How to Reheat Tamales (Ultimate guide)

Tamales taste their best when hot. Homemade or store-bought, you may have leftover tamales after a party or family event. So, it’s a must for tamale lovers to know how to reheat tamales properly. Here in this article, you’ll find the proper directions. 

Tamales can be reheated in many ways, using microwave, oven, steamer, stove, skillet, crockpot, or an instant pot. It only takes a few minutes to reheat them. 

Though reheating tamales is pretty easy, it can always be daunting to ensure perfect timing and procedures. You need proper directions on how you can use the aforementioned methods to reheat your tamales. So, this article is here to help you with that. Here I will convey all of the procedures in detail.

Best Ways of Reheating Tamales 

As mentioned before, you can reheat tamales in various ways. Whichever method you choose, following the proper procedures is essential for maintaining the optimal taste. And in this section, I will be talking about each of the methods in detail. So, let’s not waste any more time and get right to it. 

Using A Microwave

When you want to avoid time-consuming reheating methods, microwaving is the best option for you. For this, you have to follow these steps-

• Defrost the tamales if they are frozen. Never microwave frozen tamales directly. You can skip this part if your tamales are already room temperature. 
• After defrosting, wrap each of them in a damp towel separately along with the corn husk.
• If not a damp towel, you can add a little bit of water to them to moisten up a bit. 
• Organize them in a microwave-safe plate keeping space among them.
• Preheat the microwave and keep the temperature 50% or medium. 
• Microwave the tamales for 3 minutes, 1.5 minutes on each side. 

This method is the fastest but it does have some drawbacks. There is a risk of drying them out more than other methods. If you miss the moisture, you’re missing the real taste. Microwaves may not distribute heat evenly because the dough is dense, as a result, the dough may taste rubbery and chewy instead of crispy.

Using An Oven

The oven is a slightly more dependable option than a microwave. It takes longer but helps the heat to spread throughout the tamales. It brings out the flavors and makes the coating crispy and crunchy, giving you a non-greasy yet tasty result. Here are the steps to be followed while reheating your tamales using an oven: 

• Defrost or thaw your tamales just as before. 
• After thawing, wrap the tamale in three to four layers of aluminum foil.
• Make sure there is no air, squeeze the wrap to ensure that.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Arrange them in an oven-safe tray spacing them two inches apart.
• Heat them for 20 minutes.
• Flip them halfway (After 10 minutes).

Using A Steamer

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Steaming the tamales is another great method of heating tamales. While using a steamer to reheat your tamales, you should follow these steps: 

• Fill the lower part or pot of the steamer with 3 inches of water. Not too much to touch the surface. 
• After filling the water, put the upper basket into the pot and cover it with the lid. Make sure it is tightly sealed so that vapor can’t come out.
• Bring the water to a boil and then put the tamales vertically in the steaming basket carefully.
• You should leave the husk with the tamales when you’re steaming.
• Be careful that the water doesn’t touch the tamales, or else they will become mushy and soggy.
• Cover the pot and keep the heat at medium.
• It’s better if you use a transparent lid so you can monitor the condition of the tamales. 
• The steaming method usually takes 20-30 minutes, but still, you better check before withdrawing the tamales.
• Steaming time also changes according to your choice. If you want softer crust then steam longer, for about 25-30 min or if you want more firm then steam a little shorter. 
• Tamales should be cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit on the inside.

The best part of reheating your tamales in a steamer is that you don’t always need to monitor your tamales. 

Using A Stove

If you don’t have an oven or steamer then it is the most convenient method you could ever think about. This pulls out the flavors and crispiness of the outer side. For this method, you should use the following directions-

• First of all, remove the corn husk. It gets burnt easily on the stove and can spoil the taste of tamales.
• Make sure the tamales are properly thawed.
• Choose a non-stick pan to reheat them so that they don’t stick to the bottom.
• Add a tablespoon of oil.
• Put the pan on medium heat on the stove.
• After two to three minutes of preheating, set the husk less tamales on the pan.
• Cover the pan with the lid
• Don’t forget to flip your tamales every two or three minutes.
• It should take 10 minutes to be cooked properly. 
• Bring down the pan after noticing the crunchy and brown exterior.

This method ensures the crispiness of the tamales. It delivers a crunchy taste and brown exterior yet moisturized inside.

Using A Deep Fryer

For the crispiest tamales exterior coating, deep frying is the best option. Though it gives you the crunchiest tamale experience it also has a drawback. As in this process, tamales are fried into deep oil, it contains extra oil to the dish which can be a bit too greasy for some people to handle. For deep frying follow the directions below-

• Firstly, defrost tamales. This is extra important incase of frying as the frozen moisture on the tamales can make the oil pop on to you. 
• Set the fryer to medium heat
• Heat the oil at medium temperature. To check that, take a tooth pick and dip the tip in the oil. If it is sizzling a bit that means your oil is ready to fry. 
• Remove husk and pat down the tamales. It will take out any extra moisture from the exterior. 
• Put tamales into the deep fryer oil with metal tongs.
• Don’t get close to the oil because it will splash as soon as you put the tamales in the fryer.
• Cook for two to three minutes. You should get a golden brown nice fried coating.
• Remove the tamales from the oil and put them on a paper towel to absorb so much excess oil as possible.

If you don’t mind the extra grease, deep frying is the way to go. They make the tamales super crispy. But, be careful to not fry them too long. They are already cooked so frying them too much can burn them. 

Also, don’t drop them into super-hot oil. Doing that will brown the exterior faster than heating the interior. So, you’ll get tamales that are perfect on the outside but under heated on the inside.  

Using An Air Fryer

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Air frying has been a very popular alternative to deep frying. Air-fried foods are healthier and emulate the deep-fried taste pretty closely. You can definitely reheat tamales with an air fryer as well. Here are the instructions for frying tamales with an air fryer: 

• First of all, as usual, thaw your tamales.
• Heat the air fryer to medium temperature.
• You can air fry your tamales with husk or without it. If you choose with husk then you should moisten the wrapping of the husk with some normal temperature water. If you choose to air fry your tamales without husk then you should brush some oil over the tamales so they don’t burn. 
• Put them in the air fryer basket and heat them for around five to eight minutes.
• Then carefully remove the fryer basket. 

Keep your expectations realistic when air frying. The result will be close but not exactly like deep frying. Unlike popular belief, air fryers don’t really fry food much. They act more like a convection heater using hot air to heat the food. So, try to draw out as much moisture as you can as the water may evaporate and steam your tamales instead of frying.   

Using An Instant Pot

Instant pots are similar to steamers. It follows basically the same process. 

• Defrost your tamales
• Fill one-third of the pot with water.
• Then place a steamer basket or mesh strainer.
• Let the water boil and make steam.
• Put your tamales vertically in the basket or strainer and cover it with a lid. 
• If you want to heat plenty of tamales in one go, then you should steam it for 15-20 minutes. Or else 5 minutes is enough. 

Using Crock Pot

Reheating tamales with a crockpot or more popularly known as a slow cooker is super easy.  You can just forget about your tamales after laying them in the pot as there is basically no chance of overcooking. 

If your crockpot comes up with a steaming rack then that’s ready to go. If you’re missing this accessory in your crockpot, then just buy one or go for a steamer basket with legs. Then follow these directions: 

• Set your steaming rack in the slow cooker or crockpot.
• Pour water into the pot and set the temperature high.
• Place your tamales upright keeping space among them. Setting them upright will help in heating the tamales thoroughly. 
• Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
• Check on them halfway.
• You can keep a towel under the lid to absorb the lid’s condensed water so it won’t get into your tamales.
• A crowded crock pot will lengthen your cooking time. It is best to not set too many tamales at once. 

The crockpot doesn’t damp your tamales so you shouldn’t worry about that. But this process takes much more time than other methods. It’s called a slow cooker for a reason. So, if you have plenty of time in hand you can go for it. Also, it will not give you a crispy and crunchy tamale. 

But, if you’re hosting a party and just need something to keep the tamales hot for a long time then this method is the best. 

Using a Skillet

If you want a unique smoky flavored and crunchy textured tamale, reheating using a skillet should be the best choice for you. Here’s how you do it: 

• Heat an iron skillet on a medium-high flame.

• Add vegetable oil or any other according to your preference and preheat. I prefer butter or ghee. 
• Place your tamales on the pan removing the husk or wrap.
• Each side takes about eight-minute but you should flip in between the time.
• When it gets a crunchy texture, remove them from the skillet.

How to Thaw Frozen Tamales Before Heating?

Thawing is essential before heating frozen tamales. If you do not thaw, it will result in damp and soggy tamales which will destroy the taste completely. Sometimes it can also lead to accidents, specifically in the case of deep-frying, using a pan or skillet. The oil might splatter when it comes in contact with the water of the frozen tamales. And that can be dangerous. So, thawing is of utmost importance. 

You can thaw your tamales in various ways. Here are some suggestions for thawing that might be useful to you: 

• You can put your tamales in the microwave on medium heat for three minutes. Set them in a microwave-safe tray and cover with any bowl or lid to avoid splatter.
• You can wrap the tamales in a wet towel or paper towel and leave them for 3-4 hours.
• You can transfer the tamales to the cooler from the freezer one night before reheating them. 

Use any of these three methods and your tamales will be properly thawed and ready for reheating. 

Quick Reheating Tips for Tamales

According to FDA (Food and Drug Administration), leftovers and frozen food should be heated to 140 ̊F or higher. This ensures the bacteria they harbor are killed and safe for digestion. So when you cook a large batch of food make sure all of them are thoroughly cooked and it is applicable in the case of tamales also. 

People usually make large batches of tamales because they require a lot of time and patience and just freeze them. So, while reheating those tamales you should always remember that. Below here I am sharing some tips that you should remember when reheating tamales. 

• Steaming is said to be the best of all methods to enjoy the authentic taste of a tamale. So, while steaming, be careful that the tamales do not touch the boiling water otherwise they will get mushy.
• Remember to use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the core of your tamales before eating them. If your tamales contain meat, this is very critical.
• Always thaw your tamales before reheating.
• Always assemble your tamales keeping space in between when frying to keep them crispy. Or not the moisture evaporating from your tamales will steam the exterior making them soft. This will ruin the purpose of frying. 
• When steaming, to check the doneness, carefully remove the tamales from the steaming rack and open the husk (Do it for only one when steaming multiple tamales at once). 
• Tamales can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days and in the freezer, they can last for six months. If your stored tamales are any older than that, throw them out. 
• To know if your tamales have gone bad just take a little sniff. You’ll know they’ve gone bad from the pungent smell. The color can also be a giveaway in this case as the exterior will turn orangish in color.  

Storing Tamales for Reheating Later 

Tamales should not be at room temperature for more than two hours. Cover them with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and keep them in the freezer separately from any uncooked ingredients. They can last six months easily. 

Unplanned leftovers are one thing. But if you are making tamales to freeze them or for a quick meal in the morning then you have to do it right. That will ensure that the tamales taste the best when you reheat them. 

Always check your tamales before cooking them if they’ve been stored for a long time. Take a quick sniff for a bad odor or just check for an orangish color. That indicates your tamales are no longer edible.  

Conclusion

Tamales are one of my favorite Mexican foods filled with taste, and tradition. So, if you are a big tamale connoisseur like me then you are bound to have some leftovers at some point. And some people just like to precook and freeze them for a quick meal later on. Though I don’t recommend that, considering the hard and fast life we lead in this 21^st century, I won’t judge you for it.     

But knowing how to heat tamales properly is essential for you to have that near freshly made taste. Without following the proper guidelines, your reheated tamales may end up too soggy or too dry. So, follow my instructions to the letter and you’ll be right as rain. Thanks for reading and best of luck with reheating your tamales.