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This easy Tamales de Rajas recipe is filled with roasted poblano peppers and melted cheese! This traditional Mexican dish is naturally vegetarian and gluten free.
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Tamales de Rajas are finally here!
You’ve probably heard of tamales that are filled with meat and some type of chile sauce, like red pork tamales and green chicken tamales, but these tamales de rajas are just as good and are ready to eat in less than half the time!
Tamales are a big deal in my house. They’re traditionally made for special occasions like Christmas, New Years, Easter or whenever there’s a big family gathering. Since my family only makes them a couple of times a year, we usually make a lot when we do! Needless to say we have leftovers for days.
With the holidays right around the corner, I’m excited to share the easiest and least complicated tamale recipe I know – Tamales de Rajas con Queso.
What are Tamales de Rajas?
Tamales de Rajas are a traditional Mexican dish made from a corn dough that’s filled with slices of roasted poblano peppers and cheese. The dough and fillings are wrapped in corn husks and steamed until cooked.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Tamales de rajas are one of the easiest tamales to make! Here’s what you need:
- Peppers: I used poblano peppers as that is what is traditionally used. Poblanos are fairly mild and have heaps of rich flavor when roasted. If they’re a little too spicy for your liking, you can use anaheim peppers or even bell peppers instead. If you prefer a spicier pepper, you can use jalapeños or serranos.
- Cheese: There are various cheeses that work great in these tamales. My personal favorites to use are Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack as they add a really great flavor to each bite. If you want to go a bit more traditional, you can use Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheese instead.
- Tamale dough: For the dough, you’ll need some masa harina (I used Maseca), canola oil (or other neutral-tasting oil), broth, baking powder, and salt. Many traditional tamale recipes use lard or shortening, but my family has always made it using canola oil and it tastes great! The masa isn’t greasy and it’s still very flavorful and fluffy.
- Corn husks: You’ll need about 25 or so corn husks to spread out your masa and then fill it with the peppers and cheese. You can find dried corn husks at most Mexican grocery stores or you can order them online.
How to Make Tamales de Rajas
1. Soak the corn husks: You’ll need to soak the corn husks in hot water since they’re sold dried. Soaking them for an hour or so before using them will help soften them up and make them very pliable. When you’re ready to use them, simply remove them from the water and pat them dry with paper towels.
2. Make the dough: Make the masa by combining masa harina, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil, and broth.
(Full instructions are located in the recipe below, but if you’d like to see step-by-step photos on how to make the masa, take a look at this masa for tamales post.)
3. Roast, peel, and slice the peppers: Place the poblanos on a baking sheet under the broiler or directly under an open flame. Roast until all the sides are blackened and blistered, then transfer them to a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and let them ‘sweat’ for 10 minutes.
Then, using your fingers, rub off the blackened skins. Slice the peppers open, and remove the stems, seeds, and large veins (or keep them in if you prefer it spicy), then slice into strips and set aside.
4. Assemble the tamales: Spread a heaping spoonful of masa onto the smooth side of the corn husk using the back of a large spoon in a thin layer. If spreading the masa is too difficult with a spoon, you can use your fingers to mold it in place. Don’t get discouraged if spreading the masa is difficult at first. Just keep trying and you’ll get the hang of it!
Next, add the filling by placing one stick of cheese and a few strips of roasted poblano peppers into the center of the corn husk. Fold together the long edges like a book, then once more before folding up the pointy edge.
5. Steam: When all the tamales have been assembled, place them open side up in a large steamer pot that’s been filled with water and topped with a steamer insert.
(If you don’t have a specific tamale steamer pot, you can also use any large pot that you have and a steamer basket.)
Steam them for 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove them from the pot, and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Are these Tamales Vegetarian?
Traditionally, tamales are made with lard, which makes them not suitable for vegetarians. However, as long as I can remember, my family has always made them with vegetable oil – typically canola oil – making them vegetarian friendly. And since the masa is made of corn, it’s also naturally gluten free!
Which means tamales for everyone!
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
To store: Place the tamales in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to one week.
To freeze: Place the cooled tamales in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 6 months.
To reheat: You can re-steam the tamales for 15 minutes in a steamer pot, heat them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, heat them on a hot griddle for 2 minutes on each side, or microwave them in batches for 1-2 minutes on high.
Tamales de Rajas (Vegetarian Tamales)
Equipment
- Tamale Steamer Pot (or large pot with steamer basket)
Ingredients
- 25 corn husks (about ¼-⅓ pound)
For the dough
- 4 cups + 2 tablespoons masa harina
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup canola oil (or other neutral-tasting vegetable oil)
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable broth (chicken or beef broth also work)
For the filling
- 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese*, sliced into 25 strips
- 6 poblano peppers
Instructions
- Prepare the corn husks: Add the corn husks to a large bowl or pot. Pour enough hot water over the corn husks to cover them completely. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and let them soak for 1 hour to soften them up. Meanwhile, make the tamale dough and prepare the filling.
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl or pot, add the masa harina, salt and baking powder. Mix with your hands to combine. Add the canola oil and mix together, working the dough through your fingers until everything is well combined and incorporated. The dough should feel a little crumbly, almost like wet sand, and should lightly hold it's shape when pressed together.
- Add the broth and mix for about 3-5 minutes until the dough is fairly wet and well saturated. The dough should be soft and spreadable like thick hummus. If the dough is too dry, add more broth. If it's too wet, add more masa harina. Cover and set aside.
- Roast the peppers: Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler or directly under an open flame. Roast until all the sides are blackened and blistered. Transfer them to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Using your fingers, rub off the blackened skins. Slice the peppers open, remove the stems, seeds, and large veins, then slice into strips and set aside.
- Finish prepping the corn husks: Drain the water from the corn husks and pat them dry. Remove and discard any corn silk that may be on the husks. Lay the husks flat onto a baking sheet for easy access.
- Spread the masa: Grab a corn husk and identify which is the smooth side and which is the side with ridges. Place the smooth side face up into your palm or on a plate. Using a large spoon, grab a heaping spoonful of masa and place it in the middle of the corn husk. Using the back of the spoon, spread the masa in a thin layer to create rectangle shape, leaving the top 1/3 of the corn husk empty. (see post above for step-by-step photos)
- Add the filling: Place one stick of cheese and a few strips of roasted poblano peppers into the center of the corn husk.
- Fold: Fold together the long edges of the corn husk like a book, and then fold it once more. Fold the pointy edge over so that only one side of the corn husk is open and exposed. Place in a bowl with the open end facing up, making sure to lean them against the side so it doesn't fall down. Repeat until all the tamales have been filled and assembled.
- Prepare the steamer pot: Fill the bottom of the steamer pot with water and cover with the steamer insert. Place the tamales in the steamer with the open end facing up, making sure to lean them against the side of the pot so they don't fall down.
- Steam: Cover tightly with the lid and place the steamer over high heat. Bring the water in the steamer pot to a boil (you should be able to hear it bubbling), then reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Rest and serve: Carefully transfer the tamales to a baking sheet or serving platter and let them sit and cool slightly for 10 minutes. They may be a little squishy when you first take them out of the steamer, but will quickly firm up once they have time to cool. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Cheese: Other cheese that work great include pepper jack, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, or your favorite melting cheese.
- Storage: Leftover tamales can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: To freeze, place cooked and cooled tamales in an airtight container or zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Reheating: You can re-steam the tamales for 15 minutes in a steamer pot, heat them in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, heat them on a hot griddle for 2 minutes on each side, or microwave them in batches for 1-2 minutes on high.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic! Tried them today and were the best I’ve had. Thanks for sharing this
Thank you, Angeli! I’m so happy you liked them!
Cook these in an InstaPot & avoid heating up your house while saving a ton of time & energy.
How long did you cook in the instapot?
Tamales in an Instapot!
How long in an instant pot??
A rule of thumb is that an instant pot / pressure cooker takes 1/3 of the time. So if you usually steam them 60 minutes, the instapot would take only 20.
Remember they will continue cooking after you take the pot off the heat until the pressure is released, so if you let the pressure release naturally, this will add 10-15 minutes to cooking time.
Hope this helps. 🙂
First time tamale maker here! I he recipe is perfect! So easy to follow and INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. One tip to pass on is to spread the mass with a chefs knife almost as you would spackle a wall. Made this recipe multiple times now and it’s just awesome!
Hello Chanel! Thank you for the great tip!
Hello. Thanks for the recipe.
Have a question: where do I get corn husks?
Hi Renee, I’ve found corn husks at my local Mexican specialty grocery store. Depending on where you live, you may not have one nearby so here’s an option of where to order them online at Amazon. Hope this helps!
I’m surprised that the masa was this easy to make. I had always assumed it was a very complicated process. I had a hard time spreading the masa with a spoon so I just ended up using my hands and it was much easier. For oil, I used olive oil and that worked well. In addition to the chile/cheese ones, I made some from leftover carnitas (from the recipe on this site), and shredded chicken with green salsa. They were all so good!
I’m so happy you liked the tamales!
I made these and they came out wonderful the only problem I had was keeping the cheese in side I used lard my grandmother always used lard so guess I’m following in her foot steps. Any suggestions on keeping the cheese for escaping
Hi Chris! This definitely happens! Next time you may try using less cheese so it doesn’t escape.
First time making tamales. I made this with vegetable oil for one batch and melted coconut oil for the other with prepared (regular sodium) vegetable broth in both. They turned out beautifully, I can’t believe it. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! I’m a high school student, and my friends and I had to make tamales for our Spanish class (I’m in Spanish 3, nearly done 🙂 ). This recipe worked perfectly, and the tamales turned out great. We had a lot of fun making them, and we got an A. Thanks!
That’s amazing! Muy bien! 🙂 I’m so happy everything turned out great and you got an A!
Great recipie! I have been searching for a vegetarian version for the masa. I cut back on the salt because the vegetarian broth that I use is super salty already.
The only problem I had was that the masa didn’t hold together well. I kneeded in 1 tablespoon of slippery elm bark powder, and the consistency was perfect!
Thanks, Diann! Sometimes when the masa doesn’t hold together, I find that it needs more moisture so it could just need a little more broth. I’m glad it worked out either way!
I love these tamales! The poblanos give the perfect amount of flavor!
As for spreading the masa: Try using a spatula or, believe it or not, a plastic putty knife from your local hardware store! Either works well.
Ooh, yes! I’ve seen videos of people using a putty knife haha. I need to try that!
I tried these tamales and was very disappointed. Followed the recipe exactly, using lard. The masa tasted weird, not like the tamales I’ve had, and were very bland. Ended up buying prepared masa at my local Mexican grocer. Don’t know if there is a mistake in the recipe or not.
Oh no, Shari! I’m so sorry that it didn’t turn out for you. I’m going to retest the recipe very soon and see what’s wrong.
Not sure why, but you could try sauce inside? I have made tamales only maybe 4 times, so I am no expert, but I make a spicy salsa verde using jalapenos, tomatillos, lime juice, fresh cilantro, a little onion or onion powder and garlic or garlic powder (salt and pepper to taste). I put 1/2 tbsp in the tamales with the cheese and peppers and it really keeps the inside moist while adding a little flavor. I also use a vegetarian bouillon, butter and crisco in the masa. 🙂 I want to add more flavor there too so I am trying chile. The best bouillon has been “no chicken” better than bouillon (tastes chicken-ish but very flavorful). I know it sounds like a weird combo lol but I really do like 3/4 crisco and 1/4 butter (of whatever is usually lard) and the cooked and cooled bouillon vs regular premade broth and it turns out great. That has been the best so far. Still trying to decide which cheese and peppers I prefer. lol. I am here for ideas and I forgot the baking powder. It’s a sad day!
I love those ideas! I think my sister’s husband’s family makes tamales with salsa verde like that and they’re delicious! I’m always up for experimenting. I love trying new things 🙂
I tried this recipe and it was great!! I was a little fearful at first that the masa would be bland (since it’s happened to me before) so I ended up blending a poblano pepper (sweated and cleaned) and ran it through a strainer to remove unwanted pulp with some broth. I added that to the masa and it complimented the whole peppers. Masa was a hint of green but they looked great and they turned out delicious!