (using quick release afterwards) until the masa separates easily from the husks.

The BEST Tamale Recipe

How To Serve Tamales:

Once your tamales are all cooked and ready to go, please — please — stop right there and serve a batch fresh outta the steamer. There is nothing like the warmth, texture, and flavor of freshly-cooked tamales. They’re amazing!!!

Just carefully unwrap your tamal (you will not eat the corn husk), top the tamal with your favorite toppings (see ideas above), and dig in! :)

If you would like some ideas for side dishes to go with your homemade tamales, I would recommend:

How To Make Tamales

How To Store (And Freeze) Tamales:

That said, half of the fun of making tamales is that this recipe makes a BIG batch for leftovers! So unless you are having a big tamales party the day you are baking, you will likely have plenty to store for later. Which is lucky for you. ;)

In general, tamales will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To store them, you want to try to have as little air in your storage container as possible. So adding a handful to a ziplock bag (pressing out any extra air) works well. Or if you really want them to be as fresh as possible, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap.

How To Make Mexican Tamales

How To Reheat Tamales:

My three favorite methods use either a:

  • Steamer: Simply re-steam your tamales for 15 minutes or so (or a bit longer if they were frozen).
  • Oven: Wrap your tamales in foil and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until warmed through.
  • Microwave: Admittedly my favorite, and the easiest. Just place 1-3 tamales on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for a minute so until warmed through. 
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How To Make Tamales

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 45 reviews
  • Prep Time: 90 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 0 About 32-36 tamales 1x

Description

Learn how to make tamales with this easy recipe and step-by-step tutorial!  They’re easy to customize (chicken, beef, pork and vegetarian filling recipes provided), they’re made without lard or shortening, they’re easy to freeze, and taste as delicious as ever.  See blog post above for filling ideas and recipes.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package dried corn husks
  • 6 cups masa harina
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 3/4 cup corn oil (or avocado oil, olive oil, or any mild-flavored oil)
  • 23 cups filling (see ideas below)
  • 1 cup salsa (see ideas below)

Instructions

  1. Soak the corn husks.  Place the corn husks in a large stockpot or pan and cover completely with warm water.  Soak for 30 minutes or so until softened.
  2. Mix the masa (dough).  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a large stand mixer, add masa marina, salt, cumin, baking powder, and whisk to combine.  Add the oil, then beat on low speed until combined.  Then gradually add the stock, and beat on low speed until combined.  Once the stock is incorporated, increase speed to medium, and beat for 10 minutes until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.  Cover the mixing bowl with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. Prepare your filling: Toss together your desired filling(s) and sauce until combined.  In general, you want enough sauce to coat and flavor the filling, but not so much that the filling is really juicy/watery.
  4. Assemble the tamales: To assemble the tamales, follow these simple steps (visual included in the blog post above):
    1. Lay the soaked corn husk on a flat surface.  A simple plate or cutting board will do.
    2. Spread your masa on the corn husk.  About 1/4 cup (or a little more) will do.  I highly recommend using a large cookie scoop to measure out the masa.  Use a spoon or your fingers to spread it out into a rectangle large enough to enclose your filling.  (I keep a little bowl of water nearby to dip my fingers regularly, which helps the masa from sticking to them.)
    3. Add your filling/sauce to the center of the masa.  Tamales use surprisingly little filling — just a tablespoon or two will do.  Add it to the center of your masa.
    4. Fold the corn husk in half vertically.  Then very carefully, fold the corn husk in half so that the masa wraps completely around the filling, maybe using your fingers to pinch it together just a little bit.
    5. Wrap the corn husk into a little burrito.  Continue folding the corn husk completely over to one side so that it is a burrito/cylinder shape.
    6. Fold the top (skinny) end down to enclose one end of the tamale.  The image above explains this best.  One end of the tamale will be exposed, and the other will be folded over.  (I like to fold my tamales to cover the side with the seam.
    7. Tie the tamale together.  I like to shred a few corn husks into long skinny strips to tie the tamales together (this is a perfect use for the husks that are too skinny!).  But you can also use baking string.
  5. Steam the tamales: Add water to the bottom of a stockpot or Instant Pot.  Then add a steamer basket, fill it with your tamales, and steam until the tamales are hot and cooked through and the masa separates easily from the corn husks, about 30 minutes on the stovetop or 20 minutes (high pressure, natural release) in the Instant Pot.
  6. Serve tamales: Remove from the steamer and serve immediately.  Or refrigerate in a tightly-sealed ziplock bag for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.


Notes

Filling Ideas: See blog post above for detailed filling ideas and recipes.  In general, some faves include: chicken, beef, pork, cheese, beans, and/or vegetables.

Sauce Ideas: Your filling recipe may already include some kind of sauce.  But if you would like to add extra, I recommend: red salsa (either homemade or store-bought), green Salsa (either homemade or store-bought), enchilada sauce (this enchilada sauce recipe is my all-time fave), or mole.

Source: Recipe adapted from here.

This post includes Amazon affiliate links.

The BEST Tamales Recipe!

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87 comments on “How To Make Tamales”

  1. THANX I had to make tamales for an Aztec assessment in English as my artifact the website helped me loads like I learnt how to make them and what I needed to buy to make them, also this website was really easy to use and really easy and fast to find the information I needed to learn how to make/bake/cook tamales

  2. Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been wanting to make homemade tamales but was always to scared. Your videos and directions made it super easy to follow. Now I have a freezer full and I love it!






    • Way too much liquid per cups of maza flour, I had to add 4more cups of maza four. Just to get the dough.
      They are still steaming. Hope they turn out tasty.
      And done.

  3. Pretty tasty overall and it gets the gist – but the recipe is terrible! In the video it says baking soda, in the recipe it says baking powder. in the recipe it gives you a proportion of cumin but does not say when to use it or where. Also way, way too much liquid, but I knew that. luckily I was just skimming it as a reminder, but a first time tamale maker could get in trouble.

  4. Great recipe. I’ve never made tamales before, so it took me a little longer, and I was making them with my seven-year-old daughter :-)
    I found that they needed to cook for longer than 30 minutes to firm up. More like 45+ here.
    I had roasted a chicken earlier in the week, and made stock that I used in the masa, and used the chick fat (shmultz) instead of oil, and pulled apart leftover chicken for filling. I’ll do that all again! Thanks for the recipe!






  5. Tuesday evening – long day on the computer, and I wanted tamales. I made a 1/4 of the masa recipe and used a beans, garlic chives, ginger, cumin, cilantro and cheese filling. Didn’t have husks so used parchment paper and wrapped tamale like a Puerto Rican pastel, (our version of a tamale!) Steamed for 35 min. Paired with a side of guacamole and an appetite. Delish! Plan to make again but will give myself time to make the entire recipe and freeze the rest.






  6. Will definitely try these.






  7. Thank you for this recipe and video. I’ve been intimidated by the process of making tamales for years, but you finally took the mystery out of it! I made a spicy filling of ground elk and your enchilada sauce and they turned out great!






  8. Thanks for the recipe,going to get ingredients for tamales. Just gotta Love this recipe. Get back with you to let you know how they turn out ?be safe, and put your ?mask on and save lives. God Bless ?






  9. Pulled pork shoulder and hatch green chili (gotta love living in NM), also made a batch of bean and cheese for my miniature human. I found the masa to broth ratio perfect, so it may depend on what masa you purchase.

  10. When you put the tamales in the steamer you need to stand them all up instead of laying them down

  11. These are delicious and worth the effort. I love frozen tamales so tried out this recipe and it made so many–definitely going to freeze some.

    Watching the video a few times helps with the wrapping technique and understanding what the consistency of the dough should be like. I had to add about 10 minutes to steam time, using a regular stock pot with steamer basket–but that’s just how my batch worked out. I knew by checking on one before adding time.






  12. This recipe was so easy and my tamales turned out so good.
    I did how ever stem mine a lot longer than you did . I steamed mine for 2 hours . That’s what I was told by every one that makes them . 30-40 min wasn’t long enough.
    But everything else was awesome. I especially liked the idea of not using Lard. Thank you for a great recipe.
    This was my first time to make tamales but won’t be my last !






  13. I made the masa from scratch using this recipe. I thought it turned out great. The filling tips were very helpful even for little hands. The only thing that I would change is the steaming time. It took over two hours for these babies to set up and still not completely . I wonder if the masa recipe should be adjusted with less liquid. Just a thought. They tasted amazing and the microwave help set what was uncooked the next day.

  14. We made these and they were great. We missed the cumin though as it didn’t state when to add to the masa. It was only when we had finished the masa and watched the video for folding technique that we realised. The proportions of liquid to flour were perfect and the masa was a lovely consistency.

    We would definitely try again. Not common ingredients though in Australia so I had to order through a special grocery.

  15. I made these tonight in my Instant Pot. I roasted a chicken last week, and froze what meat was left. Today, I thawed it, shredded it, and added a tsp of Penzey’s fajita seasoning and 3 TB of salsa. I also had some leftover short ribs, and shredded up that meat for a beef option. For the beef, I did not add any other seasoning. Both versions were ah-may-zing! I can totally see this becoming my go-to for leftover meat. Thanks so much!






  16. Just a quick FYI—tamales singular is tamal* :)

  17. This recipe is amazing, it is so goooooooooood!






  18. Super recipe. I had these in Northern Argentina about 15 years ago and have been intending on making them for my wife and children for years. I love that you have left out the lard / shortening and they worked so well. I think there is a little too much stock suggested, but as a dab hand in the kitchen, I figured that so thickened it up before proceeding to the parcels. I think it may be worth modifying this otherwise great and simplified recipe. Also corn husks are hard to come by in the UK, so baking parchment worked really well, thanks to others for endorsing my thinking if the substitute. Definitely recommend!






  19. Was reading the recipe where does the cumjn go

  20. your recipe isn’t great and you’re missing one ingredient that is pretty important!

  21. Is it better to freeze them cooked or uncooked?

  22. This recipe is bit American, the tamales has not cumin, or any topping. Even though I like the way you make it so easy.

    As a Mexican I will cook them tonight for the Independence Day in Germany, wish me luck!.

    Regards!






  23. First of all, it’s not called “tamale”. Second, this is not the authentic recipe, lol. This is a recipe made by a white person, sorry. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but it’s not a real tamales recipe.
    I’m Mexican and my mom has made tamales for more than 20 years.

  24. Question: can you do these in a Crock Pot if you don’t have the other types of cooking pots? I’ve never tried but wish too.

  25. You had mentioned where sometimes you buy them at I did not see that please provide thank you very much for your post.

  26. In the ingredients list it says baking powder but in the video it says baking soda, which is correct? Hoping it’s the first because that’s what I added!

  27. Hi the tamales are good

  28. I was raised by a Mexican mother who made tamales every Christmas season. I never liked the taste of the masa with the lard (which is the traditional way tamales are made). Your recipe has changed the game completely for me. Using avocado oil gives it a light, moist consistency and flavor. My favorite filling is green chile pork, and then I add some diced roasted poblano peppers and yellow corn kernels for added texture and flavor. Adobo chicken is also a great filling. I do equal parts filling to masa, and I steam in a big stock pot for 2 hours, or 20 minutes in a pressure cooker. Perfect tamales every time, and this is now my go-to recipe every holiday season. Thank you!