As a published Mexican cookbook author I’ve tested and developed MANY different tamales recipes. One of my all-time favorites is lamb tamales, or maybe these vegan cauliflower tamales, no it’s my cheese tamales with epazote. Point is, I love tamales and in addition to all of the tested recipes on my website and in my book, I’m happy to share my top tamales making supplies that will set you up for success. The list on this page is a great place to start if you’re a tamales novice, or if you’re looking to update your kitchen supplies or looking for a gift for that tamales lover in your life.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate tamales. If you’ve ever made this traditional dish, you know what a labor of love it is to make each and every tamal. Whether you’re slowly simmering the pork filling, or charring poblanos for rajas-stuffed tamales, making tamales takes time. And while it may seem like a labor-intensive process, I’m here to assure you that it doesn’t have to be!
With my tried-and-tested recipes for tamales like pineapple dessert tamales, savory apple-braised beef tamales, spicy cheese and jalapeño tamales, and fresh sweet corn tamales, plus my top choices for salsas and sauces including super simple salsa verde, my classic pico de gallo, and homemade salsa ranchera, Mexican food lovers around the world have felt empowered to try making tamales in their own kitchens. My complete tutorial for how to make tamales is another great resource!
After many years of practice myself, I’ve acquired a handful of the best tamales making supplies and tools to help make your experience as easy as possible. I’m happy to share a list of these products, all of which I own and love, with you today.
I also have a tamales-making party guide, if you’d like to make a party out of it. Around here, we love our Christmas tamaladas!
Best Tamales Making Supplies & Tools
All of the tamales making tools listed below are items I own. None of this post is sponsored—truly just items I love and am happy to recommend to fellow cooks. A lot of these links are Amazon affiliate links. I include many of these items in my tamales math page, too, where you’ll find exactly how many tamales you should make per person, plus ingredients lists and more!
Steamer
Also called a tamalera or vapora. This pot is specifically made for steaming tamales. I use a 40-quart pot which can make 2 dozen large tamales at once. You don’t have to have a large steamer pot to make tamales but it makes the job go much faster. You can also make them in a Dutch oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot (pressure cooker). Check out this post for instructions.
Dried Corn Husks or Banana Leaves
There are two ways to wrap tamales. Most of my recipes call for dried corn husks but you can also use banana leaves like we do with our Oaxacan chicken tamales. For the corn husks look for ones that are large, at least as wide as your hand with the fingers together at the bottom. The banana leaves come either fresh or frozen in long sheets of leaves that you’ll cut to size. I can find both of these wrappings at my local Latin grocery stores but if buying online, I like these naturally dried corn husks.
Electric Mixer
You can make the masa dough without a mixer but it won’t be as light and fluffy. I use a 5-quart KitchenAid stand mixer which allows me to make enough masa for about 2 dozen tamales. You can also use a handheld electric mixer to whip the fat then add the masa harina and broth by hand.
Blender
Aside from my major kitchen appliances and my knives, I use a blender more than any other piece of equipment. For tamales you will need a blender for making the salsas and sauces that go in the tamales filling like the mole coloradito for my pork tamales or the horchata sauce that goes on top of my strawberry tamales. I use a Vitamix blender but if that is out of your budget, I have lots of recommendations for less expensive options that are really great blenders.
Recommended: Baking Sheets
Here’s a helpful hint: You certainly don’t need baking sheets to make perfect tamales but they make the job much easier. I use them to dry the corn husks after soaking and to transfer the uncooked tamales to the steamer. It is also useful to have one handy to place the cooked tamales on a baking sheet and cover with foil to let them rest before serving. These are my favorites.
Comal
A comal is a flat griddle-like pan that can be made from clay, cast iron, or carbon steel. We use the comal to toast chiles and char onions and garlic for the red chile sauce for our lamb tamales or the charred tomatillo salsa that goes with the shredded pork tamales meat filling. If you don’t have a comal you can use a dry cast iron pan.
Masa Harina or Fresh Masa
All tamale recipes include fluffy masa dough made from either masa harina (masa flour) or freshly-ground corn masa like we did with our chile verde pork tamales. My preferred brand of masa harina is Masienda. It is a non-GMO corn flour and comes in four varieties. It may be challenging to find freshly-ground masa depending on where you live. My local Latin market sells it but if you can’t find it in your area and are super serious about your tamales, you can experiment with cooking and grinding your own corn. Follow my dried corn tutorial and grind it using a countertop grinder to grind the corn into masa dough.
Lard
Authentic tamales use lard (rendered pork fat) to make the corn dough. I have several recipes that swap the lard for butter (to make vegetarian tamales) or coconut oil (for vegan tamales). If using lard, only buy fresh lard which can be found in meat markets or at the meat counter of your Latin market. I don’t recommend using shelf-stable lard that is sold in boxes. It is full of stabilizers and has a weird waxy residue.
For Straining Sauces: Fine Mesh Sieve
To make your favorite fillings you will need a fine mesh sieve for straining the meat broth and/or the sauces. I have them in a variety of sizes depending on the job. They are indispensable in the kitchen.
Large Spoons or Masa Spreader
To spread the masa for homemade tamales I just use a large spoon but some people find it easier to use a masa spreader that is made specifically for this job. Masa spreaders are inexpensive so feel free to buy one and try it out to see if they work for you.
Large Stock Pots
The best way to soak the corn husk wrappers is in a large pot full of boiling water. You will also need a stock pot for cooking the meat if making a meat-filled tamales recipe. If you don’t own two 10-quart or larger stock pots. This is one is the large pot I use most often.
Other Essentials & Supplies
- Kitchen tongs, rubber spatula: A good pair of 12-inch tongs are essential for pulling the tamales out of the hot steamer and a million other uses. You will use the rubber spatula for scraping and mixing the masa dough.
- Chef’s knife: Every cook needs a good, sharp Chef’s knife no matter what they’re making. I have had my Wustof 8-inch Classic Chef’s Knife for almost 30 years.
- Airtight container or freezer bags for storing the tamales in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Baking powder, kosher salt for making the masa dough
Use This List Of Supplies To Make:
- Mexican Chocolate Tamales
- Chicken Chile Verde Tamales
- Sweet Lime Tamales
- Chicken and Pumpkin Tamales with Mole Sauce
I hope this list of tamales making supplies is helpful this holiday season. The good news is, once you have the proper equipment and ingredients, making tamales is so much easier and quicker!
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