How many tamales for 100 people
Make 34 dozen (408 tamales) if tamales are the main dish at 4 each, or 17 dozen (204) at 2 each when the table has other food. The shopping list below uses the planner's ranges. The harder part at this size is the steamer, so the last table counts loads and hours for one to three pots.
What to buy for 100 guests
| Each | Dozens | Fresh masa, lb | Or masa harina, cups | Lard with harina, cups | Filling, cups | Husks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 17 | 17 to 26 | 34 to 43 | 10.2 to 11.4 | 19 to 24 | 225 to 337 |
| 3 | 25 | 25 to 38 | 50 to 63 | 15 to 16.8 | 28 to 35 | 330 to 495 |
| 4 | 34 | 34 to 51 | 68 to 85 | 20.4 to 22.8 | 37 to 48 | 449 to 674 |
| 6 | 50 | 50 to 75 | 100 to 125 | 30 to 33.5 | 55 to 70 | 660 to 990 |
These are the planner's numbers for standard tamales, rounded to whole units except the lard. The masa and filling ranges rest on the recipes compared on the masa and pork pages. A row link opens the planner for 100 guests at that count. Pork is 26 to 43 lb raw at 4 each.
How many per person at this size
Hola Jalapeno writes that she plans 4 tamales per person of each kind she makes. For 100 guests that is 408 of one kind. I would use 4 in all only when tamales are the whole meal. In an Ellen's Kitchen thread about a 130-guest wedding lunch with a taco bar, Ellen advises allowing at least 2 tamales and 2 enchiladas per person, because almost no one takes just one.
At a crowd this size the count is also a budget question. Each extra tamale per person adds 100 tamales, which is 8 or 9 dozen. If you are unsure, make the 3-each number and a few spare dozen, since the freezer takes the leftovers. The general guidance and its sources are on how many tamales per person.
Steamers for 408 tamales
5280 says a 20-quart steamer holds about 62 tamales and simmers them for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The 45 to 50 minutes in the planner is the Food Network Kitchen time for a batch of 24, so a full pot takes longer per load, and no page I opened says by how much. The table below applies the 45 to 50 minute figure to 408 tamales (100 guests at 4 each), so read it as a minimum. See the steaming page for both times. At 5280's 2 1/2 to 3 hours per full pot, 7 loads of 62 would be 17 1/2 to 21 hours in one pot (my arithmetic).
| Tamales per pot | Pots at once | Loads in all | Loads per pot | Minimum time at 45 to 50 min per load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | 17 | 17 | 12 h 45 min to 14 h 10 min |
| 24 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 6 h 45 min to 7 h 30 min |
| 24 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 4 h 30 min to 5 h |
| 36 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 9 h to 10 h |
| 36 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 4 h 30 min to 5 h |
| 36 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 3 h to 3 h 20 min |
| 62 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 5 h 15 min to 5 h 50 min |
| 62 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 h to 3 h 20 min |
| 62 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min |
Loads in all is 408 divided by the pot size, rounded up. Loads per pot divides that by the number of pots, rounded up. The times are my arithmetic on the planner's per-load range, and full pots take longer per load.
Making them in advance
With one pot the table above shows the loads add up to many hours, so you can steam in rounds over a few days and freeze. How to freeze and reheat tamales has the reheat times per load, and how to host a tamalada covers a group that wraps together. Open the planner for 100 guests to change the pot size, tamale size or takeaway dozens.