Tamales Skulls for Dia de Muertos

These Tamales Skulls for Dia de Muertos are filled with veggies and chickpeas simmered in a chile pasilla sauce. It is a fun version of a Mexican classic, Tamal de Cazuela (tamale casserole or tamale pie).

Tamales skull in a terracotta dish with marigold flower petals.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These vegan tamales are absolutely perfect for Día de los Muertos, or as we say in English, Day of the Dead. Spooky, tasty, and easy to make, I guarantee they’ll go fast!

The best part is that you can fill them with whatever you want, and you don’t have to spend an hour spreading masa on corn husks to get all the goodness of a tamal. They are also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Dried chiles soaking in water in a stainless steel pot.

Ingredients

Dried pasilla chiles: These medium-spiced chiles have a rich and tangy flavor. They should be seeded and the stems removed before rehydrating. You can find them online or at your Mexican grocery store.

Chile soaking liquid: In this recipe, I soak the chiles to rehydrate them and use a portion of the soaking liquid to create the sauce.

Chile mulato: Chile mulato are fully mature, dried poblano peppers. They are medium-spiced chiles with a smoky flavor and cherry notes. They should be seeded and the stems removed before rehydrating. You can find them online or at your local Mexican grocery store.

Refined coconut oil : Refined coconut oil is coconut oil that doesn’t have a coconut flavor. Virgin or unrefined coconut oil will have a coconut flavor.

Mara harina: Is nixtamalized corn flour. It is widely available at grocery stores sometimes labeled as corn flour for tortillas. The brand most widely available is Maseca, but if you’re looking for one made with non-GMO corn or organic corn masa try the Bob’s Red Mill brand or 

Mexican zucchini: Mexican zucchini, also known as calabacita, is a light green color squash with a yellow-white flesh. It is not as sweet as Italian zucchini, and it has fewer seeds. If you can’t find Mexican zucchini, regular zucchini works well.

How to Make Tamales Skulls Step By Step

Place 3 pasilla chiles and 1 chile mulato in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat, and let soak 15 minutes.

Drain the chiles. Add to the blender with 1 3/4 cups of the chile soaking liquid, 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt.

The tamales sauce in the blender.

Puree until completely smooth.

The tamales sauce being poured through a strainer.

Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.

Coconut oil in a glass bowl.

Combine 1 cup refined coconut oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 2 teaspoons of salt.

Coconut oil being whipped.

Beat for 1 minute until the coconut oil is light and fluffy.

Masa harina being added to the bowl of coconut oil

Pour in 2 cups of the masa harina.

Masa-coconut oil combination being mixed with vegetable broth.

Pour in 2 cups of warm vegetable broth.

Stirring the masa mixture into a thick cake batter texture.

The masa should have the consistency of a thick cake batter.

Masa coconut oil combination being mixed together.

Beat at low speed for 1 minute.

Beat at low speed for 1 minute. Add the remaining masa harina and broth and beat for 5 minutes.

Onions and carrots in a pot.

Heat oil, add 1/2 large sliced white onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 small diced carrots and cook for 3 minutes.

Zucchini and chickpeas added to the pot with onions and carrots.

Add 1 diced medium zucchini and 1 can (15 oz.) drained chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes.

Pouring chile sauce over the vegetables.

Pour in the chile sauce, simmer for 10 minutes, and let cool.

Placing the tamales filling into the skull mold.

Spread a layer of masa in the bottom of the mold and add the filling.

Covering the vegetable and chickpea filling with a layer of masa mixture.

Top with more masa and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and unmold.

Expert Tips and Tricks

  • The dough should have the consistency of a thick cake batter, and it should be a little bit salty. If your masa is too thick add ½ cup of broth until you reach the desired consistency.
  • It’s super important to pre-heat the mold for at least 30 minutes, this will prevent the masa from sticking to the pan when unmolding.
  • Use an oil spray to coat the mold so it gets coated evenly and the skulls come out easily.
  • Let the tamales cool for 10 minutes before unmolding or they may fall apart or stick to the pan.
  • Since the tamal dough is fairly salty, look for canned beans that are unsalted or rinse well under water to remove excess salt.
  • You can also make this with other fats: Substitute the coconut oil with (8oz)(233g) of avocado oil or olive oil.
  • To make them with fresh masa, use 2lb (907g) of fresh masa instead of masa harina and reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup.
Tamales skulls for Dia de Muertos in a terracotta plate with marigold flowers.

Make this Oil Free

Use 8oz (226g) canned unsweetened pumpkin puree to replace the oil.

Serving

Serve the tamales skulls right away for the best taste and texture. Serve with your favorite salsa like this molcajete salsa.

Storing

Uneaten tamales skulls will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F.

Tamales skulls for Dia de Muertos in a terracotta plate with marigold flowers.

FAQs

Can I use a different mold to make these tamales?

Yes, if you have a different shape mold you can use it. Note the cook time may be different depending on the type of mold you use.

What can I substitute the chickpeas for?

If you don’t have a can of chickpeas in the pantry, you can use any other can of beans that you have.

More Vegan Tamales

You have to try my red chile jackfruit tamales, vegan tamales verdes, or the potato adobo tamales. I also have several sweet tamales for dessert!

Tamales Skulls for Dia de Muertos

These Tamales Skulls for Dia de Muertos are filled with veggies and chickpeas simmered in a chile pasilla sauce. It is a fun version of a Mexican classic, Tamal de Cazuela (tamale casserole or tamale pie).
Pin Recipe Print Recipe
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 12 skulls
Calories: 326kcal
Author: Dora R.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 3 dried pasilla chiles, seeds and stems removed
  • 1 dried chile mulato or ancho, stems and seeds removed
  • ½ medium white onion, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 ½ cups chile soaking liquid
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Masa

  • 1 cup refined coconut oil (8oz)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 cups masa harina (1 lb. 2 oz. )
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, warm

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • ½ large white onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
  • 1 Mexican zucchini, diced
  • 2 small carrots, diced (about 2/3 cup)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil your mold and place in the oven on top of a sheet pan on the center rack.

To make the sauce

  • Place the chiles in a small saucepot and add enough water to cover them by two inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, turn the heat off and let them sit for 15 minutes.
  • Drain the chiles, but reserve 1 3/4 cups of the chile soaking liquid. Transfer the chiles to the blender and add the onion, garlic, oregano, reserved chile soaking liquid and salt. Puree until completely smooth. Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.

To make the masa

  • In a large bowl combine the coconut oil, baking powder, and salt and beat on medium speed, with an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, for 1 minute. Pour in half of the masa harina and beat at a low speed for 1 minute, slowly pour in half of the vegetable broth and continue to beat.
  • After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of masa harina and broth. Beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed, about 5 minutes. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter, and it should be a little bit salty. If your masa is too thick add ½ cup of broth until you reach the desired consistency.

To make the filling

  • Heat oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook for 3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add zucchini and chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and pour in sauce, be careful, it may splash. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

To Assemble

  • Spread a layer of masa in the bottom of the mold, add filling and top with more masa. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and unmold.
  • Carefully remove the mold from the oven. Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa at the bottom of the skulls. Add 2 tablespoons of the filling, and top with more masa, use a spoon to level out the masa. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and unmold.
  • There will be enough masa and filling to fill the mold twice.

Notes

  • The dough should have the consistency of a thick cake batter, and it should be a little bit salty. If your masa is too thick add ½ cup of broth until you reach the desired consistency.
  • It’s super important to pre-heat the mold for at least 30 minutes, this will prevent the masa from sticking to the pan when unmolding.
  • Use an oil spray to coat the mold so it gets coated evenly and the skulls come out easily.
  • You can also make this with other fats: Substitute the coconut oil with (8oz)(233g) of avocado oil or olive oil
  • To make them with fresh masa, use 2lb (907g) of fresh masa instead of masa harina and reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup

Nutrition

Serving: 1skull | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 963mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3380IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @dorastable or tag #mexicangonevegan!

Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.

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