Wondering how to make tamales? Follow this authentic Mexican tamales recipe, with step by step photos, to make tender tamales filled with juicy shredded pork in a savory red sauce. You won’t be disappointed! Why You’ll Love This Tamales...
Wondering how to make tamales? Follow this authentic Mexican tamales recipe, with step by step photos, to make tender tamales filled with juicy shredded pork in a savory red sauce. You won’t be disappointed!
Why You’ll Love This Tamales Recipe
Bursting with juicy shredded pork, spicy red sauce & homemade masa, this genuine tamales recipe remains a family favorite.
Authentic: Assemble tamales the old-fashioned way. It’s all about the husk, handmade dough, and 100% from-scratch filling. Group Fun: Instead of going solo, make this a festive “tamalada” (tamale making party) and create an assembly line. It yields much quicker results – muy delicioso! Worthwhile: Making your own tamales may be time-consuming, but the end results are definitely worth every moment. Be ready to take a well-deserved bow. Crowd Pleaser: These pork tamales are addictive. The recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen, but try doubling. Friends and family will be delighted when you share! Freezer Friendly: Tamales freeze well for gift giving and make for a quick weeknight dinner.
What Is A Tamale?
Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish of dried corn husks stuffed with filling and masa (a corn-based dough). Discard the husks to serve or leave them and use as a disposable plate!
Tamales can be filled with different kinds of meats and sauces, but this recipe is for the most authentic traditional tamale with a tender pork filling and savory red sauce. Make sure to also check out my beef tamales and chicken tamales recipes!
Ingredients Needed for Pork Tamales
These humble ingredients can be found on most local grocery store shelves. For full ingredient amounts, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Corn Husks
Corn Husks: You’ll need 20-30 corn husks, depending on the amount used to fill the centers. WaterPork
Pork: Choose a 4-5 pound pork butt or shoulder. Use a bone-in cut for more flavor. Garlic Cloves: Use whole, freshly peeled cloves. White Onion Seasonings: Cumin, bay leaves, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. WaterRed Sauce
Roma Tomatoes: These are meatier and less juicy. White Onion: Peel and quarter for the sauce. Jalapeño Peppers: Remove stems and cut in half. Leave the seeds in for more spice, remove for less. Olive Oil Salt Garlic Cloves Tomato Bouillon: You can skip this, but it adds a lot of flavor!Masa Dough
Lard: Lard actually has less saturated fat than butter, but feel free to use vegetable shortening. Salt Baking Powder Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour: This is authentic masa harina. Pork Broth: Keep the leftover braising liquid from the pork.
How to Make Tamales
This tamales recipe takes a fair amount of time, but the results are SO worth it. Here is an overview of the process, but visit the printable recipe card below for full detailed directions.
Corn Husks
Boil: Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add rinsed husks and push down with tongs to cover. Soak: Cover and soak for 2 hours. As water cools to room temperature, add additional hot water.
Pork
Boil: Add pork to a large pot with salt, bay leaves, garlic, onion, cumin powder and pepper. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Stir and skim top, until foaming minimizes. Simmer: Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let pork simmer. Add water as needed and simmer until tender. Reserve Broth: Remove pork, set aside to cool. Pour broth from pan through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard solids, but do not discard broth. Set broth aside. Shred: Shred the pork into small pieces. Set aside.
Red Sauce
Prep: Add the tomatoes, onion and jalapeños to a baking sheet and coat in oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast: Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Vegetables should brown around the edges. Blend: Add all roasted vegetables, garlic, and tomato bouillon to a blender. Blend until smooth. Mix: Pour sauce into a medium-size pot and add shredded pork. Stir and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.How To Make Masa for Tamales
Whip: Add lard to a large mixing bowl and beat it for 5 to 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand, but it’s much easier with a stand or hand mixer. Add salt and baking powder. Knead: Add 4 cups of Maseca and 4 cups of pork broth. Stir and knead for 10 to 15 minutes, adding Maseca and broth to form a dough.
How To Assemble Tamales
Fill: Add about 2 tablespoons of masa mixture to bottom half of a husk and spread into a thin layer. Top masa with 2 tablespoons of pork filing. Fold: Fold each long side of the corn husk towards the center. Then, fold in half. Seal: Tear off a thin strip of husk and tie it around the middle to seal. Or use bakers twine. Repeat: Repeat the process until all filling is used.
How To Cook Tamales
Arrange: Place the tamales in a large tamale steamer pot, or a large pot with a steamer basket, with open ends facing upwards. If needed, use a ball of foil to keep them upright. Cover: Tuck 5-6 soaked husks between the sides of the pot and folded towards the center. This will help keep water from dropping into the tamales and making them soggy. Steam: Add water, cover with pot lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce the heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Check water level and add as needed. Pouring additional hot water carefully down the side of the pot. Check: Take one out and cool. Try removing the husk. When completely cooked, it should separate easily and the masa should pull away from the sides. Recheck: If tamales are not done, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes and try again. Serve: Once cooked, remove whole pan from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Then remove tamales from the pan and cool for 10 more minutes before serving.
Tips for Success
Some handy tips to ensure you get the best results for all your hard work:
Test Batch: I recommend making a test batch of 3 to 4 tamales and cooking them before making any more. Doing so will allow you to taste and see if the filling or masa harina needs more salt, or if the masa is too dry and needs more lard. Assembly Line: Tamales go much quicker if you can get your friends or family to help. Create an assembly line with stations for filling, wrapping and tying. Caution: Avoid soggy, improperly cooked tamales. Take special care when adding additional water. Pour water just inside the pot, slightly behind the extra corn husks layered over the top. Don’t overfill the bottom of the pan or pour water over/into the tamales. Lard: Whip until aerated and fluffy to avoid a stiff, rubbery result. Sore arms? Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Kneading the Dough: Take your time here. It takes 10 to 15 minutes for proper whipping and thorough kneading will produce a soft, buttery consistency once cooked. Serving Size: The number of tamales varies depending on corn husk size, amount of masa, and filling used. Extra Masa: Use it to make traditional, corn tortillas or simply discard it.
FAQ’S
Here are a few frequently asked and answered questions, including storing and freezing information!
Unwrap and enjoy warm or at room temperature. They are delicious straight out of the husk or dipped into your favorite sauce or salsa. Try holding the husk under the tamale like a small, disposable plate.
Yes! Made with a corn-based masa dough, they are naturally gluten free.
It takes 45+ minutes to fully steam tamales. This varies depending on the amount of filling and thickness of the masa layer. Test one at a time as suggested. When the masa pulls away from the husk easily, you have perfectly cooked tamales.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
YES! To freeze, individually wrap each cooked and cooled tamale in plastic wrap and then foil. Place wrapped tamales in a disposable freezer bag or air tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat these, peel off the husk and wrap in a slightly damp paper towel. Microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, turning halfway through.
It’s best to thaw a frozen tamale in the fridge overnight and reheat as directed above. If microwaving straight from the freezer, wrap in a dry paper towel and cook on 50% power in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove the husk and rewrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds more.
What to serve with tamales?
Rice: Traditional Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice both pair wonderfully. Beans: Refried beans and charro beans are a personal favorite, but frijoles de la Olla (Mexican pinto beans) are also amazing! Salsa: Try topping with salsa ranchera or salsa morita, or serving the salsas alongside some tortilla chips and guacamole.
