This easy to make masa for tamales recipe is the start to yummy homemade tamales! Ready in minutes and only a few ingredients needed to make a light and soft dough.

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We have used this recipe for years in my family, and it has never done us wrong. It’s a basic and very easy recipe that’s perfect for making delicious tamales.

Keep reading! I provide several Pro Tips to ensure success in your kitchen.

Table of Contents

1 Ingredients Needed
2 🌽 More Masa Harina Recipes
3 🥣 Instructions
4 How Long Do Tamales Last?
5 How to tell if the masa is ready
6 👩🏼‍🍳 Advice for the newbie tamale maker
7 🫔 Authentic Mexican Tamales Recipes
8 🔥 How to reheat tamales
9 😋 Hungry for More?
10 How to Make Masa for Tamales
11 How much masa do I need?
12 Ingredients Notes:
13 How Long Do Tamales Last:
- 13.1 Nutrition

Ingredients Needed

Masa Harina – In a nutshell, this is a special type of corn flour. Maseca is a popular brand.
Warm Water – Good substitutes are chicken stock and vegetable broth.
Baking Powder
Shortening – or Lard
Salt

Nowadays, most stores will carry all the ingredients you need to make flavorful tamales.

Or, if you are lucky enough to live by a Mexican grocery store, they will carry prepared masa or fresh masa. Just know that if you buy prepared masa dough it will most likely include LARD.

Another thing you can do is ask your local Mexican restaurant if they sell prepared masa.

🌽 More Masa Harina Recipes

🥣 Instructions

Whipped shortening with a handle in a metal mixer.

Start by whipping the vegetable shortening in KitchenAid or hand mixer.
You can also use pork lard.

Traditionally, masa is made with lard. It is used for both sweet and savory tamales – think pie crusts made with lard.

Not a fan of lard or shortening? Try masa with oil. 100% vegan and “better-for-you” than the traditional type.

Masa harina in a bowl next to a wooden spoon.

After the shortening is whipped, set it aside.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.

Notice how there are no spices mentioned in the recipe. This is a basic recipe.

Spices you can add for savory tamales:

1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Spices to add for sweet tamales:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground anise

A Kitchen Aid with whipped shortening and masa harina in the bowl.

Add some of the dry mixture to the whipped shortening.
Little by little on low speed using the paddle attachment then gradually move up to medium speed.
You want the texture to be light, creamy, and fluffy. Think cookie dough.

By the way, the tamales that you purchase at the store are supposed to be big. Sometimes, the corn husks come small or ripped. It’s ok to make smaller tamales.

How Long Do Tamales Last?

Tamales last 5 days in the refrigerator.
Tamales last 6 months in the freezer.

For leftover masa, make champurrado. It goes perfectly with tamales. Or make breakfast tamales.

Masa for Tamales in a mixer with a spatula.

Add water (or chicken broth) and the masa harina mixture, little by little.
Mix slowly on the stand mixer. Scrape down the sides from time to time.
Take turns adding the broth and masa harina mixture until it forms a soft consistency, almost like cake batter.

If you are making savory tamales, use chicken broth, pork broth, beef broth, or vegetable stock.

Some people will add the liquid from the cooked meat to the masa mixture. The cooking liquid will give your tamale dough very good FLAVOR.

Masa in a mixing bowl with a mixing attachment.

How to tell if the masa is ready

The float test! (Note: This is not waterboarding. Masa never talks) 🤣

Take a spoonful of masa and drop it in a cup of water.
If the masa floats, it’s ready!!
If it doesn’t float, beat it some more. There’s NO such thing as over-mixing here.
Mix until it floats. It might just need more shortening.
After that, you’re ready to spread, fill with your favorite filling, wrap tamales, and load up your steamer pot.

Making tamales is not hard. It’s just time consuming.

That’s why you must try Instant Pot Pork Tamales and Instant Pot Chicken Tamales. They cook in nearly half the time!

Masa for Tamales in a mixing bowl surrounded by the ingredients necessary to make the recipe.

👩🏼‍🍳 Advice for the newbie tamale maker

Grab a couple of friends and have a tamalada, or tamale party. It will go quicker with friends.
If your masa for tamales is grainy, add more liquid and more fat (shortening or lard, whatever it is you are using).
Grainy also means it’s the wrong masa harina. Make sure the masa harina is FOR TAMALES.
If the masa is too stiff, add more liquid (whatever broth or water you are using).
If you run out of broth, use water but adjust the salt by adding more.
If you run out of shortening or lard, you can add oil. Be careful what type of oil you add. Olive oil will change the flavor.
Have your filling and masa for tamales ready to go.
Soak the corn husks the night before.
Make as many tamales as you can and freeze them.
Invest in a good steamer.
Invite friends to help…. I might have already said that, but I can’t stress this enough.

🫔 Authentic Mexican Tamales Recipes

🔥 How to reheat tamales

For thawed tamales, add water to a steamer pot. Steam for 20 minutes.
For frozen tamales, add water to a steamer pot. Steam for 25-30 minutes. Check after 25 minutes.
Oven reheat method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Wrap in foil paper and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes if thawed and 25-30 minutes if frozen.
In the microwave, reheat thawed tamales for 2 ½ – 3 minutes.

You’re going to LOVE this masa for tamales recipe. From my family to yours, hope you enjoy!

😋 Hungry for More?

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How to Make Masa for Tamales

This easy to make masa for tamales recipe is the start to yummy homemade tamales! Ready in minutes and only a few ingredients needed to make a light and soft dough.

4.98 from 164 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings: tamales

Calories: 361kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

▢ ⅔ cup lard (or shortening)
▢ 2 cups masa harina 20 ounces (for tamales)
▢ 1 ½ tspn salt
▢ 1 tspn baking powder
▢ 1 ¾ cups hot water (or chicken broth)

Instructions

Beat the lard with your mixer until smooth. About 2 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the masa, salt, and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients in small batches to the mixer.
Alternate with the water until completely mixed.
Beat until smooth, and scrape down each time.
Knead until you form a smooth dough.
The masa should look like wet sand.

Video

Notes

How much masa do I need?

This recipe only makes 1 dozen (12 tamales).

To make 50 tamales:

8 cups masa harina, 7 cups broth, 5 teaspoon salt, 4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 ½ cups shortening.

To make 100 tamales:

16 ½ cups masa harina, 14 cups broth, 10 teaspoon salt, 8 teaspoon baking powder, 5 cups shortening.

Please note: if you are using broth, taste for salt before adding as the broth might already have salt in it.

Ingredients Notes:

You can use all water and omit the chicken broth. You can also use the broth from the cooked meat filling.

If you run out of shortening or lard, you can also use oil. Be careful on what type of oil. Some oils such as olive oil will change the flavor of the masa and the tamales.

This is a basic masa recipe. Add spices to flavor the masa. See post for suggestions.

The Float Test: Drop a small ball of masa into water. If it floats, the masa is ready.