Traditional sweet Mexican Lime Tamales are perfect for the holidays.
It is almost tamale season! I just love tamales, especially during the holidays. When I make tamales, I usually stick to savory ones but this year I really wanted to make a sweet tamal recipe for you.
See how easy these tamales are to make in the video below!
Traditional Mexican tamales come in both savory and sweet variations. Lime Tamales are a traditional sweet tamal.
For vegan sweet tamales, we use vegan butter and almond milk. A few easy swaps and traditional sweet Lime Tamales can be made vegan!
Masa harina is infused with aromatic lime zest. Whenever I am using the zest of a citrus fruit, I always buy organic if possible. I know that sometimes organic limes aren't always available and some grocery store don't carry them.
If you can't find organic, conventional limes are ok to use too. I usually buy my organic limes at Trader Joe's. They are just a little bit more money than their conventional limes.
These Lime Tamales are also naturally gluten-free! Tamales are great for holiday entertaining because you can make the tamales a day in advance.
Tamales reheat beautifully! If you have any extras, freeze them to enjoy later on!
more Mexican recipes to try:
- Mexican Green Beans
- Arroz con Leche {Mexican Rice Pudding}
- Instant Pot Mexican Red Rice
- Sopa de Fideo {Mexican Noodle Soup}
- Mexican Paloma Cocktail
Lime Tamales
Traditional sweet Mexican Lime Tamales are perfect for the holidays. Masa harina is infused with fresh aromatic lime zest. Naturally gluten-free too!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Vegan Butter, Softened
- 1 Cup Cane Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Zest, organic if possible
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 Cups Masa Harina
- 2 Cups Almond Milk, warmed
- 2 Cups Water, warmed
- 30 Corn Husks, cleaned
Instructions
- Place the corn husks in a large bowl or pot. Cover the husks with water. Place a plate on top to completely submerge the husks. Soak the corn husks in water for at least 1 hour.
- In a stand mixer add the vegan butter and sugar. Use the paddle attachment to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the lime zest, baking powder, and salt. Mix together for 1 minute.
- Add in half the the masa harina and the almond milk. Mix until incorporated.
- Add in the remaining masa harina and water. Mix until combined.
- If the dough is overly moist, add in an additional sprinkle of masa harina. You are looking for the dough to be the consistency of thick cake batter.
- Remove the corn husks from the water and use a kitchen towel or paper towel to wipe the corn husks dry.
- Take a few of the corn husks and pull thin strips. These will be used to tie the tamales. Set aside.
- Assemble the tamales. Take a corn husk, with the pointed end facing you, and spread ¼ cup or so of dough into the center of the husks; leaving about an inch of space on each side.
- Fold the tamale closed by taking the two sides of the husk and bringing them together. Take the bottom pointed end of the husk and fold up to close the tamal.
- Use one of the thin strips to tie the husk together. Continue until all of the tamales have been assembled.
- Set up your steamer. Fill the bottom with water. Cover the bottom of the steamer section with a few of the corn husks.
- Place the assembled tamales standing up vertically in the steamer. Once all of the tamales are in the steamer, cover with corn husks.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Steam for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the sides pull away from the husks.
- Turn off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve!
- If not serving right away. transfer the tamales to a container and store in the fridge. To reheat, you can reheat them or reheat in the microwave.
XO Jeni
[…] Lime Tamales are a traditional sweet tamal. For vegan sweet tamales, we use vegan butter and almond milk. A few easy swaps and traditional sweet Lime Tamales can be made vegan! You can find the recipe HERE. […]