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You are here: Home » Recipes » Mexican Desserts

Sweet Tamales

Published: Jan 30, 2014 · Updated: Mar 20, 2019 by Mely Martínez

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Tamales, Oh Sweet Tamales, ¡Tamales de Dulce! When making savory Tamales, some families separate a small amount of the masa to make sweet tamales. There’s the simple version that just has some sugar, but you can also add one of the following fillings: raisins, pineapple chunks, shredded coconut, dried fruits, berries, prunes, and fruit jams.

Add to this the very sophisticated versions with fillings like chocolate, berries, guava, cream cheese, dulce de leche, pecans, pine nuts, and even Nutella nowadays.

Sweet Tamales | Tamales de Dulce

Sweet Tamales recipe

Tamales are a meal for celebration, a special treat for parties and birthdays, or ritual times like the Day of the Dead. In Mexico, February 2nd is the day when the lucky people who found the little baby inside the Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread) will invite their friends and relatives over to eat tamales (you can read about that here).

In Prehispanic times, the second day of the second month of the year was the beginning of the Mexicas Calendar “Atlcahualo”, and they used the Tamales as part of their offering to their gods. The Tamales they used to make were different according to the celebration or rituals.

Not everyone dyes their sweet tamales with food coloring, but it is common to make them like that, especially in central Mexico. They’re usually made with fresh masa, but this recipe calls for Masa Harina since that’s not available everywhere. The dry corn flour/masa harina is readily available here in the States, with brands like Maseca or Minsa.

How to Make Sweet Tamales / Tamales de Dulce

How to make Sweet Tamales

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

DIRECTIONS:

How to Make Sweet Tamales

  • Place butter and sugar in a medium-size bowl and, with the help of a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until it has a creamy texture. About 2 minutes. (Please check the ingredients list below)
  • In a larger bowl, mix Masa Harina, Baking powder, and raisins. Stir well and then add the warm water little by little.
Sweet Tamales dulces recipe
  • While mixing the dry ingredients with the water, add the drops of Food Coloring. Mix well to have a uniform color.
  • Once you’ve incorporated the food coloring into the dough, it will look slightly pink. Now add the butter and sugar mixture.
Sweet Tamales dulces recipe
  • Beat the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon, as the dough is somehow too heavy to work within your mixer unless you have a Heavy Duty Stand Mixer like Kitchen Aid. The dough will be ready when it looks fluffy and creamy, like very soft ice cream. If your dough seems too dry, add a little more water. The consistency has to be very soft.
  • Drain the corn husks from the soaking water. Place about ⅓ cup of the dough over the corn husk and wrap the tamal. Keep assembling the rest of the tamales.
Sweet Tamales / Tamales de Dulce
  • Place the tamales standing up in your steam pot  (Tamalera), add about an inch of hot water, cover with corn husks, aluminum foil or a plastic bag, and then cover with the pot lid. Cook for 1 to 1 ¼ hour at medium heat.
Sweet Tamales quick and easy

¡Buen provecho!

Mely,

What is your favorite tamal filling?

I hope you make them... If you do, please come back to let me know your experience.

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More recipes:
Sweet Corn Tamales Pork
Cheese and Roasted Peppers Tamales

Receta en Español Tamales de dulce.

📖 Recipe

Sweet Tamales (Tamales Dulces)

Mely Martínez
Tamales de dulce, or sweet tamales, are a Mexican specialty. They are made with sweet corn dough and can be filled with different sweet fillings like chocolate or fruit. These sweet tamales are perfect for any occasion and easy to make!
4.60 from 30 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
0 mins
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Desserts
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 10 Tamales
Calories 153 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup of unsalted butter at room temperature*
  • 6 Tbs. sugar
  • 1 ½ cup of Masa Harina
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 Tbs. raisins**
  • 1 ½ cup warm water
  • 6 drops of red food coloring***
  • 10 large Corn Husks soaked in warm water.
  • Optional Extra corn husks to make thin strips to tie the tamales.

Instructions
 

  • Place butter and sugar in a medium size bowl and, with the help of a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until it has a creamy texture. About 2 minutes.
  • In a larger bowl, mix Masa Harina, baking Powder and raisins. Stir well and then add the warm water little by little.
  • While mixing the dry ingredients with the water, add the drops of red food coloring. Mix well to have a uniform color.
  • Once you’ve incorporated the food coloring into the dough, it will look slightly pink. Now add the butter and sugar mixture.
  • Beat the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon, as the dough is somehow too heavy to work with your mixer unless you have a Heavy Duty Stand Mixer like Kitchen Aid. The dough will be ready when it looks fluffy and creamy, like a very soft ice cream. If your dough seems too dry, add a little more water. The consistency has to be very soft.
  • Drain the corn husks from the soaking water. Place about ⅓ cup of the dough over the corn husk and wrap the tamal. If you’re also making savory tamales, you can tie the sweet tamales in order to differentiate them from the savory ones. Keep assembling the rest of the tamales.
  • Place the tamales standing up in your steam pot (Tamalera), add about an inch of hot water, cover with corn husks, aluminum foil or a plastic bag, and then cover with the pot lid. Cook for 1 to 1 ¼ hour at medium heat. Add more hot water if needed to avoid burning the tamales.

Not everyone has a special Steamer for tamales (Tamalera), but you can improvise by using a large pot and crumbling some aluminum foil and placing it at the bottom of the pot, and also forming an aluminum ball to place in the center of the pot where the tamales can stand/lean on during the cooking process.

    Notes

    • *Tamales are traditionally made with Lard, so you can use that if it’s available.
    • **As mentioned above, other common fillings are pineapple chunks, shredded coconut, cajeta/dulce de leche, strawberry jam, etc.
    • ***I’ve tried other ways to color the tamales instead of using the vegetable coloring, like using beets juices and Hibiscus tea, but the end result looks more like a purple color than red or pink. Of course, you can always skip the coloring. You can buy Natural Food Coloring at Specialty or Organic Stores.
    • Taste the sweetness, maybe you have a sweeter tooth and would like to add some extra sugar.
    • If you have fresh masa-dough, use 15.5 oz. (610 grs.), equal to 2 ⅓ cups.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1TamalCalories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 320IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    1. Irma

      December 23, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Thank you very much for sharing your recipe for sweet tamales, I'm looking forward to making it. My late mother-in-law would make them with chopped Maraschino cherries, including the juice, so it would naturally color the masa. She also added flaked sweetened coconut and crushed pineapple. I really miss her at this time of the year.

      Reply
    2. Michele1L

      December 17, 2021 at 7:52 am

      5 stars
      Oi! Finally! After multiple attempts over the years, I found your recipe, and it's the sweet tamale recipe closest to my mother-in-law's that my husband grew up eating! My mother-in-law passed many years ago (Husband is 65) and of course no one knew her "recipe". My husband's memories are "raisins & pineapple, but not as filling - just in the (wiggling fingers gesture) 'doughy stuff' in the husk"... no matter what questions I asked, he gave shoulder shrugs; he never helped his mother cook... So, with hope in my heart and a prayer to my mother-in-law, I tried your recipe but used half water, half pineapple juice... My husband closed his eyes while tasting a few bites...
      Hallelujah! We have a winner! THANK YOU!!

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        December 17, 2021 at 2:32 pm

        Hello Michele,
        Thank you for sharing about your mother in-in-law cooking. It is glad to know your husband liked the tamales.

        Reply
        • Michele1L

          December 19, 2021 at 2:17 pm

          5 stars
          Thanks to YOU, Mely! I'm sure Maria Angelica is smiling down on us 🥰

    3. Yaya

      December 15, 2021 at 10:14 pm

      Hi. Love this recipee. I love to mix and match different ingredients. I added 1/2 cup corn kernels, 8 oz cream cheese, and 1 cup of ham bits to the Masa. Try it. Amazing flavor.

      Reply
    4. Catherine

      March 13, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      5 stars
      I made these today and they are really delicious. Some I filled with pork cooked in a sweet, salty sauce that was leftover from making Chinese steamed pork buns. Some I filled with tiny chunks of membrillo paste and some I left just plain with no stuffing. I didn't use food coloring, but am now considering making green tamales for St. Patrick's Day. These are really wonderful. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Adriane

        December 16, 2021 at 9:34 am

        Try using Nestle Quick Strawberry instead of food coloring. My mother would make our sweet tamales with it & it was delicious.

        Reply
        • Katrina

          January 11, 2022 at 10:41 am

          How much strawberry milk? Thanks for the tip!

    5. Ana Vasquez

      December 16, 2019 at 3:48 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this recipe! I used crushed pineapple, walnuts, coconut, and raisins. I also added cinnamon & used pineapple juice to mix instead of water for that added pineapple taste. SUPER DELICIOUS. THANKS!

      Reply
      • Rochelle

        August 29, 2020 at 12:42 pm

        I like your idea of using the pineapple juice. I’ll try it next time! I prefer using milk instead of water for the dough! Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    6. Mel

      December 15, 2019 at 5:15 pm

      I just made these as the recipe stated. They are really good and you can definitely taste the butter. I’m used to the ones made with lard, if I wanted to make these with lard, are the measurements able to be directly substituted with the butters? Thanks in Advance !

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        December 15, 2019 at 11:02 pm

        Hello Mel,
        Yes, the amount would be the same. Happy cooking!

        Reply
      • Aida Hernandez

        December 15, 2022 at 12:59 am

        Can you use unprepared masa from the store and how you flavor it for sweet tamales

        Reply
        • Mely Martínez

          December 16, 2022 at 12:33 pm

          Hello Aida,
          Yes, most large Latin stores offer two different types of masa. the one that already has lard and salt for making tamales, and the regular plain masa for tortilla making.
          If you buy the regular one soften it with warm water, lard, or any other type of fat of your choice. Sugar to make it sweet. If you do not want to add lard, use butter, margarine, or shortening.

    7. Rich Frisk

      November 24, 2019 at 8:40 am

      Thank you for this one, I have made tamales about 6 or 7 times before, but it has been many years. The toughest part for me was spreading the masa on the husk and not having it be too thick. Also, I would add sauce to the masa when mixing it up, the same sauce I would cook the meat in. I have also made Italian tamales, I would mix my spaghetti sauce in with the masa and put inside cut up meatballs, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. Then I would make what I call Mexican corndogs, just put a whole hot dog in the tamale.

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        November 24, 2019 at 9:06 am

        Hello Rich,
        Italian tamales sound mouthwatering. Such a clever idea!Happy cooking!

        Reply
    8. Errol

      September 23, 2019 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      My go to recipe for sweet tamales! I love these. My son does too. Thank you for sharing~

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        September 25, 2019 at 11:41 am

        Hello Errol,
        So glad to know you and your son like them.
        Thank you for coming back to share about it!
        Happy cooking!

        Reply
    9. Tammy

      December 23, 2018 at 11:03 am

      We use Kool-Aid rather than food coloring so it gives it the “fruit” flavor. We make pineapple sweet tamales with pineapple flavored drink mix and strawberry with strawberry’ flavored drink mix.

      Reply
    10. Eddie

      December 14, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      Love making tamales. This year for Christmas we are making pork, chicken, cheese/veggie and sweet tamales. Have to keep the tradition going for the new generation. My aunt taught us to make sweet tamales with raisins, pineapple and slivered almonds along with the buttery cinnamon flavoring; so delicious!

      Reply
    11. Jeannie Tarin

      December 05, 2018 at 8:14 am

      5 stars
      Thank you for all your recipes! I always use brown sugar in my sweet tamales but want to use piloncillo, do I grate it?

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        December 05, 2018 at 3:04 pm

        Hello Jeannie,
        Yes, you can easily grate it if you warm it first in your microwave.

        Reply
    12. Max Duryee

      December 02, 2018 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      We're looking forward to enjoying some of these sweet tamales.. We're accustomed to adding a little anise to the recipe. I'm eager to try some with the sweet whole kernel corn someone mentioned. I have a recipe for corn fritters that our friends like.

      Reply
    13. Cindy

      October 30, 2018 at 8:54 pm

      Hi, I'm trying to make sweet tamales of piña do I blend pineapple and then mix it into the masa?

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        November 06, 2018 at 6:31 pm

        Hello Cindy,
        Usually, the pineapple is added at the center of each tamal, but you can mix it with the dough too.

        Reply
    14. Michele Stratton

      September 03, 2018 at 12:38 pm

      Mely,
      My mom and I are looking at your recipe for tamales and then sweet tamales. My mom hasn't made made sweet tamales since I was younger. She used masa, brown sugar, pineapple, raisins, cinnamon, and baking soda. It's interesting to see how other people made their sweet tamales.

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        September 03, 2018 at 5:15 pm

        Hello Michele,
        Some people don't add the food coloring, and instead of sugar use Piloncillo. In Mexico, baking powder is more common than baking soda. But we do add raisins, dried candied pineapple or fresh pineapple, cinnamon and other dried fruits, even nuts like pecans.

        Reply
    15. Flora Bass

      March 20, 2018 at 8:09 am

      Hi Mely! Thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes. I’m originally from El Salvador but love to cook, my sister and I get together and make the pork tamales , we sell them like crazy.
      Going to try sweet tamales . Thank you!

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        March 20, 2018 at 10:39 am

        Hello Flora,
        Enjoy making them.

        Reply
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    About me

    Hi, I'm Mely Martinez, a former Mexican school teacher, home cook, and food blogger. I moved to the United States about ten years ago, after living in Mexico my whole life. Now I love to share home-style recipes for authentic Mexican food.
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