How much broth for tamale masa
Two fresh masa recipes I opened on 2026-10-17 use 0.40 to 0.67 cup of broth per pound of masa. Sur La Table says to add more if the dough is stiff, and 5280 gives a 2 to 3 cup range, so read that as a starting amount. This page covers the liquid only. Masa and fat amounts are on how much masa per dozen tamales and how much lard for tamales.
Fresh masa: broth per pound
| Recipe | Fresh masa | Broth as printed | Yield | Cups per lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sur La Table, basic fresh masa | 3 lb | 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed | about 3 dozen | 0.67 |
| 5280, host your own tamale party | 5 lb | 2 to 3 cups broth from cooked pork roast or chicken broth, divided | 5 dozen | 0.40 to 0.60 |
Sur La Table: 2 cups / 3 lb = 0.67 cup per lb
5280: 2 to 3 cups / 5 lb = 0.40 to 0.60 cup per lb
Range across both: 0.40 to 0.67 cup per lb
The 5280 page adds that if you use rendered lard you will need to use less broth.
Broth by batch size
These rows multiply the range above by the pounds of masa. They are scaled from the two recipes, and neither page prints a 10 lb batch.
| Fresh masa, lb | Starting broth, cups |
|---|---|
| 3 | 1.2 to 2 |
| 5 | 2 to 3.3 |
| 10 | 4 to 6.7 |
Checking the texture
Sur La Table has you add the masa to the whipped fat in turns with the 2 cups of broth and whip until it is "the consistency of soft yet workable dough, about 3 minutes". If the dough is too firm, it says to add more broth "1/4 cup at a time, until the correct consistency is attained."
5280 describes the finished mixture as "about the consistency of smooth peanut butter."
My suggestion: hold back a few tablespoons of the starting amount and add the rest in small steps, since Sur La Table treats the broth as adjustable and 5280 gives a range.
Masa harina: broth per cup
The two masa harina recipes I opened disagree by a wide margin.
| Recipe | As printed | Yield | Broth per cup of harina | Broth per dozen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mama Maggie's Kitchen, beef tamales | 5 cups masa harina, 4 cups broth (plus 1/4 cup red chile sauce) | 30 servings (read as tamales) | 0.80 | 1.6 |
| Hola Jalapeno, cheese and jalapeno | 6 cups masa harina, 8 cups vegetable broth (6 poured over the masa, the rest held back) | 24 | 1.33 | 4.0 |
Mama Maggie's says the masa "should be smooth and creamy. If not, add more broth." Hola Jalapeno wants the dough "light and fluffy like whipped mashed potatoes, maybe even a bit wetter than that," and says to add another cup if it is still very dry. Per-cup and per-dozen values are my own division of the printed amounts. Two recipes are too few to set a range, so follow the package directions of the masa harina you buy.
Example: 20 guests at 4 each
That is 7 dozen, 84 tamales. The planner's fresh masa range for them is 7 to 10.5 lb. At 0.40 to 0.67 cup per pound, the starting broth is 2.8 to 7 cups (7 x 0.40 up to 10.5 x 0.67). The planner's own broth line for this party, 4.55 to 5.6 cups, sits inside that range. My suggestion: have the upper number on hand, because extra broth is easy to use up. Open the planner with these numbers and change them to yours.
Back to the tamalada planner. The 5280 recipe takes its broth from a cooked pork roast, so how much pork for tamales is the next page to check.