Masa for Tamales (Tamale Dough)

4.98 from 165 votes

This easy masa for tamales recipe makes soft and flavorful tamale dough with few ingredients. Includes tips for perfect tamales every time.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

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.
Continue mixing until the masa is smooth and soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
The masa should be soft, smooth, moist, and easy to spread. It should not be stiff, dry, or crumbly.

Video

Notes

How Much Masa Do I Need for 50 Tamales?

8 cups masa harina
2½ cups lard or shortening
7 cups chicken broth or water
5 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons baking powder

How Much Masa Do I Need for 100 Tamales?

16 cups masa harina
5 cups lard or shortening
14 cups chicken broth or water
10 teaspoons salt
8 teaspoons baking powder

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, it is traditionally considered ready. The most important thing is that the masa is soft, light, and easy to spread.

How Long Do Tamales Last:

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

Nutrition