How to Make Sweet Pineapple Tamales (Tamales de Piña)

Today I’m sharing a recipe for sweet pineapple tamales, from the Chicano Bakes cookbook!

If you are looking for more tamal recipes, make sure to pick up a copy of Chicano Bakes. It is currently on sale for about $15 over on Amazon, and the book has many recipes for tamales, including sweet strawberry tamales, sweet corn tamales, as well as red beef and green chicken tamales, and tamales de rajas con queso. I made sure there was something for everyone!

What are tamales?

Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish typically comprised of a corn dough, or masa, made from nixtamalized corn flour, as well a filling, either chicken, pork, beef, fish or vegetables, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf, which is then steamed. 

What are sweet tamales?

On the other hand, sweet tamales, incorporate a sweet fruit puree into the dough, and sometimes will fold in fruit as well. Popular sweet tamal flavors include strawberry, sweet corn, pumpkin, and pineapple, which is what we’re making today.

Tools needed to make Tamales

Making tamales from scratch at home is simple. For this recipe, you’ll need a bowl, a whisk, measuring spoons, measuring cups, mixing bowls, a spatula, a blender, and a steamer pot. Although this recipe calls for a stand mixer, you can easily make the masa in a large bowl. 

One of the most important tools for this recipe, is the steamer pot. You want to make sure your steamer pot is large enough to fit a dozen tamales, and is deep enough to add water. As the steam cooks the tamales and escapes, water will have to be replenished. If there isn’t enough space between the steamer insert and the bottom of the pot, you’ll find yourself refilling the pot with water often.

Ingredients for Sweet Pineapple Tamales

To make sweet pineapple tamales at home you’ll need a few ingredients:

Dried Corn Husks- We’ll be using dried corn husks to wrap the tamales. After buying  the husks, I like to sort through and pick out the larger ones, as they give you more room to work with. Once you have your husks picked out, rehydrate them with hot water to make them pliable. 

Masa Harina- Masa harina is the base of our dough! This corn flour is made from nixatamlized corn, and this recipe calls for Maseca masa harina, which is readily available across the country.

Baking Powder- Make sure your leavening is fresh! Baking powder does go bad after a while.

Kosher Salt- I use kosher salt in all of my recipes, for a quick substitute, use fine sea salt. Don’t forget, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt equals 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt. 

Unsalted Butter- Butter gives us a soft crumb, and beating the butter and brown sugar together before making the dough is going to give us tender and fluffy tamales. Make sure to only use unsalted butter, using salted butter makes it harder to control the salt content.

Brown Sugar- Pairing brown sugar and pineapple together for this recipe was a no brainer, it brings out those deep rich sweet notes in the pineapple. 

Honey- Honey was a must in the recipe. Not only does it add hydration, but it also the perfect complement to the brown sugar and pineapple.

Step by Step Instructions and Tips to Make Sweet Tamales

Prepare the dried corn husks. Sort through the husks and pick out the larger ones.

Place the dried husks in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let them rest for 15 minutes. 

In a blender, combine the pineapple chunks and pineapple juice. Blend for 20-30 second until you have a smooth puree. If you’d like to have bits of pineapple in the tamales, you can add in an additional cup of mango chunks to the puree and pulse for a few seconds to break the chunks slightly, but not puree them completely.

Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, then add in the brown sugar, honey and butter. Beat them together on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and pale. 

In a large bowl whisk together the masa harina, baking powder and salt. Don’t forget to use a food scale to weigh out the ingredients, many folks don’t realize they end up packing too much extra masa harina into their cups and it leads to a dense tamal.

Alternate between adding the masa harina mixture and the pineapple puree, until you have a smooth soft dough. 

Portion out the dough, wrap each tamal and steam until the tamales are nice and soft inside. 

I hope you enjoy these sweet pineapple tamales. They pair perfectly with a warm cup of champurrado, ponche navideño, and homemade rompope. Anyways, stay warm, stay safe, and I hope you have a great Holiday season!

• How to Make Sweet Pineapple Tamales (Tamales de Piña)
• Blackberry Margaritas + Blackberry Simple Syrup Recipes
• How to Make Traditional Mexican Shrimp Ceviche
• How to Make a Refreshing Pineapple Mango Agua Fresca
• How to Make Cuernitos Mexicanos

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Sweet Pineapple Tamales (Tamales de Piña)

Makes 1 dozen tamales

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword pineapple tamales, sweet tamales, tamal recipe, tamales, tamales de piña

Servings 12 Tamales

Calories

Ingredients

• 18 Dried Corn Husks (Large)
• 1 lb Fresh Pineapple Chunks (454 grams)
• 1 ¾ cups Maseca Masa Harina (for tortillas) (196 grams)
• 1½ teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt)
• ½ cup Unsalted Butter (115 grams)
• ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (104 grams)
• ⅓ cup Honey (112 grams)

Instructions

• Rehydrate the corn husks by placing them in a large heatproof bowl, covering with hot water, and letting sit for at least 15 minutes.
• In a blender, combine the pineapple chunks and pineapple juice and blend on high speed until you have a smooth puree, 30 to 40 seconds. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the masa harina, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey and beat together for 2½ minutes on medium speed. Reduce the speed to low, then alternate between adding in the masa harina ¼ cup (28 g) at a time and the pineapple puree, until everything has been incorporated. Turn the mixer off, then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Gradually bring the speed up to medium-low and beat for 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit for 20 minutes to fully hydrate.
• Once the corn husks are rehydrated and pliable, reserve 12 of them for the tamales, then take a couple of the extra husks and rip 24 strips ¼ inch (6 mm) wide and 8 inches long. Tie two together until you have 12 strips 15 to “16 inches (38 to 40 cm) long. You’ll use these to tie the tamales.
• To assemble the tamales, grab a corn husk and place it in the palm of your hand. Use a spoon to add about a heaping ⅓ cup (110 g) of the dough to the center of the husk, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) free space on the top, left, and right sides and at least 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) of space on the bottom. The dough will expand as it cooks, so if you don’t leave the inch of empty space for clearance at the top, it will ooze out.
• Fold the right edge of the husk over the dough toward the left side, then take the left side of the husk and fold it over the right side to create a tube, then fold the bottom flap upward (leaving the top open). Tie a strip around the bottom of the tamal, to secure the bottom fold. As you work, place the folded tamales upright inside a steamer insert, making sure not to crowd the steamer insert.
• Add 1½ quarts (1.5 liters) water to a steamer pot. Add the steamer insert, cover, and bring the water to a boil (10 to 15 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam for 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. At the 1-hour mark, check the bottom of the pot for water and replenish as needed. If the water for the steam runs out, the bottom of the pot will burn and get ruined.
• It’s tricky to tell when sweet tamales are done cooking because they’re soft while they’re steaming but firm up once cooled; on average these tamales take about 1 hour 40 minutes to fully cook. You can start checking for doneness at the 1 hour 25-minute mark. Simply take a tamal out and let it cool for 8 to 10 minutes, then check the inside. If the center looks a little raw or soft, continue to let the tamales steam for another 10 to 20 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container or gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. These tamales will keep for 4 days max in the fridge, and 3 to 4 weeks in the freezer. The freshness and flavor starts to decline past this. To reheat, steam for 20 to 30 minutes over medium-low heat until fully warmed through.