Today we’re making sweet potato tamales!
If you are looking for more tamal recipes, make sure to pick up a copy of Chicano Bakes. 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!
Sweet potatoes are known as “Camotes” in Mexico, and the sweet potato tamales we are making today are inspired by camotes enmielados, or candied sweet potatoes, where the sweet potatoes are cooked and drenched in a warmly spiced syrup.
What are tamales?
Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish consisting 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, often 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 or pineapple. Today we’re making sweet potato tamales, inspired by camotes enmielados, or candied yams.
Tools needed to make Tamales
For this recipe, you’ll need a large 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. 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 Potato tamales
To make sweet potato 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. If you use a different brand, it may need a little extra water.
Baking Powder- Make sure your leavening is fresh! Baking powder can 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, make sure to only use unsalted butter, using salted butter makes it harder to control the salt content.
Granulated Sugar- Sugar sweetens the tamales and also helps keep the crumb moist and tender.
Molasses- Molasses not only helps sweeten our tamales, but it also brings out the rich caramel notes in the roasted sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes- Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and starchy, which helps keep the dough together.
Step by Step Instructions and Tips to Make Sweet Tamales
Roast the sweet potatoes.
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.
Once the sweet potatoes are done roasting, let them cool then peel off the skin. Place the sweet potatoes in a stand mixer bowl, then add in the butter and molasses.
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, spices 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.
Portion out the dough, wrap each tamal and steam until the sweet potato tamales are nice and soft inside.
I hope you enjoy these sweet potato tamales. If you’d like to get a little fancy, add a dollop of marshmallow fluff, and give it a quick torch to finish it off, or just serve them plain with a cup of champurrado, ponche navideño, and homemade rompope. Anyways, stay warm, stay safe, and I hope you have a great Holiday season!
Sweet Potato Tamales
Ingredients
- 1 lb Red Sweet Potato
- 18 Large Dried Corn Husks
- 1 ½ cups Maseca Masa Harina (for tortillas) , (168 grams)
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar , (150 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt , or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , (172 grams) at room temperature
- ¼ cup Dark Molasses , (48 grams)
- 1 cup Hot Water , (236 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ degrees, then line a 13×18 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour.
- Once the sweet potatoes have baked for an hour, set them aside to cool completely. Once cooled, remove the skin.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the masa harina, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Place the sweet potatoes in the stand mixer bowl, then give them a rough mash to make them easier to work with.
- Add in the softened butter and molasses, then turn on the speed to low. Alternate between adding in the masa harina ¼ cup (28 g) at a time and the hot water, 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 15 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.
1 Comment
Red
December 8, 2025 at 4:48 pmCan’t wait to make it