Skip to content

Top Navigation

MyRecipes MyRecipes
  • Course
  • Baking
  • Global
  • Healthy
  • Favorite Ingredients
  • Holidays and Occasions
  • Quick and Easy
  • Convenience Recipes
  • BBQ and Grilling
  • How To
  • Extra Crispy
  • Well Done
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Register
  • Recipe Box this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Pin FB

Explore MyRecipes

MyRecipes MyRecipes
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 1 55+ Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

      Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty. For an easy supper that you can depend on, we picked out some of our tried-and-true favorites that have gotten us through even the busiest of days. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a family, these easy dinners are sure to leave everyone satisfied and stress-free. Read More Next
    • 2 The Brilliant Secret to Making Better Mashed Potatoes

      Trust me, it’s so worth it. Read More Next
    • 3 65 Super Easy Finger Foods to Make for Any Party

      From chips and dip to one-bite apps, finger foods are the perfect way to kick off a party. No forks or spoons required, just easy-to-pick-up party foods, so you can clean up in no time.  Read More Next
  • Course

    Course

    See All Course
    • Best Appetizer Recipes...Ever
    • Best Drink Recipes for Any Occasion
    • Salad Recipes
    • The Ultimate Guide to Sensational Sides
    • Soup and Stew Recipes
    • Easy Entertaining for Everyone
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Main Dishes and Entrées
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
  • Baking

    Baking

    See All Baking
    • Bread Recipes
    • Our Most-Loved Cake Recipes
    • Cookie Recipes
    • Pie Recipes
  • Global

    Global

    See All Global
    • Spanish Recipes
    • Thai Recipes
    • Vietnamese Recipes
    • Middle Eastern Recipes
    • Mexican Recipes
    • Malaysian Recipes
    • Korean Recipes
    • Japanese Recipes
    • Italian Recipes
    • Indian Recipes
    • Greek Recipes
    • French Recipes
    • Chinese Recipes
    • African Recipes
    • American Recipes
    • Cajun and Creole Recipes
    • Caribbean Recipes
    • South American Recipes
    • Southern Recipes
    • German Recipes
  • Healthy

    Healthy

    See All Healthy
    • Easy, Healthy Recipes
    • Healthy Breakfasts
    • Healthy Dinners
    • Healthy Desserts
    • Diabetic Recipes
    • Gluten-Free Diet and Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Low Carbohydrate Recipes
    • Low Cholesterol Recipes
    • Low Fat Recipes
    • Low Sodium Recipes
    • Low Calorie Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
  • Favorite Ingredients

    Favorite Ingredients

    See All Favorite Ingredients
    • The Ultimate Guide to Chicken
    • Vegetable Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Cheese Recipes
    • Chocolate Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Pork Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Shrimp Recipes
  • Holidays and Occasions

    Holidays and Occasions

    See All Holidays and Occasions
    • A Foodie's Guide to Halloween Recipes
    • The Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide
    • Hanukkah Recipes
    • Your Ultimate Christmas Recipe Guide
    • Our Most Festive New Year's Recipes
    • Best-Ever Super Bowl Sunday Recipes
    • Best Valentine's Day Recipes
    • Mardi Gras Recipes
    • The Ultimate Guide to Easter Recipes
    • Labor Day Recipes
    • The Ultimate Fourth of July Guide
    • Memorial Day Recipes
    • Touchdown-Worthy Tailgate Recipes
    • Wedding and Shower Recipes
  • Quick and Easy

    Quick and Easy

    See All Quick and Easy
    • 15-Minute Recipes for Busy Home Cooks
    • 45-Minute Recipes
    • 5 Ingredients or Less
    • Dinner Tonight
    • No-Cook Recipes
  • Convenience Recipes

    Convenience Recipes

    See All Convenience Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Kid Approved
    • Our Top Make-Ahead Recipes
    • Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes
  • BBQ and Grilling

    BBQ and Grilling

    See All BBQ and Grilling
    • Grilled Beef Recipes
    • Grilled Chicken Recipes
    • Grilled Fish Recipes
    • Grilled Pork Recipes
    • Grilled Shrimp Recipes
    • Grilled Vegetable Recipes
  • How To

    How To

    See All How To
    • 7 Ways With...
    • Cooking Questions
    • Ingredients and Tools
    • Kitchen Cleaning
    • Videos
  • Extra Crispy
  • Well Done

    Well Done

    See All Well Done
    • Homemade vs. The Internet
    • How-to and Explainers
    • Mom vs.
    • Recipe Videos
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Register
  • Recipe Box this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. World Cuisine Chevron Right
  3. Mexican Chevron Right
  4. 15+ Easy Tamale Recipes to Spice Up Your Life

15+ Easy Tamale Recipes to Spice Up Your Life

January 29, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Tired of Taco Tuesday?  Try tamales on for size.  A much-loved food throughout Mexico and parts of the United States, tamales feature a cornmeal dough stuffed with a filling (often meats like pork or beef), and then wrapped in a corn husk (or, less commonly, a banana leaf) and steamed.  Traditional tamales can be a little time-consuming, but aren't difficult to make.  We've served up a few classic tamale recipes, plus several other twists, including Sugar-and-Spice Fruit Tamales, Tamale Chicken Potpies, Chicken Tamale Casserole, and more. 

Start Slideshow

1 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Beef Tamales

Credit: Douglas Merriam; Jan Gautro
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Pork is the traditional filling for tamales in New Mexico, but we chose beef filling for these tamales. Adjust the ground chile for more or less heat as you prefer. If this recipe makes more tamales than you need, freeze for up to a month.

1 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Chipotle Pork Tamales with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Credit: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Homemade tamales are a delicious savory food gift, whether around the holidays or just to make someone feel special. For gift-giving, assemble and steam tamales. Cool and freeze, wrapped in husks, in an airtight container. Give frozen to loved ones with a note about reheating. 

2 of 16

3 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Fried Pork Tamales

Credit: Raymond Hom
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

This recipe make enough braised pork filling for both the fried tamales and one 10-inch tamale pie.

3 of 16

Advertisement

4 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Mama Totota's Tamales

Credit: Randy Mayor
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These tamales are prepared the traditional way, making them a little time-intensive, so be sure to carve out enough space in your schedule.  However, the incredible results are well worth the extra effort!

4 of 16

5 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto Tamales

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

The shrimp cook as the tamales steam, so they're tender and perfectly done.

5 of 16

6 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Chicken Tamales with Ranchero Sauce

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford, Claire Spollen
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Forming the tamales, albeit time-consuming, is part of the fun. Make it a family activity and set up an assembly line--one person placing the filling, another folding, and a third tying. This recipe uses lard, which actually has less saturated fat than butter.

6 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Venezuelan Tamales (Hallacas)

Credit: Oxmoor House
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Hallacas are traditional Venezuelan Christmas Eve gifts that are lovingly prepared for the recipients. The filling usually starts with whole chicken, pork shoulder, bacon, and beef chuck all separately seasoned, stewed, and shredded or chopped. This lightened version uses leaner cuts of meat, skips the bacon, and stews all the meats together.

7 of 16

8 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Sugar-and-Spice Fruit Tamales

Credit: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Take your love of tamales to the dessert table with these sweet twists on the classic Mexican fare.  While traditional tamales feature meats such as pork or beef, these tamales calls for pumpkin, pineapple, raisins, and spices, and are served with homemade vanilla and chocolate sauces.  

8 of 16

9 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Tamale Bites

Credit: Thomas J. Story
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These little bites give you that same combination of soft, steamy masa dough and rich filling. To shave off even more time, use cooked chorizo instead of making a pork filling. Masa harina is fresh corn dough that's been dried and ground into flour. Find it in the international aisle of your grocery store or at Latino markets.

9 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Steamed Pork Tamales

Credit: Raymond Hom
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

In this recipe, New York chef Alex Stupak shows how to prepare steamed banana-leaf-wrapped tamales. He also gives two variations: fried until crisp (a great trick for reviving leftover steamed ones), and baked as a large pie. 

10 of 16

11 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Tamale Chicken Potpies

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Claire Spollen
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Serve these individual potpies with a side of spicy black beans.

11 of 16

12 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Credit: Lee Harrelson
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

If you’re craving tamales but just don’t have the time, this tamale casserole is a quick and easy answer. Homemade tamales can be too time-consuming to prepare on a weeknight, but corn bread mix captures the same flavor. Feel free to experiment with different types of meat, such as ground beef or turkey, or trying chile verde salsa instead of enchilada sauce. No matter how you prepare it, this dish will quickly become a family favorite.  

12 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Green Corn Tamale Pie

Credit: James Carrier
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Canned nopalitos (cactus strips) are available in well-stocked supermarkets and in Latino markets. Assemble pie through step 3 and make salsa up to 2 days ahead; chill separately. Bake chilled tamale pie about 1 1/4 hours.

13 of 16

14 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Chile-Spiced Sweet Potato Tamales

Credit: Lisa Romerein
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

These sweet potato tamales get a spicy kick with chiles.

14 of 16

15 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Credit: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Lynn Miller
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Tamales are made easy and accessible, especially for busy weeknights, with this simple casserole featuring boneless, skinless chicken breasts, canned enchilada sauce, and crumbled cornbread.  

15 of 16

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 16

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Tamale Pie

Credit: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Gerri Williams
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

If you love tamales, our Tamale Pie is for you. We take a shortcut with a make-ahead savory ground beef and kidney bean filling and top with prepared polenta rounds--tasty and quick!

16 of 16

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 16 Beef Tamales
2 of 16 Chipotle Pork Tamales with Cilantro-Lime Crema
3 of 16 Fried Pork Tamales
4 of 16 Mama Totota's Tamales
5 of 16 Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto Tamales
6 of 16 Chicken Tamales with Ranchero Sauce
7 of 16 Venezuelan Tamales (Hallacas)
8 of 16 Sugar-and-Spice Fruit Tamales
9 of 16 Tamale Bites
10 of 16 Steamed Pork Tamales
11 of 16 Tamale Chicken Potpies
12 of 16 Chicken Tamale Casserole
13 of 16 Green Corn Tamale Pie
14 of 16 Chile-Spiced Sweet Potato Tamales
15 of 16 Chicken Tamale Casserole
16 of 16 Tamale Pie

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Login

MyRecipes

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Advertising this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
MyRecipes.com is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. MyRecipes is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. MyRecipes may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.myrecipes.com

View image

15+ Easy Tamale Recipes to Spice Up Your Life
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.