Tamales are a delicious Mexican food dish that is worth the effort to make at home. This simplified Cheese Tamales recipe is a perfect starting point. The vegetarian tamales come together quickly and easily, packed with flavor but without the hassle of a traditional filling.
Serve these Cheese Tamales alongside Mexican Rice, Black Beans, and your favorite salsa or guac. Be sure to save some extra to freeze! A bag of these vegetarian tamales makes a great Freezer Meal Gift.
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You’ve probably hear that tamale-making is a somewhat time-consuming process which is probably why they are fairly expensive to buy, whether you get them at a store or from an abuela who sells them from her home kitchen.
While they can take some time and effort, this easy Cheese Tamales recipe is what I call a “cheater recipe”, taking as many shortcuts as possible without sacrificing flavor. The resulting vegetarian tamales are super delicious and disappear just as quickly as the chicken tamales I make alongside them.
Why Make This
It’s quick and easy. This recipe for Cheese Tamales is quicker and easier since we skip the filling step. Instead, the goodies (corn, pepper jack cheese, and chopped green chiles) are mixed into the masa. This makes it a quicker meal to prepare and then serve alongside Quick Seasoned Rice.
It’s a less expensive dish. Since it’s a meatless meal, these vegetarian tamales have a lower price point than other options, making them a good cheap eat to enjoy more often.
They freeze beautifully. Every year I make as many Cheese Tamales as I possibly can. We eat some vegetarian tamales fresh and then freeze what lasts long enough to get to the freezer.
They are soooo good! I usually have to fend people off with a stick, so there can never be too many tamales, though I do love the children’s book. I don’t think I’ve ever had to toss a vegetarian tamales for languishing in the fridge, either.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cheese Tamales with Chiles and Corn:
dried corn husks – You will need to purchase dried corn husks to wrap the dough in. These come in large packages sold in the produce department or the Mexican food aisle of the grocery store. They aren’t cheap, so shop around and snatch up a bunch at a good price. In some regions, husks are widely available at Christmas, but you may have to hunt for them at other times of year.
masa harina – This is what makes up the tamale dough. I have always used the white bag of Maseca. I have no idea how it differs from the bag made especially for tamales. We use it for tamales and corn tortillas, so I keep the all-purpose bag on hand, buying it at $3 to $4 for 4.4 pounds.
*You can also buy the prepared masa in the refrigerator section of the store, sometimes in the meat department. I’ve never done this, so I don’t know how to advise you on that option. Traditional tamales contain lard. If you want yours to be vegetarian tamales and still buy prepared masa, be sure to read the labels carefully.
butter – I’ve typically used softened butter for my tamales recipe, even though lard is traditional. Butter is what I normally have on hand and works beautifully. You can also use vegetable shortening, a plant-based butter, or even vegetable oil. We’ve done this on occasion when we wanted to make vegan tamales.
salt – Don’t omit the salt. It makes a big difference to the flavor and texture of the tamales. Some recipes also recommend the addition of baking powder. I’ve made them both ways and didn’t really see the need for extra leavening.
vegetable broth – Use whatever veggie broth you normally use. In a pinch you can use water or even chicken stock if you’re not aiming for strict vegetarian tamales.
shredded cheese – You can use Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack, or cheddar cheese in Cheese Tamales. I’ve found that shredding the cheese gives better results over cubes and crumbles. And while some recipes call for wrapping the masa around the cheese, I find mixing it in is quicker and just as tasty.
chopped green chiles – You can use the standard canned green chiles or roast your own poblano peppers and chop them.
corn kernels – I use frozen corn kernels, no need to thaw. If you can find roasted corn, that’s even better as the slight char brings a nice vibe to Cheese Tamales.
Variations
To make vegan tamales: use a plant based butter and omit the cheese or use a plant-based cheese.
Note about equipment:
You don’t need special equipment to make Cheese Tamales, as long as you have a large pot or pressure cooker and a steamer basket on hand. We use more than one so we can make LOTS of vegetarian tamales at a time!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Cheese Tamales with Chiles and Corn:
Soak the corn husks in hot water for a couple hours to soften. They float, so you may need to weigh them down with fry pan to keep them submerged.
Rinse the corn husks, removing any silt or other debris. Keep wet until ready to use.
In a large bowl, prepare the masa dough by combining the masa harina, butter, and salt. With a mixer (Kitchenaid is okay), blend these ingredients together until coarse crumbs are formed.
Add enough broth to make a light and fluffy batter, similar to cookie dough.
Mix in the cheese, chiles, and corn.
Prepare a large stock pot by placing a steamer in the bottom. Add enough hot water to reach the bottom of the steamer.
On a work surface, lay out several corn husks. Place several scoops of the Cheese Tamale masa mixture in the center of the husk.
Wrap the sides of the husk around the mixture, and fold the ends over. Place the tamales seam-side down in the steamer pot.
Continue wrapping the vegetarian tamales and placing them in the basket. Leave some space between tamales in the basket so the hot air can circulate.
To cook in a pot on the stove:
- Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. You want the pot hot enough to steam continually without burning off all the liquid. Add more water if necessary.
- Steam the tamales for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They are done when the husk doesn’t stick to the dough or vice versa and it doesn’t taste “doughy”.
To cook in an electric pressure cooker:
- Cover the instant pot and close the pressure valve. Set the machine to 22 minutes manual at high pressure.
- Once the machine beeps, release the pressure immediately.
Serve vegetarian tamales hot with side dishes and toppings, like rice, beans, shredded lettuce, Enchilada Sauce, salsa, and guacamole.
To freeze:
Cool, wrap, and chill vegetarian tamales completely before placing in zip-top freezer bags and storing in the freezer.
To serve Cheese Tamales from frozen: Steam for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through. Or microwave for a couple minutes until hot.
FAQs
Cheese tamales generally contain jack cheese and roasted chiles. They are often filled, but our Good Cheap Eats recipe has the cheese and chiles mixed into the dough, making for a quicker preparation with all the great flavor.
Cheese tamales are delicious with rice, beans, salsa, guacamole, and a small salad.
Cheese tamales can be vegetarian provided you use vegetable broth and butter or oil in the masa. Be sure not to use chicken broth, lard, or to add any meat.
These Cheese Tamales are favorite vegetarian tamales with our friends and family who prefer vegetarian foods. Since we avoid using lard, meat broth, and meat fillings, they are perfectly suitable for a plant-based diet.
TLDR? Check out the Easy Tamales web story.
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Cheese Tamales with Chile & Corn
Ingredients
- dried corn husks
- 3 ½ cup masa harina I use Maseca
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cup pepper jack cheese (shredded )
- 1 7-ounce can green chiles (chopped)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels , thawed
Instructions
- Soak the corn husks in hot water for a couple hours to soften. They float, so you may need to weigh them down with fry pan to keep them submerged. Rinse the corn husks, removing any silt or other debris. Keep wet until ready to use.dried corn husks
- Prepare a large stock pot by placing a steamer in the bottom. Add enough hot water to reach the bottom of the steamer.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the masa harina, butter, and salt. With a mixer (Kitchenaid is okay), blend these ingredients together until coarse crumbs are formed.3 ½ cup masa harina, 1 cup butter, 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- Add enough broth (I used all 3 cups last time) to make a light and fluffy batter, similar to cookie dough.3 cup vegetable broth
- Mix in the cheese, chiles, and corn.2 cup pepper jack cheese, 1 7-ounce can green chiles (chopped), 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- On a work surface, lay out several corn husks. Place several scoops of the masa mixture in the center of the husk. Wrap the sides of the husk around the mixture, and fold the ends over. Place the tamales seam-side down in the steamer basket.
- Continue wrapping the tamales and placing them in the basket. Leave some space between tamales in the basket so the hot air can circulate.
To cook in a pot on the stove
- Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. You want the pot hot enough to steam continually without burning off all the liquid. Add more water if necessary.
- Steam the tamales for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They are done when the husk doesn’t stick to the dough or vice versa and it doesn’t taste “doughy”.
To cook in an electric pressure cooker
- Cover the instant pot and close the pressure valve. Set the machine to 22 minutes manual at high pressure.
- Once the machine beeps, release the pressure immediately.
- Serve immediately. Or cool, wrap, and chill completely before freezing.
- To serve from frozen: Steam for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through. Or microwave for a couple minutes until hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this Recipe? Tell us what you think!Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.This post for vegetarian tamales was originally published on December 15, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Carol B.
I made these and enjoyed them…probably because I like corn meal products a lot. It was hard for me to tell when they were done because I have never had them in real life. They seemed to need more time in the instant pot than the recipe said. Maybe I filled some too full.
They were mentioned over the holidays by my brother and by my niece’s boyfriend (of Mexican heritage).(All visiting NH from southern California.) And I remembered you had a recipe and why not try something new.
I will probably be making them again because I have lots of corn husks left and a half bag of the corn flour.
Kate
Any thoughts on cooking in the slow cooker if we don’t have an InstaPot?
Jessica Fisher
I would use a steamer basket in a pot on a stove. I don’t know that slow cooker would work for the initial cooking. For reheating them, it would be fine.
Amanda H
Do you steam all the tamales at one time? You mention giving them space so wasn’t sure if you do in batches or just arrange them on top of each other to have spaces.
Jessica Fisher
I do as many as I can fit into the pots. It seems to vary depending on how big we make them, etc. I usually have more than one pot going at a time.
Dina S
Can you dry your own corn husks during corn season? How long would it take?
Jessica Fisher
I have never dried my own or heard of anyone do it. I buy the dried husks from the grocery store.
Sue R
I have never had a tamale. I think we will try these for New Years. Thanks for the detailed directions!
Lee
So, I’ve never eaten a tamale- do you eat the husk, or unwrap them?
Jessica Fisher
No, don’t eat the husk. Just unwrap and eat.
Lee
That’s what I thought- but…never hurts to ask