How To Make Tamales
Tamales in Corn Husks
Well, this is embarrassing. It seems that all of the lovely chatter that normally constitutes the video introduction was somehow lost to the netherworlds of technology. It’s probably hanging out down there somewhere with old friends Betamax and Calculator Wristwatch.
So this episode starts out kind of abruptly and for that, I apologize, but there is really nothing I can do about it, short of a Christmas Miracle. I will try to give you the gist of it here, though.
I’m pretty sure I said something about how, in Texas, tamales are a Christmas Eve tradition. Probably blabbed on about how tamales are really much easier than people make them out to be. Then I might have talked a little bit of shit about recipes I’ve seen for tamales that use cornmeal or eggs or other inappropriate ingredients in the masa. There may or may not have been a cry of Feliz Navidad towards the end. I can’t really remember. Too many eggnogs have been had between then and now.
Or…I don’t know — do you think 24 eggnogs in 24 hours is too many?
How to make Tamales Recipe Video
Basic Tamales Recipe
Print
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- For the Masa:
- 2 cups instant corn masa flour
- 1 1/2–2 cups warm water or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (softened), lard, shortening, or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- For the Tamales:
- 20–24 dried cornhusks, rehydrated in boiling water for 20 minutes
- 2 cups of your filling of choice (see options below)
Instructions
- Make the masa: In a mixing bowl, beat the fat component on high speed to whip it up (skip this if using liquid vegetable oil).
- Add the masa flour and about a cup of the water. Add another 1/2 – 1 cup water to make a soft, moist dough. Add the salt and chili powder.
- Assemble: Pull out a cornhusk and lay it down, smoothest side up, and the pointier end towards you.
- Put about 2 tablespoons masa dough on the husk and pat it out very thin. Put about 2 tablespooons filling in a line down the middle of the masa. Roll it up, using the husk to form it into a little log. Fold over one side of the husk, then fold the bottom up and roll over the rest of the husk. Tie it closed with a thin strip of another husk if you like. It does look cute that way.
- Roll up a bunch more tamales that way. You’ll get about 16 tamales from this recipe.
- To cook: Set up a steamer basket in a large pot.
- Lay some husks over the bottom of the steamer, sit the tamales upright in the pot, cover with another layer of husks. Put a tight lid on it.
- Steam for about and hour and a half, adding water if necessary.
Tamales Ready-To-Eat!
Filling ideas: Make sure to taste the filling before making tamales. It should be well-seasoned because the masa itself is very mildly flavored.
PrintPork Tamale Filling
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- Pork Filling
- 2 cups cooked, shredded pork roast (you could also use chicken here)
- 1 ancho chile, soaked in boiling water 5 minutes, stem removed
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic (about 2 large cloves)
Instructions
- Put the ancho chile, water, and spices in a blender and whizz around until smooth. Put in a small pot with the shredded pork and simmer about 20 minutes until the water is absorbed or evaporated. Taste for salt and spice.
Vegan Tamale Filling
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- Vegan Bean Filling
- 1 cup cooked pinto or black beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt to taste (depends on your beans)
Instructions
- Drain liquid from beans and saute with corn, tomato, and jalapeno in the oil for five minutes, mashing the beans slightly.
- Add oregano and salt to your liking.
Sweet Potato Tamale Filling
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
- 1 poblano chile, diced
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups diced and steamed (or roasted) sweet potato
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Saute the pepper in the oil until soft and blackened in spots.
- Add the garlic and sweet potatoes and saute another minute. Salt to taste.
These are AMAZING if served covered in queso, like we do.
60 Comments
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Beautiful! I just spent a day making 14 dz. with my mother, Of course we were supposed to have more help, but the christmas party the night before at my sister’s bar kind of left the help layed up with hangovers.
Great tradition. Keep up the good work.
Merry Christmas, Hilah!
Whoa, Steve! That is quite a commitment! I hope the hungover help will still be allowed to eat. 😉
Merry Christmas!
Awesome! So glad you made them w/ coconut oil and thank you, thank you for including a vegan option. Yours is the only non-vegan cooking blog that I enjoy! 🙂
Oh that makes me happy, Laura! Thank you!
Whoah, just whoah. Those look mui bueno. Honestly I do not feel like my skill level is high enough to do this though. I fear they would turn out horribly.
Forgive my ignorance here but could you substitute Crisco for that coconut oil? I’ve never bought coconut oil and it sounds frightening. I’m just a little bunny. Also, I assume we could mix with a wooden spoon if we don’t have a mixer. Or is it all complicated like whipping?
I’ve been wanting to learn traditional Mexican dishes for a while now. Thank you for sharing. Feliz Navidad!
JACK. Make the f***** tamales. I won’t tell you again!!!
😉
Oh, crap, also I never even answered your questions. Yes, use Crisco if you like. Yes, also a wooden spoon is A-okay!
Hilah, in the video you mentioned a sweet potato filling. Will you post that recipe, or did all of that eggnog make you say sweet potato when you meant to say bean?
I love your show, by the way! Thanks for brightening my week with your sassy ways.
Dangit! Yes, you are right. Too many eggs in my noggin. Here is the sweet potato filling:
2 c diced and steamed (or roasted) sweet potato
1 poblano chile, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T oil
salt to taste
Saute the pepper in the oil until soft and blackened in spots. Add the garlic and sweet potatoes and saute another minute. Salt to taste.
Another great video, Hilah, but I cringed every time I heard you say “tamale”. The singular form of “tamales” is “tamal”. Also, I know you know how to properly pronounce “tamales” because of how you read the Spanish version of the label for the masa. Please respect the Spanish language even when speaking in English, and then I would love you even more LOL! Thanks for such an informative post.
(on Youtube there was a typo on your name. Sorry!)
Hi Memoria! No disrespect intended, as I am sure you know. You are correct of course, but I grew up calling them “tamale” in singular and just didn’t think of it! All apologies!
Great job on the Tamaleeeee. Anyway, last time I checked, we don’t pay you for this, so you can call them whatever you want. So, what I’m doing actually tomorrow is making some Tequila Lime Chicken Tamales. Simple and quick to assemble the meat creation. I have it all in my head right now and will be getting the stuff for it tomorrow. I will let you know if I don’t kill anyone with them and will give a rundown on ingredients later(if everyone survives).
Hell yeah, David! Tequila lime chicken sounds wicked awesome. Please share if it works out and no one goes to the ER.
Once again you made it look so easy 🙂 I just don’t have some of the equipment you have to make this so I’ll keep going to the Tortilla shop where the little Mexican ladies make them down the street. Your tamales do look tasty!!!
Aw, thanks Margie! I hope y’all had a great Christmas!
Wow! I’ve had tamales on the brain for several weeks and decided that learning how to make them would be a New Years resolution. This will definitely be one of the first I’ve ever kept. I’d been bookmarking recipes and pictorial guides to making tamales, but a video is worth a thousand pictures! I’m now certain that it’s within the realm of possibility for me to throw a tamale party. Any suggestions for accompaniments that are more Southwestern than Tex-Mex or Mexican? So far, all I’ve come up with is a Southwestern black bean and corn salad.
Hey Randy! That salad sounds good! We always have them with chips and queso. What about calabacitas: zucchini, corn, onion, and jalapenos sauteed together and served hot?
How’s it going Hilah. Just wanted to give a report on my Tequila Lime Chicken Tamales. They turned out great. Roasted whole chicken, shred, put it in a pan. I then added juice from a couple of limes. Then, the good stuff…Tequila! While filling the tamales, I then added some mexican cheese and some ortega chiles. To top it off after they were done, I made a mole sauce, then added a spoonful over the tamale. Hilah, we should have a big ass tamale making party next year. With full bar, of course.
Aw, dude, David! That sounds radical! Did you let the tequila cook off before you filled them? Count me in for the party, man!
With the chicken already cooked/roasted, I simply added the lime and cooked for about a minute. Then, added the Tequila. Another minute. Measured? I just eyeballed it. Tasting the chicken, you had the hint tequila was in it. I used a pretty good agave tequila I bought at a factory in Mexico. So, of course, I might have had a shot for quality control purposes. I’m in the Central part of California, so it’s a bit out of your way there in Austin for a tamale party.
Boo. Maybe we can take this show on the road in the future!
Now that you mention chips and queso, I think I’ll forget about eating the tamales at a sit-down dinner and just keep it more of a cocktail party. Thanks for the calabacitas idea, though. I’ll definitely make that the next time I’m trying to cook outside of the Matt’s El Rancho No. 1 Dinner box.
Ooh, cocktail tamales sounds perfect!
Actually “tamal” is the word to use if speaking Spanish. “Tamale” is an official English word according to the American Heritage Dictionary. Cultures often barrow words from other languages, but then apply their own pronunciation, grammar and spelling rules.
Thanks for that explanation, Randy. My husband kind of told me the same thing but it makes more sense now.
After making tamales with your pork filling several weeks ago, I felt that the filling was so delicious that it was a shame to just make it on those relatively rare occasions that I make tamales. It’s now my favorite ingredient for Mexican torta sandwiches or any pork sandwich for that matter. It’s also great for tacos. Being lazy (and a chilihead), I don’t mince the jalapeno or the garlic: I just remove the skin from the garlic and the stem from the chili, toss them into the blender and let it do the mincing.
Great idea, Randy! I bet it makes a mean torta! Thanks for sharing your suggestions. I like that. 🙂
Dear Hilah: First LOVE YA! Second I couldn’t find a guacamole recipe so here is one you should try: 1 ripe haas avocado (if ripe the flesh feels the same “squishiness” as the pad of flesh between your thumb and forefinger) 1 ripe tomato, 1 medium white onion, dice all these (cut the avocado in half, take a knife and score it in squares then scoop out with a spoon..no gook on your hands) and put the pit in the guacamole (keeps it from turning brown) juice of 1 lime, 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper diced very fine (if you like it hot use the seeds too), 1/2 bunch of cilantro chopped very fine (some people take the leaves off and don’t use the stems I like the flavor with the stems it is stronger that way), 1 scant teaspoon salt. Lightly stir all ingredients (this is chunky NOT that mushy supermarket crap). Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Hope you try and enjoy this authentic Mexican guacamole recipe!
Hi Lisa! Thanks so much for writing! I love guacamole and will definitely be making a video in the future. Thank you for sharing your recipe with everyone and me. (And I like cilantro stems, too!)
I made your tamale recipe for my friends and husband and they turned out SPECTACULAR! My first time making them and they were perfect! Thank you for the great recipe! Hubby took some to work the next day and people asked if I am Spanish because they were so good! PS he loves your show too we watch episodes on roku player on the weekend together and you always have something we want to try! Keep up the great work and hope you become rich and famous soon chick! You have such fabulous recipes and we both love your “just me” attitude about cooking…not snooty chef, just fabulous cook Hilah whose food anyone can make and it will be delish!
Lisa, you are awesome! That’s great to hear that they worked so well. Thank you so much for believing in me! xoxo
Hilah, I thought I loved you before but now I am willing to raise your kids for you. Tamales are my all time favoritest food in the world and here you go making it look like something I could actually do myself. Like Indian food (which I also dearly love), tamales were something I’ve always been scared to make because they look so hard and daunting.
Yay, Beverly! That’s music to my ears to hear (read) you say (write) that! One of my life’s missions is complete. I hope you try them out! We always have them on Christmas Eve in my family.
P.S. No kids yet, but when it happens I’m dropping them off with Aunt Beverly. 😉
ok, so every year my mother-in-law pulls the whole family together for “tamale day” with the threat of “you don’t help – you don’t eat”. As a group we manage to produce 25 – 30 doz. which are demied up between all those who have helped. She starts EARLY in the morning with the filler prep & makes the maza. We worker bees get there around 9am to start the filling & rolling task while she works on the steemer pots. This whole process has always been intimidating to me till I watched your video. THAT’S IT?!?!?!?!? I can do this! My goal this year is to follow your instructions and take a few over on the 17th for a taste testing. Hopefully I’ll make some high points with the mom-in-law 😉
Thanks sooooo much for your super easy to follow instructions!
Patsy
Hi Patsy!
This sounds like a really fun way to get the family together! I bet those tamales are delicious! I’m glad the video has helped you feel more confident. 🙂
Thanks so much for the awesome video! I’ve been dying to try my hand at tamale making, and you make it look so easy! I have a few questions though. I make a fabulous carnitas. Can I just that meat and put it straight into tamales? And, I wanted to add diced ortega chilis to the masa, but my sister in law thinks it’s going to ruin the whole thing. Any thoughts? All I need is a steamer, and I’m ready to go. Can’t wait!
Thanks, Lisa! Yes, I think carnitas would be a great filling. I’d just recommend shredding it very finely first. And I think you could add a small amount of chilies to the masa if you like. Too much and it could impair the masa binding together properly. Again, if you minced them I think that would work better.
Have fun and have patience! There is a learning curve but you should get the hang of it after making about 6 tamales or so.
Just wanted to report back. I made my first batch of tamales tonight. They weren’t perfect by any means. Really too small. The masa didn’t form a perfect little packet ( but I’m hoping it will after they cool a bit) but the flavor was great. I decided instead of chicken broth in the masa harina, I used the juice from my carnitas and added just enough chicken broth to give me the required amount. I also put 1 small can of green chilies in the food processor and added the purée to the masa. The flavor was great! Anyway, even though they had some technical difficulties I’m very pleased at my first attempt. I doubt I would have tried, if you hadn’t made the process look so easy in your video. I can’t thank you enough.
Sounds like a really successful first time, Lisa! As long as they tasted good, that’s the most important part for me. I’m glad you gave it a shot and put your own spin on it; the pureed green chilies really sounds good.
Hi Hilah,
I love your show and recipes. Please forgive this late comment — only a year– I made vegan style tamales and everyone who had them thought they were the BOMBDIGGITY!!! I’ll be making some more for NEW YEAR’S. That was my first time making Vegan. Even my Mexican mother — Half Bean here 🙂 — was impressed with the flavor. I sauteed mushies, spinach, diced butternut squash, blackbeans, onion, garlic, jalapenos- roasted first . At the last minute I threw in cilantro. They were sooo very delicious! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Happy New Year to you and yours!
Yay, Cathy! That is SO wonderful to hear. Your filling sounds badass! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I bow down before you and all makers of tamales! I just got the only batch of these things I will ever make into the steamer. I just don’t have it in me to try this again. You made it look so easy, but this first time tamale maker is going to leave it to the pros. I’m pretty sure they will be the bomb Cuz I taste tested along the way and even tho I am as white girl as I can be, I thought with the little Hispanic I had in me ( for 2 minutes and 9 months) I could surely do this. I love your recipes, your videos and I’m a newbe subscriber. can’t wait to try something that is more my speed. Thank you you are amazingly awesome!!!
Ha! Thanks, Lisa. 🙂 Your comment made me giggle. I hope the tamales turned out yummy at least!
Oh Hilah!!! As predicted, they were the bomb! However, the newbe that I am managed to forget about the water steaming off and needing to add more… instead, when I couldn’t hear the boil going on, I thought the heat was too low and turned it up! Luckily I crammed a buttload of husks under and over the little buggers so they didn’t dry out and my kitchen didn’t burn to the ground! Yea me! I do have a nice little scortch mark on the counter from rookie move # 2 putting the flipping scortching hot pot on there instead of a cool burner. a memory to last a lifetime! Or until I can convince the boyfriend into granite tops. also, did your pork chops tonight… so moist and orgasmic as I couldn’t stop myself from making ” oh my God noises after each bite
Ha! Nice save, Lisa! I’m glad they were good at least. 🙂 good luck with the granite countertops. Maybe if you just keep accidentally burning the ones you have…
Hilah
First the indulgent gratitude part of the comment: if I was just a little crazier than I am I’d probably ask you to be my best friend… But that is just the progesterone talking (deargawd, I hope you read on…)
It isn’t easy to put a pregnant Mexican in a good mood after a long night of tossing, crazy pregnant dreaming, craving and hourly trips to pee. Woke up this am to prep for my 2nd annual birthday/tamale party: the day when I enlist helplessly devoted American friends to make dozens of tamales-last year we were in DC; this year Chicago; next year we’ll be in Seattle. Apparently no one has yet shared how much work this party could be on facebook or I’d be in big trouble. Realized (way too early this am) no margaritas (not even a bud light lime a rita) for me and the Little Bit this year and was a little overwhelmed. I try make vegan versions of everything when I host parties these days but was not organized enough to keep track of the masa recipe last year so this year I’m trying yours for 2 reasons: 1) your site (especially your restrained responses to the hateful comments on the Chick fil Gay recipe) put me in a super good mood and 2) if I sent friends to your site for the recipe they would probably never even consider that this might actually be work!
The carnivores in attendance today will eat Chicken Chipotle filling; the vegan filling is usually tomatillo based (so tipsy vegans will have color coding to aid them in their dietary efforts). I mix the Salsa Verde with white hominy for body. The carnivores tend to like both kinds so I make half and half. This year a 2 year old and a 5 year old are coming (I’ll have not-drinking buddies!) and I’m making them their own little filling with creamed sweetcorn, honey and maybe a honey yogurt to go on top.
I do have one question: have you ever thought up a food-safe way mark the outside of the Hoja so folks will know what they’re getting into before they open the husk?
Best, avp
Hi Abigail!!!
Happy birthday! Sounds like a wonderful birthday plan, aside from the no margaritas part. Annnd… very good thinking to make the veg filling a different color from the meat filling. As far as a way to mark them, good question. One way would be to roll them differently (some open-ended and some closed) though towards the end of the evening when people are coming back for round three, that might not be obvious enough.
I wonder if you could make a solution of achiote powder and water (or use achiote oil) and drip a drop of that on the outside of the chicken ones? Seems like it would stain them and match the filling inside!
Hope your party goes off great and that everyone enjoys the tamales (and that you have a few left over).
-h
Brilliant idea. I thought of the folding too, or tying two ways but these hardworking novices have trouble enough with the single fold and simple tie. And water based food coloring might bleed all over in the steamer. I’ll try to achiote oil next time and let you know. Not very many leftovers; but I think that is a good sign!
Oh yes! A good sign indeed. Glad you all had fun. 🙂
Hi Hilah I love your videos and you helped me make my first sausage gravy ever lol it was delicious. Anyways I was just wondering my husbands family is Mexican and when they make tamales they always have a hot sauce inside the tamale. So I was wondering would you pour the hot sauce like salsa verde on the meat before you close the tamale up to cook? Just want to make sure before I try thus recipe lol thanks for your help. Keep making videos.
Hi Nichol!
I’ve had tamales before that had a saucy kind of filling but it’s more like the meat (pork or chicken) is cooked in a salsa before making tamales and then the meat and some of the sauce is put inside. If you want to try a separate sauce, I think the salsa verde would be good with pork or chicken and the guajillo chile sauce from the breakfast enchiladas might also be good with shredded pork.
Hah girl-I love your sass!
I just whipped up a batch of your badass tamales, tamals, tam-WTF, the dang rolled thingies!
Lol, I can do that because I, unlike a lot of people (your average white person), have made these babies before. California girl here-hence the moniker.
Having a bunch of leftover pork ribs leftover, I of course morphed them into tamales using red sauce I have in the freezer (yeah-I roll like that).
But I had to let you know that I think you’re awesome and I’m now a follower not a stalker.
You rock girl! Keep it up.
Hugs-Kari/SourdoughNative
Hi Kari!
That’s fantastic! I love when people repurpose leftovers like that and if you can make them into tamales, then all the better!
Thank you for writing. It’s nice to meet you!
-h
We also like thick slabs of Monterey Jack cheese with pickled jalapeño slices as a filling. Delicious!
Love your vegan recipe as well as the pork. And after a few dry runs getting the coconut oil to act as if it was a dollop of lard, what a blessing to get rid of the trans fats! Finally discovered that I had to add 1/4+ tsp salt per 1/4 pound of Coconut oil. Silky smooth. To die for! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks, Gordon! 🙂
Is the t mean teaspoon & T for tablespoon?
yes
I’ve been looking for a good masa recipe will try this one, I use leftover pork butt that my husband smoked, I shred it and add BBQ sauce to it last ones I made were good but the masa was kinda plain going to use this recipe this time
Ok. I had mastered one true version of carnitas (got a bbq strategically positioned outside and a big oven inside) and in the process discovered the best Mexican food market way up here in Edmonton! Oaxaca cheese! Flexible dried chilis! Finally fresh Masa and corn husks! But, it’s thanks to you and your tamales recipe that made my new years 2020 the best/last party I’ve hosted! I was longing for a repeat (locked down, no joy) and normally thank all the hard work it takes to help us out here internet land! I realized I hadn’t thanked you folks! This is along with a certain spanakopita, and a very secret mushroom, onion, oat, cheese lacto vegi burger patty video, my only keeper you tubes! Thanks again!