These gems are the real deal. They take some time and a little tender, love, and care – but that’s part of what makes them so magical.
Families have gathered for many, many years, often just before the holiday season, and each person would have their job – working together, laughing, reminiscing, and creating delicious treats for everyone to enjoy whenever anyone wants one during the holiday season, or anytime you’re in the mood with this classic Mexican treat. Serve with homemade guacamole and salsa!
How to Make Homemade Tamales
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The Tools and Ingredients You Will Need
You may need to take a quick trip to pick up a couple of key ingredients to make authentic tamales, such as dried corn husks, masa harina, and pork lard. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
The Tools You Will Need
Roasting pan – You’ll need a large vessel to mix the masa batter together. We find that a large roasting pan is perfect.
Steamer – Anything you would use to steam food. We have used a wok with bamboo steamers before, as well as our pressure cooker.
The Ingredients You Will Need
Corn husks – Found in the Hispanic section (or in the produce section) of some supermarkets, at Hispanic markets, or online.
Fillings for tamales – See the recipe for a chicken filling and a pork filling. You could also go with just melty cheese and canned chopped chiles.
Masa harina – Corn flour, found in the baking aisle (near the flour) of many well-stocked supermarkets, at Hispanic markets, on online.
Pork lard – Found at Hispanic markets and some well-stocked supermarkets. There is really no substitution for is. Shortening can be used in a pinch, but you won’t get the authentic taste.
Seasoning – Salt.
Baking powder – Check to make sure it’s not past its ‘best used by’ date.
Chicken broth – Homemade or purchased.
EXPERT TIP: We love making two fillings for our tamales. Our favorites are green chili chicken and shredded pork. Both can be made days in advance of making the tamales. In fact, that is recommended. The flavors just get better with time, plus, you won’t have to worry about the fillings once you are ready to start making tamales!
Tips for Making Perfect Homemade Tamales
Choose the Right Masa – Use masa harina specifically labeled for tamales, as it has the right texture and flavor. To achieve the perfect consistency, mix the masa with the appropriate amount of lard or vegetable shortening until it’s light and fluffy, then gradually add broth until you reach a spreadable consistency.
Soak Corn Husks – Before assembling your tamales, soak dried corn husks in warm water for at least 30 minutes to make them pliable. This step prevents the husks from tearing during assembly and helps them wrap tightly around the masa.
Fill Evenly – When spreading the masa onto the corn husks, leave enough space at the top and bottom to fold the husks over the filling. Use a generous but not excessive amount of filling to ensure the tamales are flavorful without being overstuffed, which can lead to bursting during cooking.
Steam Properly – Arrange the tamales upright in a steamer basket, ensuring they are tightly packed to prevent them from falling over. Steam them for about 1 to 1.5 hours, checking occasionally to ensure there’s enough water in the steamer. They’re done when the masa easily pulls away from the husk.
EXPERT TIP: Once you are ready to spread the masa dough onto the husk, you won’t need too much. Just a thin (about ¼” thick) layer works perfectly. This is because the dough will expand in size as it is being steamed.
How To Serve
Tamales make for a wonderful appetizer before a Mexican, or Tex-Mex, feast. They can also be served with the main course.
We recommend letting the tamales cool completely before reheating and serving. They freeze beautifully and can easily be thawed and then reheated in the microwave on HIGH in 1-minute increments, or in a covered baking pan in the oven at 325°F for about 20 minutes.
We love to serve them with Tex-Mex queso or the chili con carne sauce that we for our smothered beef burritos. Homemade guacamole is perfect for serving alongside the tamales, too.
EXPERT TIP: If using a pressure cooker, you’ll only need to steam the tamales on HIGH for 25 minutes with a 10 Natural Release. You’ll only need 1 cup (8 oz) of water. If steaming with any kind of steamer, you’ll need to steam the tamales for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Other Authentic Mexican Dishes to Try:
- Veracruz Shrimp Enchiladas with Pumpkin Seed Sauce
- Beef Biria Tacos
- Chicken with Classic Molé Sauce
- Ancho Chili Sauce
- Bodacious Borracho Beans
- Stuffed Poblanos with Red Sauce
- Pozole Rojo (Pork and Hominy Stew)
- Seafood-Stuffed Chili Rellenos
- Mexican Shrimp Ceviche
These are all amazing, but, in the meantime, isn’t this classic Mexican culinary masterpiece calling your name?
If you’ve always wanted to try making tamales but figured it was just a little too far out of reach, think again!
Follow these foolproof steps and we promise you’ll get some of the best tasting tamales you’ve ever experienced.
And have fun with the fillings! The sky is the limit! We love chicken, we love pork, but whatever is your favorite, you can’t go wrong!
Ready to make the best Mexican treat this side of the Rio Grande? Go for it!
And when you make them, take a picture, post them on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and #HowToFeedaLoon!
Authentic Homemade Tamales
Equipment
- Steamer
Ingredients
Getting Started
- 16 oz dried corn husks at least 30 to 40 (you'll have extra)
Chicken Filling
- 1 lb tomatillos (10 to 12), husked, stemmed and rinsed
- 3 jalapeños fresh, stemmed and seeds removed
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ cup cilantro fresh, cilantro
- 4 cups chicken cooked, roughly chopped, a rotisserie works well
Pork Filling
- 16 medium guajillo and/or ancho chiles dried, stemmed, seeded and torn into rough pieces
- 4 tomatillos
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2½ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ tsp cumin ground
- 2½ lbs pork boneless, shoulder or butt works well, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
For the Tamales
- 7 cups masa harina
- 2 tsp salt
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 4½ cups warm water
- 2½ cups pork lard melted, or shortening
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
Prepare the Husks
- Place the husks in a large bowl, or even your kitchen sink with the stopper in. Fill with warm water and weight the husks down with heavy pot(s).16 oz dried corn husks
- Let soak for at least 1 hour.
Prepear the Chicken Filling
- Place the tomatillos and jalapenos in a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower to a smooth simmer.1 lb tomatillos, 3 jalapeños
- Simmer the veggies for 20 minutes.
- Add the cooked veggies, plus the garlic in your blender, and process to a smooth puree.4 cloves garlic
- Heat the oil in a large skillet, or Dutch over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the puree all at once and stir until thicker, and a little darker, about 10 minutes.1½ tbsp olive oil
- Add 2 cups of the stock and simmer over medium heat until thick enough to coat a spoon, about another 15 minutes.2 cups chicken stock
- Season generously with salt, about 2 teaspoons.2 tsp Kosher salt
- Stir in the cilantro and chicken, and remove heat.½ cup cilantro, 4 cups chicken
Prepare the Pork Filling
- Add the peppers and the tomatillos to a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a smooth simmer for 20 minutes.16 medium guajillo and/or ancho chiles, 4 tomatillos
- Working in batches, if necessary, add the peppers, tomatillos, garlic, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, and cumin into a blender and puree.4 cloves garlic, 2½ tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp cumin
- Strain the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium saucepan.
- Add the meat, 2 cups of the chili simmering water, and 2 teaspoons of salt.2½ lbs pork
- Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid is reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce, about an hour and a half. If the sauce becomes too thick, think with a little more soaking water.
- Use a fork to tear the pork into small pieces. Set aside.
Prepare the Dough/Batter
- Place the masa harina, salt (2 tsp), and baking powder in a large pan. Stir to combine. Slowly pour the warm water over the masa, using your fingers to incorporate the water.7 cups masa harina, 2 tsp salt, 1½ tsp baking powder, 4½ cups warm water
- Pour in the melted lard, and continue to incorporate with your hands. Now, add in the broth, one cup at a time (you may not need all of the broth).2½ cups pork lard, 2 cups chicken stock
- Keep mixing with your hands. The consistency should be like a thick cake batter...but not runny. It should hold its shape in a spoon. Add more stock if necessary.
Forming the Tamales
- Remove the corn husks from the water and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Flatten a husk, and with a spoon, scoop out about ⅓ cup of the batter.
- In the upper, wider portion of the husk, spread the batter to the size of about a postcard (or smaller, depending on the size of the husk). With the short side of the rectangle at the top of the husk, and the body of the rectangle running down the length of the husk. Leave about an inch of space on each long side of the husk (watch the video for reference). Don't worry about making the batter thick...it will expand as it steams. The layer of batter should be about ¼-inch in thickness.
- Now, scoop out about two tablespoons of the filling mixture and spread it down the middle of the batter.
- Fold over the right third of the husk, then fold in the left side.
- Fold up the bottom.
- Repeat, alternating between chicken and pork filling.
Steaming the Tamales
- Add water to the steamer and then layer the tamales into the steamer, preferably standing upright (with the folded end at the bottom). Just allow enough room between the tamales to allow steam to move around them.
- Heat and steam over constant medium heat for about 1 and 1/4 hours. (See NOTES if using a Pressure Cooker).
- Watch carefully to make sure that all the water doesn't boil away, add more water as necessary.
- Tamales are done when the husks peel away from the masa easily.
- The tamales will need to stand for at least half an hour for the dough to firm up.
- For the best tamales, let them cool completely, then steam again to warm (you can easily heat in a microwave at this point).
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This was originally published June 2014, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in December 2024!
Hi guys, these look so good! Going to try. How many tamales does this make? I know you say feeds 12 but…wondering how many tamales if you do both the chicken and the pork. Wanna have a tamale party! And 12 people?…. one each?
Hi Nancy!! This recipe makes a lot of tamales. Of course it will vary, depending how much filling you put in each tamale, but usually when I make a full batch, I get in the range of 50 tamales. They are fantastic to make ahead of time. They really re-heat beautifully in the microwave. Let us know if you have any other questions!! And let us know how they turn out! It’s one our most favorite recipes on the blog!! Good luck and have fun! Nothing much better than a tamale party!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I can’t wait to try your tamales recipe!!!!
Hi Mago!!! We can’t wait for you to try them either!!!! Please do let us know once you make them and what you think!! We love ’em so much!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I have made tamales most of my life have never heard of using baking powder what does it do to the masa?
Hi Mary, the baking powder helps the dough to expand during the steaming process. It’s not 100% necessary if using self rising masa harina, which most brands include. We add it to help in the process. We’re sure yours are absolutely perfect as they are!
My husband smoked a Boston butt and I wanted to use the leftover meat and make tamales. I watched your video and have read your directions several times. Do you have a red sauce that would pair well with the meat I already made? Since it was smoked, it doesn’t have onion or garlic etc..
What are your suggestions?
Hi Verena, our go-to red sauce is our Ancho Chile Sauce. This would be spectacular with your smoked Boston Butt! Let us know if you go with this and how it turns out!!
I used a different red sauce which I did not care for. I should try the one you mentioned another day. I did make some chicken tamales too with a salsa verde. They were my favorite. Thank you for how detailed your recipes are and the videos. They were helpful too. I will try tamales again in the future.
Hi Verena! Well, one day you should give our ancho chili sauce a try, we like it a lot and think you might, too. That’s so great to hear about the chicken tamales. We are thrilled to hear you had success! Let us know if you ever have any other questions and please stay in touch!
You guys are awesome!! So happy I came across your webpage this look absolutely delish!!!
I ended up changing my dinner menu and grocery list to give ya’ll a try !! Thank you
Hi Mindy!! You have no idea how much that means to us!! We truly hope you have success with our recipes and if you have any questions or anything at all…just let us know!! And please let us know how everything turns out! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Your picture shows tamales being steamed on their sides. I always thought you had to stand them up. I never made them because I don’t have a pan tall enough to stand them up. Does it work well to steam them on their sides?
Hi Jane!! So sorry for the delayed response. You can lay them on their side and they’ll steam beautifully. Just try avoiding stacking them on top of each other. I use my double-stack bamboo steamer, and it works perfectly!!
Wife makes about 70 dozen per week by hand. It’s better to use fresh ground masa instead of Maseca – the flavor is so much better. Also, if you actually cook the masa, adding the broth from the pork into it while staring constantly, you get a moister, more flavorful tamale. By the way, she also makes a bunch of sweet ones, like pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, etc., plus the veggie ones she calls “Rajas”. The sweet ones take rice flour and use Maseca, plus the sugar in the masa, pureed fruit etc. She will generally use jam for the filling, i.e., strawberry preserves for strawberry, etc.
I can’t wait to make these next week. Im also so happy I stumbled on this site, I watched the video and you two are amazing together 🙂 I throughly enjoyed watching the entire video
Hi Cassandra! Thank you so much!!! We are so excited that you found us and we found you!! You are going to LOVE these tamales!! So good!!! And thanks so much for the comment. We appreciate it so very much. Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
How spicy do these turn out? I can tolerate mild but not much else. Do I need to cut back on the jalapeños?
Hi Jo! They’re not real spicy, but if you’re sensitive to spice, the best way is to cut back on the jalapeños. And definitely make sure you don’t get any seeds and try to remove the interior ribs. These are really delicious, though, and hope you give them a try! Let us know if you do and what you think! Best, Kris & Wesley
** found in Mexican markets.- freshly ground corn masa already seasoned and prepared. The only way to go if you have in your area. Will taste authentic
Can you use already wet masa bought in torterilla? Do I leave out the hot water?
Hi Angie! Yes, you can use purchased wet masa, that will work great. I do not believe you would need to add the hot water, but you might double check with the folks you buy it from…I bet they’ll know! Let us know how it turns out!
What can I use instead of the lard?
Hi Nicole, you can substitute shortening (Crisco) for lard, but it won’t have the same authentic taste, but will still be delicious.
I made this recipe for my husband and my stepson because they are from Mexico, i wanted to know how to make it. They are definitely delicious with pork, chicken was good just slightly dry. I also had made some with mole and chicken it was amazing.
That is amazing Nathalie! What a wonderful thing to hear that you impressed your husband and stepson! Sounds great. Thanks so much for letting us know how they turned out, and please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
I love tamales & my sister in law made some 1 year for Christmas & needless to say, I was in heaven! She used beef roast to make them & the sauce I can’t remember the name but they were amazing! Thank you for sharing & I will definitely be making these soon!
Hi Bobbie!
I tell you, I don’t think I ever met a tamale I didn’t like! Roast beef sounds pretty darn good! We just love making these. The recipe makes quite a few, so they are great for sharing with loved ones, too. They always get rave reviews! Let us know how they turn out! All the best, Kris & Wesley.
Can the lard be substituted with some else?
DELICIOSO!
These tamales were Bueno Bueno Bueno!
Better than any I have ever tried and gluten free too!