How long to steam tamales
One load of fresh tamales takes 45 to 50 minutes in the one recipe I found that gives a time for a small pot. Frozen tamales you are reheating take about 30 minutes, cold leftovers about 15. For a big tamalada the number that matters is how many loads your pot needs, because they run one after another.
Fresh, frozen and leftover
| Tamales | Steaming time | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh, 24 in a steamer basket | 45 to 50 min | Food Network Kitchen pork tamales |
| Fresh, a full 20-quart steamer (about 62) | 2 h 30 min to 3 h | 5280 tamale party guide |
| Frozen, reheated in a steamer | about 30 min | Hola Jalapeno, reheating tamales |
| Cold leftovers from the fridge | about 15 min | Hola Jalapeno, reheating tamales |
Hola Jalapeno counts the frozen time once the pot is already steaming hard, over medium heat. Food Network Kitchen stands the tamales up, folded side down, over 1 to 2 inches of water and covers the pot.
The two fresh times disagree
45 to 50 minutes and 2 1/2 to 3 hours are far apart. The first is for 24 tamales. The second is for a 20-quart steamer that holds about 62, after about 15 minutes to bring the water to a boil, then a long simmer with the lid kept closed. Neither page says what happens in between, so I can only say that a fuller pot takes longer.
The load table below uses 45 to 50 minutes per load. Treat it as a floor for a packed pot. If you fill a big steamer, plan toward the 5280 figure and go by the doneness test.
How to tell they are done
5280 says to take one tamale out, unwrap it onto a plate, and check that the husk comes off without sticking. Food Network Kitchen says to steam until the dough is firm. Open one rather than going by the clock.
I did not open an official food-safety page for reheating temperatures, so I give none here. Check the USDA's leftover guidance if you are serving a crowd.
Loads and total time by pot size
Standard-size tamales, loads steamed one after another at 45 to 50 minutes each. A pot of 62 is the 5280 steamer, 24 is the Food Network Kitchen batch, and 36 is a middle size.
| Pot holds | Dozens | Tamales | Loads | Total steaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 5 | 60 | 3 | 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min |
| 24 | 10 | 120 | 5 | 3 h 45 min to 4 h 10 min |
| 24 | 15 | 180 | 8 | 6 h to 6 h 40 min |
| 36 | 5 | 60 | 2 | 1 h 30 min to 1 h 40 min |
| 36 | 10 | 120 | 4 | 3 h to 3 h 20 min |
| 36 | 15 | 180 | 5 | 3 h 45 min to 4 h 10 min |
| 62 | 5 | 60 | 1 | 45 min to 50 min |
| 62 | 10 | 120 | 2 | 1 h 30 min to 1 h 40 min |
| 62 | 15 | 180 | 3 | 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min |
Mini and large tamales
The planner uses these per-load times. Only the standard one comes from a recipe. The other two are my own picks, so open one to check.
- Mini (my pick): 30 to 40 min per load
- Standard: 45 to 50 min per load
- Large (my pick): 50 to 60 min per load
Worked example: 10 dozen
Ten dozen is 120 tamales. In a pot that holds 36 that is 4 loads, so 3 h to 3 h 20 min of steaming at 45 to 50 minutes each, before the time to bring the water back to a boil. In a 62-tamale steamer it is 2 loads, and 5280 gives 2 1/2 to 3 hours for one full load, so plan on 5 hours or more. A second pot running at the same time is the easier fix. Run the planner with these numbers and change the pot size to yours.
Back to the tamalada planner, or see how much masa per dozen tamales and how many tamales per person.