How long you should steam your tamales depends on several factors. Here’s what you need to know.
Tamales, an ancient Mexican dish made with masa harina and popular for generations, is a favorite of ours here at Food Fanatic! The most popular, easiest way to cook traditional tamales is to steam them, but you might be wondering how long to steam tamales for the best outcome.
We’ve got you covered when it comes to making tamales, storing tamales, and even our best suggestions for tamale side dishes. And here we’re going to get into some tips and tricks for perfectly done tamales when steaming.
How Long Does It Take to Cook Tamales?
The amount of time it takes to cook tamales depends on the method, the freshness of the tamal, the size of the tamales, whether or not you’re reheating them, and how they were stored. (We’ll get into all of that!)
Raw tamales from scratch will typically take about 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook before they are ready to eat.
Tamales that have already been cooked and stored frozen take about 30 minutes to steam, if you’re heating approximately 4 tamales.
Thawed tamales can be cooked in about 20 minutes.
The cooking time needed can be impacted by various other factors as well.
The size and thickness of tamales, as well as the different fillings used, will shift the cook times. Tamales with meat such as shredded beef, chicken, or pork have a longer cook time than tamales that contain only vegetables.
We recommend only using fully cooked meat when preparing tamales, as you do not have to play the guessing game regarding doneness and food safety.
The lengthy cooking time for tamales helps to ensure that the masa dough inside is cooked through fully and evenly — and tastes perfect.
How to Steam Tamales
There are different ways of cooking tamales, but the traditional method is steaming. Many people argue this is also the best way to fully cook these little bundles of joy. Tamales are steamed in a pot called a tamalera, which comes in various sizes and is often made of steel or aluminum.
To steam tamales on the stove in a traditional steamer or tamalera pot:
1. Fill the pot with water — the water level should be up to the indicated fill line to be sure you have enough water. Next, place the steamer basket on the pot.
2. Line your tray with soaked corn husks to prevent water from getting into your tamales while they steam.
3. Arrange your tamales on the steamer tray, making sure they are standing upright. Place tamales with the folded side against the inside of the pot to prevent the tamales from unfolding. Pack the pan firmly but loosely enough that the tamale dough has room to expand.
Tamales that are made with banana leaves can be stacked on top of one another rather than placed tamales upright.
4. Cover the steamer with the lid and bring the pot to a rolling boil using high heat. Make sure the lid seals tightly. Alternatively, you can cover the pot with aluminum foil — make a small hole in the center of the foil and then place the lid on the steamer pot. You can also add more hydrated corn husk wrappers to cover the tamales before placing the lid.
5. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to medium heat (or medium-low). This should keep the water boiling lightly.
6. Continually top up the water when the pot begins to dry out to prevent the pot from boiling dry and burning.
7. Steam for 1 to 1 ½ hrs and then begin checking for doneness. Small batches of 2-3 tamales may be done in 45 minutes to 1 hour, so check according to the size of the batch you’re preparing.
This might look like a long process, but in practice these simple steps are pretty straightforward and foolproof — it just takes some time and attention. We think this is the best method for cooking this labor of love, whether you’re celebrating special occasions like Christmas or just trying to enjoy the traditional Mexican dish on an average Tuesday.
Tip: check out our homemade tamales recipe and how-to guide!
How Long Does It Take to Steam Frozen Tamales?
Pre-cooked tamales that have been frozen will take about 30-40 minutes of stovetop steaming if still frozen when you start cooking. Once a tamale has been fully cooked, the purpose of steaming them is to heat them up in the traditional manner — but not cook them. This is why the cooking process is shorter than when making a tamale from scratch.
Tamales are often prepared in large batches and frozen for future use, so it’s not unusual to need to steam a tamal that has already been cooked through.
How Long Does It Take to Steam Thawed Tamales?
Tamales that were stored frozen and then thawed before steaming will take about 20 minutes to steam.
Thaw your tamales by placing them in the fridge for about 24 hours before you cook them. Take them out and place them in the steamer when you’re ready to prepare them.
Defrosting reduces the cooking time of frozen tamales because they do not need a long time to heat through.
For other methods of reheating cooked tamales, check out how to reheat tamales – we’ve got instructions for the rice cooker, Instant Pot, slow cooker, air fryer, and in the oven.
How to Check That Your Tamales Are Done
After steaming your fresh tamales for at least one hour, lift one tamale from the pot and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes.
Check to see if the husk peels easily away from the dough, and whether the dough stays condensed and smooth. This indicates doneness.
If the tamales do not peel away easily from the husk, steam them for another 30 minutes and check again. Most tamales should be done before the 2-hour mark, though the more you cook at once, the longer it will take.
Small batches of 2-3 tamales may be done in 45 minutes, so adjust your check time according to the amount of tamales you’re preparing.
Once you have checked to make sure that the tamale peels away easily from the husk, slice it open and check that the corn masa and the tamale filling is heated well and cooked through. If the insides are sticky, the tamale needs more time.
When your tamales are done cooking, you can remove them from the steamer and allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving, or you can keep them warm in the steamer pot by leaving the lid on and turning off the heat.
Can You Overcook Tamales?
Unfortunately, it is possible to overcook them and end up with soggy tamales. Tamales that have been steamed too long may also begin to fall apart. It is important to check your tamales regularly throughout the steaming process. Periodically checking their status prevents overcooking and also prevents burning, as the pot will need regular topping off.
As soon as the dough separates from the husk neatly, it is time to check the filling and enjoy your tamales!
You may also like these traditional Mexican dishes.