How to Make Tamales (A Comprehensive Guide)

Every year in the darkest days leading up to Christmas, my family gathers together to assemble hundreds of tamales for the winter holiday season. The Mexican tamales I know and love require a lot of time to make, so we save them for celebrations when all hands are on deck to help in the preparation, and we can fully appreciate them together. 

There can never be “too many” tamales. They should be eaten in abundance and celebrated for the savory individually wrapped gifts that they are. There’s no denying that making them is a labor of love: The enriched masa (dough) is whipped until light and fluffy, thinly smeared across your preferred wrapper (we use corn husks) then topped with saucy filling, wrapped, and then steamed all together. The result is a tender and pleasantly spongy savory corn dough that complements the filling inside.

The recipe I am sharing here is based on the beloved Mexican tamales that my family still unwraps first thing every Christmas morning—ignoring the presents under the tree. But it’s important to recognize that there are many different versions of tamales.

For example, I once ordered a single tamal from a Colombian cafe, anticipating a small snack between meals. I wasn't expecting to receive a heavy paper sack with one big banana leaf pouch filled with carrots, pork belly, and an entire chicken drumstick. It wasn't much of a “light snack,” but it was a delicious learning experience. Even across Mexico, tamales range from spongy to fudgy, square to triangular, and savory to sweet. And while tamales can be found in high-end restaurants, some of the best tamales I’ve had are from vendors in grocery store parking lots slinging foil-wrapped tamales from red coolers. 

There's no limit to how tamales can be enjoyed or what you can find stuffed into a tamal. Whether they're filled with beans, squash flowers, or fish, I make it a point to try all variations I come across, and I encourage you to do the same. I’ve developed recipes for my preferred tamal fillings of puerco rojo, pollo con salsa verde, and birria that are great filling options with this tamal recipe. But before you even get to the filling, a well made masa para tamales is a must. Here are the steps to making a great dough for tamales and how to assemble special occasion–worthy tamales at home.

What Is Masa?

Masa para tamales (dough for tamales) is a blend of nixtamalized corn—fresh or dried—with lots of fat for richness, baking powder to leaven and lighten the dough, salt for seasoning, and flavorful broth to bind it all together and hydrate the dough. In terms of texture, a well made masa para tamales should be soft and pliable enough to spread in a thin layer for wrapping. And for truly great tamales, rather than just relying on the fillings for flavor, the dough must be rich and well seasoned from the added fat, liquid, and salt.

Around the winter holidays, I’ll often find large bags of freshly prepared masa para tamales at my local Mexican grocery stores in California. The doughs are often in varied vibrant colors thanks to fruits or vegetables that have been blended into them. If you can find freshly made store-bought masa that’s made from fresh nixtamalized maiz, it’s a great option to start this recipe with. The texture and flavor of masa para tamales made from fresh nixtamalized corn is incomparable. I encourage you to at some point seek it out and try this shaping technique and recipe with it. Or try nixtamalization at home with Daniel Gritzer’s technique here.

While freshly made nixtamalized corn will produce the most corn-forward masa, it’s a big project to make and can be challenging to source. Instead I call for starting with masa harina, dried nixtamalized corn flour, in this recipe. It’s easily accessible and shelf-stable and, when properly whipped up, will create a dough that is pliable and easy to shape into tamales and still have masa para tamales’ signature savory and complex corn appeal.

Making the Masa

Great masa para tamales starts with fat—and lots of it. Tamal dough should be rich and supple. This is not only for flavor, but for ease of shaping and proper texture. The fat in the masa is typically lard, but experimenting with different fats is a fun way to add flavor to the masa. Asiento (the infused fat produced during the chicharrón- or carnitas-making process) or duck fat are flavorful options to substitute for lard in tamal dough. Whatever saturated fat you choose for your dough, the fat first needs to be beaten in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Incorporating air into the fat at this stage prevents the masa from becoming heavy and dense once cooked. This process works best with softened room temperature fat, but if the fat is too cold and firm and starts riding around the stand mixer instead of spreading evenly, work the fat with your hands to soften it up a bit before trying again. It can also be done entirely by hand, but it takes longer and requires a couple of ice cubes to keep the fat from melting. 

In addition to the added fat, a leavener must be added to keep the dough light and fluffy. Traditionally, masa was leavened using the water from boiled tomatillo husks and tequesquite, a mineral containing sodium carbonate. Today, baking powder is used as a substitute to leaven the dough.

The next step is to add the masa harina to the fat in small increments. Once the masa is fully incorporated with the fat, it’s hydrated by gradually drizzling in small amounts of broth. I strongly encourage you to use a flavorful homemade broth here to build flavor into the tamal dough. It’s typical for the broth used in the tamal dough to be the reserved cooking liquid from preparing the accompanying tamal filling. 

After you add the broth, the finished masa para tamales should feel airy and moist but not sticky or crumbly. If it’s too sticky, add a tablespoon of masa harina at a time until you reach the desired texture. If it’s too crumbly, add a tablespoon of water or broth at a time. Before adding any salt to the dough, cook a small amount of masa over a preheated skillet or in the microwave, then taste and season accordingly. The amount of salt it’ll need depends on how salty the added broth is. 

A stand mixer is preferable to mixing by hand because it’s hands off and allows you to focus your attention on preparing the filling. Tightly wrap your masa with plastic in a large bowl until ready to use to prevent it from drying out.

Selecting Wrappers for the Tamales

Tamales can be wrapped with corn leaves, banana leaves, leafy greens, reed leaves, chaya leaves, Swiss chard leaves, or dried corn husks. Fresh leaves impart a grassy flavor to the tamal. This recipe uses dried corn husks, which I like because they impart a subtle corn flavor and are easier to find in Mexican food markets. They need to be soaked and dried at least 20 minutes before you begin wrapping. Use the smooth side of the husk as the interior, as the rough texture of the outside can make the masa stick. Fully unfold the wrapper before adding the masa to make sure all the ridges are filled.

It’s easiest to use large corn husks that measure about eight inches long by six inches wide at the open end; if the husks are smaller, you may need to use two per tamale by shingling them to hold all of the filling. If you do use corn husks that are different from this recommended size, you may need to adjust the amount of masa and the dimensions for each tamal. The most important part with shaping is that the masa is spread into a very thin layer.

Assembling the Tamales

Assembling tamales is a lot of work—there’s no getting around it. It’s why my family waits to make tamales until we are all together, to help divide the labor. It takes finesse to make a tamal that has a thin outer masa shell that encapsulates the filling and stays intact once steamed and peeled open. While my detailed instructions are a great starting point, this is an experience that is best learned hands-on. The more you make, the better and faster you will be with the process of shaping tamales. Dive right into the assembly. It may be a sticky mess at first, but you will improve with each tamal, I promise.

Start by spreading a thin layer of masa across the wide end of the wrapper. You can use your preferred spreading tool here—think small offset spatula, the back of a spoon, a bench scraper, or a plastic bag, or even just wet fingers to pat the dough into place. I’ve given dimension suggestions for the preferred size of the corn husk wrappers for this recipe, with a corresponding amount of masa to properly fill them. But the amount of masa used per tamal will depend on the size of your wrapper, and you may need to adjust accordingly. 

When shaping the dough, it’s important to leave a 1-inch border around the sides and top of the wrapper. This allows headspace for the tamal to puff up and grow as it cooks. The narrow tail end of the corn husk should never be filled. If any masa creeps towards the edges, simply swipe it clean with your finger and add it back to the masa pile. The layer of masa should be very thin, but don’t worry—as it steams it will rise and expand. 

Once the filling is laid out down the length of the masa, it’s time to wrap. While I’ve seen recipes that roll the tamal closed, I find it is easiest and most secure to fold one side over the masa and filling and then fold the second side over, meeting the first folded side in the center. It’s OK if there’s a thin layer of masa in between the husk: Think of it as protective edible glue that ensures the filling stays put while steaming. 

Finally, tuck the tail end of the wrapper at least a quarter of the way up the tamal on the same side as the previous folds. At this step, the tamales can be tied closed with strips of corn husk if desired, but it isn’t necessary. A properly folded tamal will stay sealed once it’s standing up and cooking in the steamer basket.

Cooking the Tamales

Mexican tamales are traditionally cooked in large metal steamers with enough space to fit many dozens of tamales and that hold plenty of water for the extended cook time . For this scaled-down home version, a large stock pot or Dutch oven with a basic steamer basket will work best for a batch of 25 tamales. 

The most efficient way to steam tamales is to lean them on each other and keep them as upright as possible. This maximizes the space in the steamer and also prevents the filling from oozing out as it cooks. If your steamer isn’t airtight, seal the edges of the lid with aluminum foil. You’ll want to keep a pot of boiling water handy and keep a watchful eye on the tamales as they steam. If the pot runs dry, add more water as needed for proper steaming.

The tamales are ready when the wrapper peels cleanly from the masa. It’s tempting to peel back the wrapper and dive in immediately, but don’t! They need at least 20 minutes resting off the heat to firm up so they will hold their shape once open. Only then are they ready to unwrap. Toppings aren’t required, but tamales can be enjoyed with queso, crema, or salsa. If you’re a hot sauce fan like my dad, you can even slather them in Tapatio.

This recipe makes an accessible 25 tamales that someone would be able to assemble all on their own, but the recipe also can easily be doubled, and tamales freeze and reheat very well. I suggest you invite your favorite kitchen helpers over, turn on some good music, and get assembling. These tamales are worth the celebration.