Mexican Recipes - Homemade Mexican Tamales Recipe
Makes approximately 4 dozen

Homemade tamales can be a lot of work, but they are so worth it! These tamales will be a hit with your family and friends and you’ll wonder why you haven’t tried them sooner. Trust me – you need to try this at least once! You’ll be hooked. Frozen tamales from your grocer’s freezer don’t even come close.

If making the tamales seems a bit overwhelming, you can break the process down and make them over two days. Day one, assemble ingredients, utensils and prepare the meats. Day two, make the Masa, assemble the tamales and steam … and ENJOY!

Utensils You Will Need:

Large stock pot with steamer insert

Long tongs

Basic kitchen supplies, i.e. bowls, spoons, measuring cup, knife, kitchen towel, skillet


Ingredients for Tamales

3 lb pork roast butt or loin

5 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

1/2 cup corn oil

9 T chili powder

6 T Garlic Powder (do not use garlic salt or granules)

3 T ground cumin seeds

1 T fresh ground black pepper

5 T Kosher salt

3 T paprika

1 T whole cumin seeds - toasted


4.4 lb bag Maseca instant masa mix

Corn Husks (1 pound package has about 200 husks, so you’ll need about ¼ lb)

Preparing the tamale meat:

Preparing the Pork -

Cut the pork roast into 3" x 3" cubes. Place in a pan and cover with water. Boil for about 2-1/2 hours until it's very tender. Take the pork out of the broth and set aside to cool. Save the broth … do NOT throw it out!

Shred the cooled pork with your fingers and remove any fat or gristle.

Preparing the Chicken –

Place the chicken thighs in a large pot and cover with water. Boil for about 2 hours or until tender. Remove chicken to cool. Save the broth … do NOT throw it out!

Take the chicken meat off the bones and shred into very small pieces. Discard any fat, skin and bones.

Season the tamale meat:

Combine the following ingredients –

½ cup corn oil

6 T chili powder

3 T garlic powder

3 T ground cumin seeds

1 T fresh ground back pepper

2 T Kosher salt (not iodized)

Warm the oil and spices on the stove, do not cook … you just want to warm them up. Pour this over the meat and mix with your hands until it is distributed. This will probably take 8-10 minutes to get it completely mixed.

Cover the meat and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the tamales. Combine the pork and chicken broths and refrigerate, you’ll need them to make the Masa Mix.

Make the Masa Dough:
Start with 2.2 lbs of the Masa flour. It comes in a 4.4 lb bag, so use half of it.

Skim the fat off the chicken and pork broth and discard. Gently warm the two broths. You don’t want these hot, just warmed up a bit.

Put the masa in a large bowl and add the following spices:

3 T paprika

3 T Kosher salt

1 T toasted cumin seeds (toast the seeds dry in a pan on the stove for about 2 minutes)

3 T chili powder

3 T garlic powder

Mix the masa and spices until completely blended. Add 2 cups of corn oil to the masa mixture. After adding the oil, slowly begin to work in 8 cups of the warm chicken/pork broth, a cup at a time. Work the mixture with your hands to make a dough. It should be the consistency of thick peanut butter. If it is too thick, add more warm broth, if it is too thin, add more masa.

Prepare the corn husks:

Soak the husks in a sink full of warm water (about 2 hours or overnight). You will need to carefully separate them when they get soft. Be careful not to tear or damage the corn husks.

Assemble the tamales:

After the corn husks are soft, take some of them out of the water, shake off the excess water. Lay them on a towel on the counter.

Pick up a husk and lay it across the palm of your hand with the small end toward your fingers. Scoop up about ½ c of the masa dough and spread it on the husk using either a spoon or your fingers. Place about 1 tablespoon of meat on top of the masa and roll so that the masa envelopes the filling (masa should slightly overlap itself so that the filling is encased). Fold the ends of the husk up as if wrapping a present, and tie with strings or thin strips of excess corn husks. You want the tamale parcel to stay closed for steaming.

Cooking Your Tamales (Steam the tamales):


To cook the tamales, you’ll need a very large pot that has something in the bottom to keep the tamales out of the water while they steam. You can use a vegetable steamer insert, or a metal colander that fits on your pot. You need to be sure the tamales can steam and do not come in contact with the water. Stack the tamales upright until full. Cover the pot, and bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cook for at least 2 hours. Check water several times and add more if it’s getting low. You DON’T want the pot to boil dry! When the time is up; take one tamale out of the steamer and leave it on the counter for about 5 minutes to cool. To test for doneness, unwrap the tamale; it should be firm, with no raw masa. When done, remove all the tamales and let them cool on the counter. Serve immediately. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

How to serve tamales:
Traditionally, a tamale is served plain, as is. However, a lot of restaurants serve them in a sauce that compliments the filling: for example, a green chile sauce for pork or chicken, or a red chile sauce for beef. Sometimes tamales are served in the corn husks, and sometimes they are opened and removed for you. Experiment and find out how you prefer to serve them.



To Freeze:

Gently place 6 to 8 tamales in a zip lock freezer bag, or use a vacuum sealer. Tamales can be frozen for several months.

To reheat your tamales

To reheat your tamales (after they have been steamed and refrigerated or frozen); wrap the tamale in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic zipper bag. Microwave on high for 45 seconds and serve.




Tamales make wonderful food gifts. Include your favorite tamale recipe and you'll have a friend for life!