11 Instant Pot Tamales Recipes (You Need to Try)
Oh, how I love them! I used to have Mexican tamales all the time when I lived in Southern California. Although they were especially popular during the holidays, they were available year-round. Unfortunately, I haven’t had them as often since I moved out of state. Fortunately, though, if you’re in a similar situation as me, there are other options out there! You can make tamales yourself and it doesn’t have to be difficult!! Here are 11 Instant Pot tamales recipes you need to try to satisfy your homemade Mexican food cravings 😉
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What Are Tamales?
Mexican tamales are one of the MOST POPULAR Mexican foods around. During the holidays, tamales were ALL my Mexican friends talked about day in and day out.
[In the United States, Mexican tamales are also very popular to make for Cinco de Mayo gatherings and celebrations].
There are so many different kinds of tamales all over the world. However, not all tamales are the same. Costa Rica and Cuba have their own variations, for example.
The Mexican tamales, however, are probably the most well-known in Southern California where I grew up.
A Mexican tamale is a corn dough mass with seasoned meat inside (usually) and it’s covered with corn husks.
Some popular tamale meats include chicken, beef, and pork.
[I also LOVE the sweet tamale varieties! These Mexican sweet tamales can be made with strawberries, pineapples, and even chocolate]!
The normal way to cook tamales is to steam them. However, this is normally a process that takes a very long time, and making tamales is a lot of HARD WORK, too (especially when it comes to making the masa) (ABC 15 News).
However, thank God for modern-day technology!
You see, a lot of people have been asking how do you cook tamales in an Instant Pot? Cooking Instant Pot tamales makes life SO much easier. It really does!
The Benefits of a Pressure Cooker
A lot of people use Instant Pots for pressure cooking. It’s WONDERFUL because it cuts the time it takes to cook something practically in half!
[For example, I LOVE cooking beans in the Instant Pot! I don’t have to let them soak overnight. I just use one cup of beans, 3 cups of water, pressure cook for 30 minutes, and let it sit in the pot for about another 30 minutes to let the pressure dissipate naturally].
Besides the cooking time, using an Instant Pot also means cleaning fewer dishes and it makes multitasking so much easier, too, since you don’t have to keep an eye on what’s cooking in the Instant Pot while you’re using the pressure cooker setting.
Overall, I can’t say enough good things about the Instant Pot. If you do not currently have one, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it!
How to Put Tamales in an Instant Pot to Cook
So, once you’ve already made and rolled up the tamales (the recipes below will show you just how to do that), you’ll need to stack up the tamales a certain way while placing them in the Instant Pot.
You’ll need to stack them upright with the uncovered end facing up so that the contents stay intact.
Here’s a YouTube video that shows you how to arrange Mexican tamales in the Instant Pot for cooking.
[For this method, you’ll need a trivet (mine came with my Instant Pot) as well as a metal steamer basket].
Instant Pot Tamales Recipes for Chicken
1. Instant Pot Chicken Tamales by Mamá Maggie’s Kitchen
Mamá Maggie’s Kitchen makes her pressure cooker tamales with a homemade salsa verde sauce (green sauce).
What I like about this recipe is they provide step-by-step instructions WITH PICTURES.
In this recipe, what you do first is cook the chicken in a large stockpot with seasonings and vegetables.
[Or you can just use rotisserie chicken and remove the skin].
Also, you’ll be using premade masa dough (the masa dough recipe is provided in a link on the recipe page. You can make this ahead of time to save you A LOT of time).
You’ll have to check out her page for more details 😉
[Make sure to look at her Pro Tip section for some super helpful information]!
2. Instant Pot Chicken Tamales by Homebody Eats
What I like about this recipe by Homebody Eats is that it’s catered specifically to beginners.
They do an EXCELLENT job of explaining so many different aspects of tamales, such as the fact that one tamale is actually called a “tamal” and multiple tamales are called “tamales”.
(A lot of people do not know this).
Also, what’s SUPER CONVENIENT is that they provide instructions for how to make the corn masa dough on the very same page (meaning you won’t have to jump to another page to find out how to make it).
However, what I like MOST about this recipe is that you can cook the chicken directly in the Instant Pot!
[Super, super convenient] and a lot quicker than cooking it in a stockpot. Oh, and fewer dishes, too.
Furthermore, they also provide really great pictures that you’ll just have to see for yourself 🙂
3. Instant Pot Chicken Tamales by The Classy Chapter
So, this recipe by The Classy Chapter uses a red sauce for their Instant Pot chicken tamale recipe instead of a green salsa verde sauce.
Now, there are two main things I like about this recipe.
- They use rotisserie chicken (super easy).
- Smoked paprika! They use smoked paprika (I would say this is my FAVORITE, FAVORITE seasoning ever. I just LOVE the flavor).
Similar to the recipe for Mamá Maggie’s Kitchen, you’ll have to find the masa recipe on another page (unlike Homebody Eats where it’s located right there on the same page).
Beef Tamales Recipes for the Instant Pot
4. Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tamales by Thai Caliente
Ok, so what’s yummy about this recipe is that they use bacon drippings in the masa (corn flour). Yum, yum!!
You’ll also be using a super flavorful Mexican pot roast recipe that’s also developed by them (on a different recipe page). You’ll be using the Instant Pot to make the pot roast :).
Actually, you’ll be using an Instant Pot to soften the husks, too! (No need for soaking).
Check it out!
5. Instant Pot Beef Tamale Recipe by Certified Angus Beef
In this recipe, you’ll be using the Instant Pot to cook the beef as well as to steam the tamales.
I gotta tell you, there are so many delicious seasonings and flavorings in this recipe! And the steps are so well written out, too!
Here’s an EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT video they made on how to make Mexican beef tamales in the pressure cooker.
You just HAVE TO watch it!
6. Instant Pot Tamale Recipe for Beef by M.A. Kitchen
What you’ll like about this recipe is that, just like the recipe above, you’ll use the Instant Pot to cook the beef before you use it to cook the tamales (so convenient).
They also give instructions on the same page for how to make the masa dough for the Instant Pot tamales!
Also, they provide excellent visual step-by-step instructions which are super helpful.
Plus, there’s even a section toward the bottom that tells you what you can serve with the tamales.
Check it out for yourself!
Instant Pot Tamales Pork Tamales Recipes
7. Instant Pot Pork Tamales by Isabel Eats
These Mexican tamales are filled with pulled pork and a red chili sauce (yes, it’ll be spicy).
The convenient thing about this recipe is that you’ll cook the pork in the Instant Pot. [I love it when recipes don’t ask you to cook your meats in a separate pot on the stove].
And, guess what? They provide instructions on how to make the masa right on the same page.
So convenient.
[Convenient seems to be my favorite word today, right? That’s just one reason why to love Instant Pot recipes].
Also, Isabel Eats provides GREAT step-by-step photos that make cooking pressure cooker tamales easy to follow.
Do yourself a favor and check out the recipe to see for yourself!
8. Instant Pot Pork Tamales by Pressure Cooking Today
So, the pork tamale recipe above this recipe uses a red sauce. This recipe by Pressure Cooking Today, on the other hand, will use a green sauce as the base for these pork tamales made in the pressure cooker.
What’s SUPER, SUPER awesome about this recipe is that they give you a day-by-day breakdown of what to do to prepare your pork tamales so that you don’t have to spend so much time making it all in one day.
For example, on Day 1 you cook the pork shoulder and soak the corn husks. On Day 2 you make the masa (and so on and so forth).
This, too, is super convenient.
I highly recommend you take a look!
9. Instant Pot Red Chili Pork Tamales cooked by Growing up Bargsley
So, in this video, you will learn how to make pork tamales using a FROZEN Boston butt roast.
[Yes, you can cook FROZEN meat cooked in the Instant Pot]!
Oh! And they use a mango habanero seasoning 🙂
Check it out!
Different Pressure Cooker Tamales Recipes
10. Sweet Cajeta Tamales by The Cents Able Shoppin
So, this is not your typical chicken, pork, or beef tamal recipe. However, sweet dessert tamales are so, so, so, so good (in my opinion).
In this recipe, you’ll be using an Instant Pot to make a sweet caramel-like tamal using cajeta (similar to this one). Also, you’ll be using cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter (yummy, yummy).
Take a look 😉
11. Instant Pot Cuban Pork Tamales by Lana Under Pressure
OK, so this is not a Mexican tamal recipe.
In fact, this is actually a Cuban pork tamale Instant Pot recipe!
What makes Cuban tamales different from Mexican tamales is that you mix the meat filling into the masa dough. In other words, you don’t place the meat filling on top of the masa and cover it as you do with the Mexican kinds.
Also, you have the option of wrapping the Cuban tamales in corn husks OR foil.
[Well, isn’t that convenient]? 🙂
AND, what makes these easy pressure cooker tamales so convenient is that you don’t have to be super-mindful about how you place the tamales in the Instant Pot! That means no upright position! The reason for this is because both ends are covered whereas in the Mexican version one of the ends is left open.
You can see what I’m talking about in the YouTube video below:
FAQs Related to Tamales Made in the Instant Pot
How long does it take to steam tamales in an Instant Pot?
It normally takes about 35 to 40 minutes for the pressure cooker to cook the tamales after pressure has already been built up inside the Instant Pot. However, it takes about another 10 minutes to let the pressure naturally release after the tamales are done cooking.
So, in total, it takes about 45 to 50 minutes to steam tamales in an Instant Pot from the time the Instant Pot has reached full pressure to the time it takes to naturally release the pressure.
How do you heat up tamales in an Instant Pot?
To reheat tamales in an Instant Pot, you’ll want to first place about 1 cup of water into the pot. Then, you’ll want to use an Instant Pot steamer basket and place your tamales into the basket upright. Next, replace the lid on the Instant Pot. After that, you’ll want to press the “steam” button and steam the tamales for about 5 minutes. Then, you’ll want to do a quick release once the 5 minutes (or so) are up.
[The steam time all depends on the size of the tamales and how many are in the Instant Pot].
However, to reheat FROZEN tamales in an Instant Pot, you’ll need to set the steamer setting for about 15 minutes instead of 5 minutes.
How do you steam frozen tamales in an Instant Pot without a steamer basket?
If you don’t have a steamer, you can use a trivet instead. What you would do is place 1 cup of water into the pot, place the frozen tamales on the trivet in an upright position, close the Instant Pot lid, set it to pressure cook for 20 minutes (on High), and then press the quick-release button once it’s done.
Final Thoughts on Tamales Recipes for Your Pressure Cooker
I hope you enjoyed these tamales recipes for your Instant Pot recipes! They truly are a staple in Mexican cuisine which I love SO MUCH!
Which recipes look especially interesting to you?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
