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Making homemade pork tamales might take a little time, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. This recipe walks you through how to make traditional pork tamales with slow roasted pork shoulder, melty cheese, and red chile sauce the kind of tamales that disappear fast when you bring them to the table.
Tamales are a bit of a project, but once you get the rhythm down, the whole process is incredibly satisfying, and the end result is always worth it.
Why This Recipe Works
Tamales aren’t complicated, just time-consuming. This recipe is inspired by traditional red pork tamales, with bold flavor and tender masa wrapped around a hearty pork and cheese filling. It’s comfort food through and through.
If you want to round out the meal, these tamales go well with salsa verde, our molcajete guacamole, or a side of Mexican Street Corn Salad. And if you’ve got a little extra time, a drizzle of homemade mole never hurts.
You can prepare the pork filling a few days in advance to save time when assembling.
A Quick Note on a Few Ingredients
You’ll find the full ingredient list and exact amounts in the recipe card below, but these are the items most people tend to have questions about before they get started.
- corn husks for tamales: These are used to wrap the tamales before steaming. You can find them in the Latin section of many grocery stores or online. They need to be soaked in hot water before using to make them pliable.
- instant corn masa flour (masa harina): This is a special type of corn flour used to make the masa dough for tamales. It’s not the same as cornmeal or regular corn flour. Make sure to look for masa harina specifically.
- lard, beef tallow, or butter: Lard is traditional, but if you prefer not to use it, beef tallow or even butter will work just fine.
Our tamale recipe below starts with our recipe for a slow-roasted pork shoulder. You could also use our chipotle pulled pork.
How to Make Tamales
This is a quick overview, the detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the corn husks: Pour hot water over the corn husks and let the husks soak.
- Make the filling: Follow the recipe for the pork shoulder and the chile sauce. Shred the pork and mix it with the sauce.
- Make the masa: Beat the fat and dry ingredients, then add broth and whip until fluffy.
- Assemble the tamales: Spread masa on the husks, add filling and cheese, roll them up, and fold the ends.
- Cook the tamales: Use a stovetop steamer or the Instant Pot. Both methods work great.
After you mix the dough, here is how to assemble everything.
Cooking Tamales on the Stovetop
- Arrange a steamer basket or rack in a large pot. Tamales should sit above the water, not in it.
- Stand the tamales upright, open ends up, packed snugly together.
- Cover with extra corn husks, parchment, or a towel to hold in the steam.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and steam for 60–75 minutes.
- To check doneness: the husk should peel away easily. If the masa sticks, keep steaming in 5–15 minute increments.
If you have trouble getting your tamales to set properly, here’s a post about how to fix mushy tamales.
Cooking Tamales in the Instant Pot
- Add 1 cup water and a rack to the inner pot.
- Stand tamales upright, packed snugly.
- Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
If you don’t have equipment for either of these cooking methods, see our post that shows you 3 ways to steam tamales.
Recipe Tips
- Drop a coin into the bottom of the pot while steaming. If it stops rattling, it’s time to add more water.
- Use an offset spatula, a bench scraper, or the back of a spoon to spread the dough on the corn husks.
- The baking powder is optional but it will give the dough a lighter, more tender texture.
- Whipping the fat and the batter creates light and tender masa dough.
- The masa dough should be slightly sticky and easy to spread. Some cooks make the masa as thick as play dough, but a slightly sticky dough will be easier to work spread.
- If the ends of the tamales fall through the steamer rack, spread a few corn husks on top of the rack to keep them from slipping through the gaps.
- The tighter you pack the tamales into the pot, the longer they will need to cook.
If you’re ready to experiment with something new, try our sweet tamales.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Tamales
Tamales freeze beautifully, which is one of the best parts about making a big batch. You can freeze them either cooked or uncooked, just make sure they’re wrapped well and cooled completely before freezing.
Freezing Tamales:
- Uncooked tamales: Wrap them in the filling, then in the corn husk, and place them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag.
- Cooked tamales: Let them cool completely before freezing. Wrap individually in foil or plastic wrap, then store in a container or bag.
They’ll keep well in the freezer for up to three months.
Reheating Frozen Tamales:
You can reheat tamales from frozen using a few different methods. Steaming is the most traditional, but baking and microwaving work too.
| Cooking Method | Precooked & Frozen | Uncooked & Frozen |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop steaming | 45 minutes | 90 to 120 minutes |
| Instant Pot | 30 minutes | 40 minutes |
| Microwave | 4 to 5 minutes | 6 to 7 minutes |
For the microwave, wrap tamales in a damp towel to prevent them from drying out, and rotate them halfway through cooking. Times may vary depending on your microwave.
If you thaw them in the fridge overnight first, the reheating time will be shorter, but they can go straight from freezer to steamer or oven if needed.
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How to Make Tamales
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Ingredients
- 30 to 40 corn husks for tamales
Filling
- 1 roasted pork shoulder recipe
- 1 red chile sauce recipe
- 10 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
Masa
- 4 ½ cups instant corn masa flour, masa harina
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups lard, beef tallow, or butter
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Rinse the corn husks under running water to remove debris and dust.
- Place the corn husks in a large bowl and separate them. Pour hot water over the corn husks and let them soak for at least 1 hour until they are soft. You can leave them in the soaking water while the pork shoulder cooks.
Make the Filling
- Follow the recipes for the roasted pork shoulder and the red chile sauce.
- When the pork shoulder finishes roasting, shred the meat off the bone and place it in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the red chile sauce over the shredded pork and mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Slice the cheese into logs 3-inches long and 1/4-inch wide. Place the cheese on a plate, cover it with plastic wrap, and set aside while you make the masa dough.
Make the Masa
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the masa flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, and garlic powder. Set aside.
- Place the lard (or fat of choice) in a large mixing bowl. Beat the lard with an electric mixer for 4 to 6 minutes until it is light and fluffy. It should look almost as fluffy as frosting and hold a stiff peak when you lift the whisk.
- Add half of the dry masa mixture into the lard and combine well. Add the rest of the masa flour mixture and combine until the mixture looks dry and crumbly.
- Add 1 cup of the broth and mix until well incorporated. Continue adding the broth 1/2 to 1 cup at a time and blend well between additions. The amount of broth you need will vary from batch to batch. Continue to add the broth until the dough looks soft, slightly sticky and spreadable. It should be about the consistency of creamy peanut butter.
- Once you get the masa dough to the consistency of peanut butter, turn the mixer to medium and beat it for about 10 minutes to incorporate air into the batter.
- Test the dough: Drop 1/2 teaspoon of dough into a glass of cold water. If the dough floats in the water it is ready. If the dough sinks to the bottom of the glass, continue beating for a few more minutes.
- Taste the masa and add more salt if necessary. If you don’t want to taste the raw dough, scoop a couple of tablespoons of dough and fry it in the skillet like a pancake.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
Assemble the Tamales
- Lay a corn husk on the counter with the smooth side up. Place about 3 to 4 tablespoons of dough into the corn husk and spread it on the top two thirds of the husk (don’t spread any dough on the narrow end of the corn husk ). Leave 1/2 inch of space at the top edge of the husk. See the photos for reference.
- Place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling in the center of the dough. Add a slice of cheese next to the filling. Fold the sides of the husk toward the center and over the top of the filling.
- Fold the narrow end of the husk up to seal the bottom of the tamal. Place the tamal on a plate and continue to assemble the rest of the tamales.
To Cook on the Stovetop:
- Place about 2 to 3 inches of water in the bottom a large pot.
- Drop a coin into the water. The coin will jingle when the water boils and let you know if you need to add more water to the pot if it stops jingling.
- Place a steamer basket or a rack in the pot so the tamales stay suspended above the water.
- Arrange the tamales on the rack with the open side facing up. Keep them packed closely together so they all stay in an upright position.
- If you have extra corn husks, spread them out over the top of the tamales to help hold the steam in. If you don’t have extra corn husks, lay a clean towel or parchment paper on top of the tamales. This will help prevent the steam from evaporating as quickly.
- Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. You won’t be able to see if the water is boiling so watch for steam then place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.
- Simmer for 60 to 75 minutes. If the water evaporates out, the coin will stop clinging. Add additional water to the bottom of the pot by pouring it down the side of the pot (do not pour water on top of the tamales).
- Check the tamales to see if they are finished cooking. Remove one tamale and peel the husk off. If the husk pulls away easily and the dough does not stick to the husk, it is finished cooking. If the dough sticks to the corn husk, add 5 to 15 minutes to the cooking time.
- Let the tamales sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so they firm up before serving.
For the Instant Pot:
- You will need to cook the tamales in batches if you use the Instant Pot as it will not fit all of them at once.
- Add 1 cup of water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot and place a rack in the bottom of the pot. Arrange the tamales upright on top of the rack with the open side facing upward. Keep them packed snuggly so they hold each other upright.
- Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 10 minutes then release the rest of the pressure manually.
Notes
- An offset spatula or a bench scraper makes it easy and quick to spread the dough on the corn husks. You can also use the back of a spoon.
- The baking powder is optional but it will give the tamale dough a lighter, more tender texture.
- Whipping the fat and the batter are key steps to achieving light, tender tamales.
- Make the masa dough slightly sticky and easy to spread on the corn husks. Some cooks like to make the masa almost as thick as play dough, which is also fine but it will take longer to assemble the tamales.
- If the ends of the tamales fall through the steamer rack, spread a few corn husks on top of the rack to prevent the tamales from falling through the gaps.
- The tighter you pack the tamales into the pot, the longer they will need to cook.
- Since the tamales need to steam for a long period of time, you may need to add more water to the pot. If you place a coin in the bottom of the pot, it will rattle in the boiling water. You will know if the pot ran out of water if the coin stops rattling.
- You can freeze the tamales before or after you assemble them. Steam pre-cooked frozen tamales for 45 minutes. If the tamales were not cooked prior to freezing them, steam the frozen un-cooked tamales for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
This past three weeks I’ve made a total of five batches of tamales, Two double batches and one single batch. The last three batches I used your recipe, exactly. (The first double batch I adapted your recipe with prepared masa) I’m so happy with my outcome. Your tamale and especially your masa recipe is the best I’ve ever tried. Spices and seasoning is delicious. Thank you.
Wow, it sounds like you’ve been busy in the kitchen with five batches of tamales; that’s impressive. Thank you so much for your comment, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe.
I have never had a tamale…it sounds and looks so good with lard and pork filling!
oh, you have to try it, Angie 😉
Love tamales! Been a LONG time since I’ve made them, though — that time thing. But homemade are so darn good. You have me craving a batch, now. 🙂 Terrific post — thanks.
Thanks John