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18 Easy Vegan Tamales

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Tamales are probably one of my favorite things in the whole world!! If you want to learn how to make vegan tamales look no further. Unlike what you may think they are not difficult to make at all. They are a bit time consuming, but with some help from friends or family you can make a tamalada and enjoy vegan tamales all year.

I have searched the internet far and wide for the best vegan tamales out there so you don’t have to. Here are over 15 different recipes that you can use and adapt to your liking. Enjoy!!

Savory and Easy Vegan Tamales

Did you know there are both sweet and savory tamales? Here is a list of our favorite savory ones.

1. Red Chile Jackfruit Tamales

Red chile jackfruit tamales in a white and green tea towel                           dorastable.com

These red chile jackfruit tamales are made with spicy guajillo chile seasoned jackfruit and masa, stuffed inside corn husks and steamed to perfection. What makes these so good is that the masa is spiced with guajillo chiles, coconut oil, and cumin. Find recipe HERE.

2. Jalapeño and Cactus Tamales

Jalapeño and cactus tamales on a white plate                                                                     nibblesandfeasts.com

These jalapeño and cactus tamales are super easy to make. Rather than stuffing each tamal individually, the pickled jalapeños and cooked cactus bits are added to the masa and mixed thoroughly, making the spreading so quick. (This recipe does call for chicken bouillon powder, but you can substitute for Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base.) Find the recipe HERE.

3. Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Black Bean Tamales

Chipotle sweet potato and black bean vegan tamales on a wooden board                                naturallyella.com

Sweet potato, black beans, and spinach simmered in a chipotle sauce. Smoky, sweet, and full of delicious goodness. This dough is seasoned with oregano and coconut oil. You can find the recipe HERE.

4. Vegan Green Corn Tamales

Vegan Green Corn Tamales on a white plate and a green background createdmindfully.com

Vegan Green Corn Tamales. These rich, spicy tamales are made with Hatch green chiles, fresh white corn, and masa harina. Wrapped in fresh corn leaves and steamed. You can find the recipe HERE.

5. Oil-Free Vegan Tamales

Oil-Free Tamales filled with black beans, sweet potatoes, and green chiles cut in half. brandnewvegan.com

Oil-Free Tamales filled with black beans, sweet potatoes, and green chiles in a New Mexican red chile sauce. Instead of oil the masa uses pureed corn, kind of genius! You can find the recipe HERE.

6. Potato and Pinto Bean Vegan Tamales

a vegan tamal topped with crema tomatoes and onion on a plate.               sweetsimplevegan.com  

These Potato and Pinto Bean vegan tamales are also filled Anaheim peppers and tomatoes, spiced with a touch if cumin and chili powder. The masa is made with extra-virgin olive oil. You can find the recipe HERE.

7. Low-Fat Vegan Tamales

A brown plate with a vegan tamal topped with salsa, surrounded by rice and beans.cheftographer.com

These tamales are filled with a black bean-zucchini stew, but the best part is that the masa has a secret ingredient. Instead of oil or shortening, it uses pumpkin puree to substitute the fat. They are healthy and delicious!! Find the recipe HERE.

8. Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales

Two vegan tamales on a wooden board, one cut open                                        dorastable.com

Vegan potato adobo tamales filled with a mixture of potatoes and peas tossed in a spicy adobo sauce. The adobo is smoky, spicy, tangy, and has an earthy quality to it. The masa that surrounds it, is fluffy and light, and it’s all wrapped in a corn husk and steamed until tender. (This recipe uses coconut oil in the masa.) Find the recipe HERE.

9. Jalapeño and Cheese Tamales

Tamales on Mexican clay plates on a dark backgroundmexicanmademeatless.com

Tender tamales stuffed with jalapeños, tomatoes, and cheese. This recipe is vegetarian, but can be easily veganized by using vegan cheese. Find the recipe HERE. 

10. Bean and Jalapeño Tamales

Three tamales topped with salsa verde over Mexican rice.              lapinaenlacocina.com

Bean and Jalapeño Tamales filled with beans stewed in chile ancho and spices, and pickled jalapeño peppers. The recipe does call for chicken stock, but you can easily substitute for vegetable stock. Yum!! Find the recipe HERE.

11. Zucchini and Corn Tamales

A large tamal with zucchini and corn on a blue plate.                                                      muybuenocookbook.com

Zucchini and Corn Tamales, a simple and delicious vegan tamal recipe, no filling required. The masa is studded with sweet corn and zucchini then wrapped in corn husks and steamed. (This recipe calls for chicken bouillon, but you can substitute forBetter than Bouillon No Chicken Base.) You can find the recipe HERE.

12. Easy Sweet Corn Tamales

A sweet corn tamal on a white plate with salsa and crema.                                  mexicoinmykitchen.com

Sweet Corn Tamales, made with fresh corn and a sprinkle of masa harina. These can be served as sweet tamales for dessert or as savory with spicy salsa and vegan crema. (The recipe calls for butter, but can be easily substituted for vegan butter.) You can find the recipe HERE.

Sweet and Easy Vegan Tamales

If you’ve never had sweet vegan tamales you’re in for a treat. It makes so much sense when you think about it, corn itself is so sweet that it only makes sense to enhance that sweetness with flavor like lime, strawberry, chocolate, and pumpkin.

13. Lime Tamales

a lime tamal on a white and green plate     thymeandlove.com

Lime Tamales are a traditional sweet tamal. For vegan sweet tamales, we use vegan butter and almond milk. A few easy swaps and traditional sweet Lime Tamales can be made vegan! You can find the recipe HERE.

14. Sweet Pineapple Tamales

Pineapple tamal on a black and white plate with a silver spoon      chefmarcela.com

Sweet Pineapple Tamales, soft and billowy and perfectly sweet and completely addictive. The masa is made with coconut oil, and vegetable shortening and studded with crushed pineapple. Find the recipe HERE.

15.  Strawberry Tamales

A pink tamal surrounded by strawberries on a blue plate.                                                        dorastable.com

These strawberry tamales are soft, tender packets of ground corn, filled with sweet strawberry jam. The aroma of the tamales steaming is irresistible. They are great with a mug of Mexican hot chocolate or an atole. Find the recipe HERE.

16. Pumpkin Pie Tamales

Pumpkin pie tamal bathed in syrup on a white plate     thymeandlove.com

Pumpkin Pie Tamales are a sweet dessert tamal inspired by the classic American Pumpkin Pie. Perfect for Dia de Los Muertos or Thanksgiving! Find the recipe HERE.

17. Vegan Chocolate Tamales

chocolate tamales on a blue kitchen towel      dorastable.com

These vegan chocolate tamales are filled with bittersweet chocolate chips, and chopped pecans. The best tamal is a warm tamal just out of the steamer with the scent of cinnamon and the melted bittersweet chocolate. Find the recipe HERE.

18. Vegan Tamales Unwrapped

vegan tamales ebook

You didn’t find the recipe you were looking for?? Vegan Tamales Unwrapped Ebook has over 50 detailed pictures, and will guide you step-by-step in the tamal making process. Make delicious savory and sweet tamales inspired by traditional Mexican cuisine, but all vegan and gluten-free. Including an oil-free option for making guilt-free plant-based tamales. You will be able to find recipes like jackfruit in salsa verde tamales. mushroom mole tamales, rajas con crema tamales, and blackberry tamales. Find out more HERE

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Red Chile Jackfruit Tamales

Just so you know, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and may collect a share from the links on this page.

These red chile jackfruit tamales are made with spicy guajillo chile seasoned jackfruit and masa, stuffed inside corn husks and steamed to perfection. What makes these so good is that the masa is spiced with guajillo chiles, coconut oil, and cumin. They are so delicious and 100% vegan and gluten-free.

Jackfruit simmering in red chile sauce in a cast iron pan

These are the first tamales I ever learned how to make. Back when I didn’t know how to make tamales, my dad invited me to the family restaurant to learn. Over the years we had helped on several occasions with the spreading of the masa on the husk and the folding, but I had never done the whole process from start to finish. Tamales rojos are very typical of the northern Mexico, they are usually filled with pork and are very small in size, but with a pretty equal ratio of masa to filling.

Masa for tamales in a silver bowl

The thing about learning how to cook in a restaurant is that you learn how to make huge quantities of food. That day we must’ve made more than 200 tamales! Believe me, it was a few years before I decided to make tamales again all by myself. When I became vegan, I was very sad at the thought of not having good tamales again, and frankly the thought of tamales filled with veggies didn’t appeal to me at the moment.

Tamales wrapped in corn husk on a blue back ground

However, after some experimentation with jackfruit, I decided to veganize this recipe from the family restaurant. The result was shockingly similar to the original ones. So much so, that my omnivore husband was tricked into thinking that the tamales weren’t vegan!!

Tamales arranged in a steamer pot

This recipe is part of my ebook Vegan Tamales Unwrapped. After making these red chile jackfruit tamales I became so obsessed with making vegan tamales that I decided to make my obsession into an ebook. It has 50 detailed pictures on how to make vegan tamales from making the masa to spreading and wrapping.

vegan tamales ebook

Every possible aspect of tamal making is explored, the type of fats, wrappers, fillings, cooking methods. There’s even an option for oil free tamales. It includes both savory and sweet tamal recipes such as:

  • Red Chile Jackfruit Tamales
  • Mole Tamales
  • Salsa Verde Jackfruit Tamales
  • Chocolate Tamales
  • Strawberry Tamales
  • Lime Tamales

It is available for purchase on Amazon for $6.99. Sadly it is only available in ebook format, but if you don’t have a kindle you can also purchase it on itunes to read on your mac devices. I am so proud of this book and I know you will enjoy it too!

Red chile jackfruit tamales in a white and green tea towel

The Recipe: Red Chile Jackfruit Tamales

  • Masa harina is dried nixtamalized corn flour. It is used in Mexico to make tortillas, tamales, sopes, etc. The brand most commonly found is Maseca, but the only non-gmo organic one I’ve found is Bob’s Red Mill
  • I found coconut oil to be the most flavorful fat to use in this recipe. I recommend you use refined coconut oil so the coconut flavor doesn’t affect the tamales. If you use unrefined coconut oil you will get a coconutty flavor.
  • If you have a hard time finding jackfruit, (I find mine at Trader Joe’s) you can use mushrooms instead.
  • If you would like to make these with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa and use only 3/4 cup of vegetable stock. To substitute the coconut oil, you can use 8 oz. of vegetable oil or vegetable shortening. For tamales without fat, use 8 oz of cooked, unsweetened pumpkin.

Red chile jackfruit tamales in a white and green tea towel

Red Chile Jackfruit Tamales

These red chile jackfruit tamales are made with spicy guajillo chile seasoned jackfruit and masa, stuffed inside corn husks and steamed until tender.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: vegan mexican recipes, vegan tamales
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 18 - 24 Tamales
Calories: 91kcal
Author: Dora S.

Ingredients

Guajillo Chile Sauce

  • 20 (4 oz._ Guajillo chiles, dry, seeded
  • 3-4 Arbol chiles, dried, seeded
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 1/2 White onion, chopped
  • 2 cups Chile soaking liquid

Filling

  • 4 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans (20 oz.) Green jackfruit in brine
  • 1 ½ cups Reserved guajillo chile sauce

Dough

  • 1 cup (8 oz.) Refined coconut oil, room temperature
  • 4 cups (1 lb. 2 oz.) Masa harina
  • 1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 ½ tbsp. Salt, kosher
  • 1 ½ tbsp. Cumin, ground
  • 3 ½ cups Vegetable broth or stock
  • 1 ½ cups Reserved guajillo chile sauce
  • 30 Corn husks

Instructions

To prepare the corn husks

  • Soak the corn husks in hot water, in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. Place a plate over them to weigh them down so they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour.

To make the sauce

  • Place the chiles in a small sauce pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and let cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the chiles and reserve 2 cups of the soaking liquid. Place the chiles, garlic, onion, and soaking liquid in the blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and strain. You should end up with about 3 cups of sauce.

To make the filling

  • Drain the jackfruit. Rinse, and pat with paper towels. Cut out the core of the jackfruit (tip of the triangle pieces), and cut pieces in half. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a large sauté pan set to medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the jackfruit and cook for 3 -4 minutes or until it begins to brown. Pour 1 ½ cups of the guajillo chile sauce and reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for 20 minutes or until jackfruit begins to break down and the sauce has thickened slightly. Use a fork to shred the jackfruit as it cooks down. Season with salt and pepper and let cool.

To make the dough

  • Beat the coconut oil, on medium-high speed, with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the baking powder, cumin, salt, and beat for 1 minute to incorporate into the coconut oil.
  • Add half of the masa harina to the bowl, pour in half of the vegetable stock, and beat to incorporate. After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of masa harina, vegetable stock, and 1 ½ cups of the guajillo chile puree. Beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter. If necessary, add more vegetable stock until you reach that consistency. Taste the dough, and add more salt if necessary. It should be a little bit salty.
  • For lighter and fluffier tamales, let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the fridge and rebeat it, adding enough liquid to get it to the consistency it had before.
  • Remove the corn husks from the water and set on paper towels. Reserve the largest husks to wrap the tamales and the small ones to line the steamer.

To set up your steamer

  • Fill the bottom with water making sure the water is not touching the steamer rack. Line the rack and sides of the steamer pot with corn husks. Set aside.

To wrap the tamales

  • Pull 24 pencil thin strips off of the corn husks and set aside. Take a husk and dry off the excess water with a paper towel. Place the husk in your hand with the tapered side away from you and the smooth side up. Using a spoon, spread 2-3 tbsp. of the dough (¼ inch thick) onto the corn husk, forming a 3 - 4 inch square. Leave a border of at least 3/4 inch on each side of the square.
  • Place 1 ½ tbsp. of the filling in the center of the dough. Bring the two long sides of the corn husk together, this will cause the masa to surround the filling, and roll them in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is too small, fold one of the long sides towards the center, and then fold the other long side on top.) Fold down the empty tapered section of the corn husk, forming a closed bottom. This will leave the top of the tamal open. Tie with a corn husk strip to secure the bottom of the tamal.
  •  Place the tamal in the steamer vertically leaning against the side of the pot, with the open end on top. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and all the tamales are in the steamer. Cover them with a layer of corn husks. If the steamer is not full, fill the empty spaces with more corn husks. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 40 minutes. Check the tamales, when they separate easily from the corn husk it means they are done. If they are not done, steam for 10 more minutes and check again.
  • Remove steamer from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool for at least an hour. Don’t be alarmed if the tamales seem really soft. As they cool, they will firm up.

Video

Notes

If you would like to make these with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa and use only 3/4 cup of vegetable stock. To substitute the coconut oil, you can use 8 oz. of vegetable oil or vegetable shortening. For tamales without fat, use 8 oz of cooked, unsweetened pumpkin.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 498mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg


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Vegan Strawberry Tamales

This past weekend I went to my first blogger conference. I learned so much and I met the most amazing people. The conference was hosted by Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats and I loved her insight on how she grew her blog from 0 to 1 million views in 18 months. There’s so much to do on this little blog, and I am incredibly motivated to get it done.

There was only one other vegan blogger at the conference, her name is Jenn and her blog is Veggie Inspired. Please go check out her site and don’t forget to follow her on Pinterest, she has some great recipes on there. There’s one other blogger I would love to mention and that is Mimi from Mimi Avocado, even though her blog is not vegan you should go over to her site and read a little bit of her story. She lives on an avocado ranch. If you live in California you could have Mimi’s avocados delivered right to your door through her son’s company: California Avocados Direct!

Me and Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats

Our ebook: Vegan Tamales Unwrapped is coming along nicely and I can’t wait for you to try all of the different tamal recipes. This recipe for vegan strawberry tamales is one of the best ones in the book. Apparently they taste like Capt’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries, according to my husband.

The Recipe: Vegan Strawberry Tamales

These strawberry tamales are soft, tender packets of ground corn, filled with sweet strawberry jam. The aroma of the tamales steaming is irresistible. They are great with a mug of Mexican hot chocolate or an atole. Enjoy!

Vegan Strawberry Tamales

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Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 18 tamales
Author: Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Strawberries, cut into chunks
  • 2 cups Almond milk, warm
  • 1 cup Vegan Butter, room temperature, 8 oz.
  • 1/2 cup Sugar, granulated
  • 1.5 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 4 cups Masa harina, 1 lb. 2oz
  • 1 cup Water, warm
  • 1 ½ cup Strawberry jam
  • 30 Corn husks

Instructions

  • Soak the corn husks in hot water, in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. Place a plate over them to weigh them down so they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour.
  • Blend the 2 cups of almond milk and 1 cup of the strawberries until smooth.
  • To make the dough: beat the butter and sugar, on medium-high speed, with an electric mixer, until the butter has doubled in size and is nice and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the baking powder and salt, and beat for 1 minute to incorporate into the butter.
  • Add half of the masa harina then add the strawberry almond milk. After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of the masa harina and the water. Add the remaining cup of chopped strawberries, and beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter. If necessary add more water until you reach that consistency.
  • For lighter and fluffier tamales, let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the fridge and rebeat it, adding enough liquid to get it to the consistency it had before.
  • Remove the corn husks from the water and set on paper towels. Reserve the largest husks to wrap the tamales and the small ones to line the steamer.
  • To set up your steamer, fill the bottom with water making sure the water is not touching the steamer rack. Line the rack and sides of the steamer pot with corn husks. Set aside.
  • Pull 24 pencil thin strips off of the corn husks and set aside. Take a husk and dry off the excess water on it with a paper towel. Place the husk in your hand with the tapered side away from you and the smooth side up. Using a spoon, spread 2-3 tbsp. of the dough (¼ inch thick) onto the corn husk, forming a 3 - 4 inch square. Leave a border of at least 3/4 inch on each side of the square.
  • Place 1 tbsp. of strawberry jam in the center of the dough. Bring the two long sides of the corn husk together, this will cause the masa to surround the jam, and roll them in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is too small, fold one of the long sides towards the center, and then fold the other long side on top.) Fold down the empty tapered section of the corn husk, forming a closed bottom. This will leave the top of the tamal open. Tie with a corn husk strip to secure the bottom of the tamal.
  • Place the tamal in the steamer vertically leaning against the side of the steamer, with the open end on top. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and all the tamales are in the steamer. Cover them with a layer of corn husks. If the steamer is not full, fill the empty spaces with more corn husks. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 40 minutes. Check the tamales, when they separate easily from the corn husk it means they are done. If they are not done, steam for 10 more minutes and check again.
  • Remove steamer from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool for at least an hour. Don’t be alarmed if the tamales seem really soft. As they cool, they will firm up.

Notes

If you would like to make these with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa and use only 1 cup of almond milk. To substitute the fat you can use 8 oz. of coconut oil. For tamales without fat, substitute with 8 oz of cooked, unsweetened pumpkin.

 

 

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Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales

These vegan potato adobo tamales that I am sharing with you today are filled with a mixture of potatoes and peas tossed in a spicy adobo sauce. The adobo is smoky, spicy, tangy, and has an earthy quality to it. The masa that surrounds it, is fluffy and light, and it’s all wrapped in a corn husk and steamed until tender

Vegan tamales are delicious, and you can practically make them with any vegetable or green. If you need a little help in the tamales department, be sure to check out my ebook Vegan Tamales Unwrapped: The step-by-step guide to savory and sweet tamales. It has over 16 different vegan tamal recipes, and with picture and instructions on how to do every step so you can make tamales easily.

This vegan latino gift guide is inspired by our love of Latino culture, they are made or curated by Latino business owners and entrepreneurs.

I love Christmas. Yeah, I’m one of those people, and I don’t care about being politically correct. It’s so close! Can you feel it?  What’s not to like about Christmas? There’s family, good food, Christmas carols, cookies, and Jesus of course. Ok, ok, enough already. Just don’t stress out about family gatherings this time of year. Bring a vegan dish to share and enjoy yourself, I know I will.

The Recipe: Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales

You can use vegetable shortening or olive oil in this recipe instead of coconut oil. If you prefer to make tamales without fat you can substitute the coconut oil with unsweetened pumpkin puré. Letting the masa rest is key to light and fluffy tamales. Enjoy!

Vegan potato adobo tamales. They are filled with a mixture of potatoes and peas tossed in a spicy adobo sauce. The adobo is smoky, spicy, tangy, and has an earthy quality to it. The masa that surrounds it, is fluffy and light

 

Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales

Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales

Vegan Potato Adobo Tamales, tender tamales stuffed with potatoes and peas in a spicy adobo sauce.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: adobo, potatoes, vegan tamales
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 18 tamales
Author: Dora Stone

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup (8 oz.) Coconut oil
  • 4 cups (1 lb. 2 oz). Masa harina
  • 1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 ½ tbsp. Salt
  • 4 cups Vegetable stock or broth, warm

Filling

  • 1 ½ lb. Potatoes, peeled, cut into small dice
  • 1 cup Peas, fresh or frozen
  • 3 Ancho chiles, dry, deseeded
  • 1 ½ Pasilla chiles, dry, deseeded
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • ¼ Onion, white
  • ½ tsp. Cumin, ground
  • ½ tsp. Oregano, dried
  • 1 Clove, whole
  • ¼ tsp. Cinnamon, ground
  • ½ cup Vinegar, white
  • ½ cup Chile soaking liquid
  • 30 Corn Husks

Instructions

  • Soak the corn husks in hot water, in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. Place a plate over them to weigh them down so they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour.
  • To make the filling, place the diced potatoes in a medium pot with salted cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 6 min. or until the potatoes are slightly tender. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and pour the cup of peas into the water with the potatoes and let sit for 30 sec. Drain and set aside.
  • To make the adobo, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and drop them into the water. Turn heat down to the lowest setting and let the chiles sit in the water for 10 min. Remove the chiles from the water and place in blender. Reserve ½ cup of the chile soaking liquid. Add the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, white vinegar, and ½ cup of soaking liquid to the blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour the adobo on the cooked potatoes and peas, adjust seasoning, and mix well.
  • To make the dough, beat the coconut oil, on medium-high speed, with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Add the baking powder, salt, and beat for 1 minute to incorporate into the oil.
  • Add half of the masa harina then add half of the vegetable stock. After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of masa harina and vegetable stock. Beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter. If necessary add more vegetable stock until you reach that consistency. Taste the dough, and add more salt if necessary. It should be a little bit salty.
  • For lighter and fluffier tamales, let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the fridge and rebeat it, adding enough liquid to get it to the consistency it had before.
  • Remove the corn husks from the water and set on paper towels. Reserve the largest husks to wrap the tamales and the small ones to line the steamer.
  • To set up your steamer, fill the bottom with water making sure the water is not touching the steamer rack. Line the rack and sides of the steamer pot with corn husks. Set aside.
  • Pull 24 pencil thin strips off of the corn husks and set aside. Take a husk and dry off the excess water with a paper towel. Place the husk in your hand with the tapered side away from you and the smooth side up. Using a spoon, spread 2-3 tbsp. of the dough (¼ inch thick) onto the corn husk, forming a 3 – 4 inch square. Leave a border of at least 3/4 inch on each side of the square.
  • Place 1 ½ tbsp. of the filling in the center of the dough. Bring the two long sides of the corn husk together, this will cause the masa to surround the filling, and roll them in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is too small, fold one of the long sides towards the center, and then fold the other long side on top.) Fold down the empty tapered section of the corn husk, forming a closed bottom. This will leave the top of the tamal open. Tie with a corn husk strip to secure the bottom of the tamal.
  • Place the tamal in the steamer vertically leaning against the side of the pot, with the folded part of the tamal on the bottom. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and all the tamales are in the steamer. Cover them with a layer of corn husks. If the steamer is not full, fill the empty spaces with more corn husks. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 40 minutes. Check the tamales, when they separate easily from the corn husk it means they are done. If they are not done, steam for 10 more minutes and check again.
  • Remove steamer from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool for at least an hour. Don’t be alarmed if the tamales seem really soft. As they cool, they will firm up.

Video

Notes

If you would like to make these with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa. To substitute the vegetable shortening, you can use 8 oz. of coconut oil. For tamales without fat, use 8 oz of cooked, unsweetened pumpkin.

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Vegan Chocolate Tamales

Just so you know, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and may collect a share from the links on this page.

It’s that time of year again when the cold starts creeping in and we yearn for a nice mug of hot chocolate and a tamal. If you have never tried a sweet tamal you are in for a treat.  These vegan chocolate tamales are made by beating vegan butter and sugar, adding corn masa flour, ground Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, and warm almond milk. It is filled with bittersweet chocolate chips and chopped pecans. The best tamal is a warm tamal just out of the steamer, and the scent of cinnamon and the melted bittersweet chocolate interior of this tamal will surely conquer your taste buds.

Masa for tamales in a silver bowl

 

 

We love tamales in this house both savory and sweet. Our favorites are the red chile jackfruit tamales, potato adobo tamales, and strawberry tamales. We love them so much that two years ago I self-published an ebook to help you make all kinds of vegan tamales. The book is called Vegan Tamales Unwrapped and contains over 18 different vegan tamal recipes for you to enjoy this Christmas season, with a step-by-step picture guide to making the dough, wrapping the tamales, and placing them in the steamer. The recipes include both savory and sweet tamales.

This vegan latino gift guide is inspired by our love of Latino culture, they are made or curated by Latino business owners and entrepreneurs.

Recently, while doing some research on tamales I read that there is very little evidence that tortillas were part of the Mayan diet, at least not until 900 AD. However, tamales can be found in the Aztec and Maya civilizations as far back as 7000 BC according to their hieroglyphs. It is thought that they were often carried by warriors, hunters, and travelers since they are the perfect portable food individually wrapped in corn husks. Who would have thought???

tamales chocolate

The Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Tamales

  • If you would like to make these tamales with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa.
  • I used Ibarra chocolate for this recipe, but there are many other vegan options. 
  • You can also make these with coconut oil or vegetable shortening.
  • If you would like to make these without fat, use unsweetened pumpkin puree to replace the fat.
tamales chocolate

Vegan Chocolate Tamales

Vegan Chocolate tamales filled with roasted pecans and chocolate chips.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chocolate, pecans, vegan tamales
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 18 tamales
Author: Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz.) Vegan Butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Sugar, granulated
  • 4 cups (1 lb. 2oz) Masa harina
  • 1.5 tsp. Baking powder
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) Mexican chocolate, ground
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon, ground
  • 2 cups Almond Milk, unsweetened, warm
  • 2 cups Water, warm
  • ½ cup Pecans, chopped
  • 2 cups Chocolate chips, bittersweet
  • 30 Corn husks dried

Instructions

To prepare the husks:

  • Soak the corn husks in hot water, in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. Place a plate over them to weigh them down so they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour.

To make the dough:

  • Chop the Mexican chocolate into small pieces and grind to a powder in the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the chocolate with a standard kitchen grater.
  • Beat the butter and sugar, on medium-high speed, with an electric mixer, until the butter has doubled in size and is nice and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and beat for 1 minute to incorporate into the butter.
  • Add half of the masa harina then add the almond milk. After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of masa harina and water. Beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter. If necessary add more water until you reach that consistency.
  • For lighter and fluffier tamales, let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the fridge and rebeat it, adding enough liquid to get it to the consistency it had before.
  • Remove the corn husks from the water and set on paper towels.

To set up the steamer:

  • Fill the bottom with water making sure the water is not touching the steamer rack. Line the rack and sides of the steamer pot with corn husks. Set aside.

To wrap the tamales:

  • Pull 24 pencil thin strips off of the corn husks and set aside. Take a husk and dry off the excess water on it with a paper towel. Place the husk in your hand with the tapered side away from you and the smooth side up. Using a spoon, spread 2-3 tbsp. of the dough (¼ inch thick) onto the corn husk, forming a 3 - 4 inch square. Leave a border of at least 3/4 inch on each side of the square.
  • Place 5-10 chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of chopped pecans in the center of the dough. Bring the two long sides of the corn husk together, this will cause the masa to surround the filling, and roll them in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is too small, fold one of the long sides towards the center, and then fold the other long side on top.) Fold down the empty tapered section of the corn husk, forming a closed bottom. This will leave the top of the tamal open. Tie with a corn husk strip to secure the bottom of the tamal.
  • Place the tamal in the steamer vertically leaning against the side of the steamer, with the folded part of the tamal on the bottom. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and all the tamales are in the steamer. Cover them with a layer of corn husks. If the steamer is not full, fill the empty spaces with more corn husks. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 40 minutes. Check the tamales, when they separate easily from the corn husk it means they are done. If they are not done, steam for 10 more minutes and check again.
  • Remove steamer from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Don’t be alarmed if the tamales seem really soft. As they cool, they will firm up.

Video

Notes

If you would like to make these with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa. You can also use 8 oz. of coconut oil or 8 oz of cooked, unsweetened pumpkin to replace the fat.

 

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