Instant Pot Tamales (With Pork Filling)

Delicious Mexican Tamales, with tender masa encasing a perfectly seasoned pork and chili filling. Serve these addicting Instant Pot Tamales smothered in melted shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, salsa, and a side of Mexican rice.

🧐 Why This Recipe Works

Instant Pot Tamales are a labor of love, but so worth the effort. A few hours of work will yield enough food to cover dinner for at least a few weeks! Preparing tamales in an Instant Pot makes the job a little easier.

Because it takes a while to make tamales, even Instant Pot Tamales, I recommend preparing the filling, broth, and chili sauce the day before you assemble the tamales. It's a great way to make the task at hand less daunting.

I usually prepare them by myself. If you have help, you can easily knock it out in a day.

🛒 What Goes into this recipe

🔖 Ingredient Notes

• Masa — Although masa can be purchased pre-made, I think it's important to learn how to make it from scratch. Then compare it to prepared masa to see which one you prefer.
• Tamale Fillings — There are so many tamale filling options including pork, beef, and chicken. There are also sweet and vegetarian tamale fillings. However, in this recipe, we'll be making pork tamales.
• Dried Chiles — Dried chiles are not only used to flavor the broth but are also used to make a chile sauce puree that is mixed both in the masa and the filling. Which ones you use depends on your spice preference. Here are some options:
  • Ancho (dried poblano)
  • Chipotle (dried/smoked jalapeno)
  • New Mexico Chiles
  • California Chiles
  • Colorado Chiles (dried Anaheim)

To learn more about the level of heat of various chile peppers, check out this informative post: Chile Heat Scale.

🫔 How to make Instant Pot Tamales

Prepare Pork Filling

Step 1: Add all pork filling ingredients into a large stockpot and cover with 8 cups of cold water.

Step 2: Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 ½ hours, or until the pork is tender and easy to shred.

Step 3: Remove the pork from the broth, shred, and set it aside for later.

Step 4: Strain the broth into another container and set aside until needed. Discard the bay leaves then add the remaining ingredients to a blender. Top with 1-½ cups of strained broth. Blend to make the chili sauce.

Step 5: Mix 1½ cups of the chili sauce with the shredded pork and strain the rest through a sieve to mix with the masa. Taste the filling to see if it needs further seasoning; adjust as needed.

Step 6: Soak the corn husks in cold water for 1 to 2 hours. You may need to use something to weigh them down.

How to Make Masa From Scratch

Step 1: Whip shortening or lard in a large mixing bowl. Continue to whip on medium, while working on the next steps.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk Maseca, baking powder, salt, cumin, onion, and garlic powder.

Step 3: Add 4 cups of warm pork broth, remaining chile sauce, and dry ingredients to the shortening (or lard). Mix with the paddle attachment until you have a creamy, peanut butter, or hummus consistency. You may need to add more broth to get the right texture.

How to test the masa to see if it's ready — Take a small piece of the dough and plop it in a glass of water. If the dough floats to the surface, it is ready. If it sinks to the bottom, you have more work to do.

Try any of the following to make your masa light and fluffy.

• Work the dough more, either with the mixer or by hand.
• Add more liquid, if the dough looks dry. Use broth, chili sauce, or water.
• Add more fat. You can use shortening, lard, or vegetable oil.

Pro Tip: If after trying the steps above, your dough does not float, don't panic. The tamales will still be delicious, I promise.

How to Assemble the Tamales

Step 1: Remove the husks from the water and shake off the excess water; pat dry. Place the husks on a work surface, smooth side up, with the narrow ends facing away from you. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of masa onto the widest part of a husk, leaving a ½" to 1" border on the bottom and sides. Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling.

Step 2: Fold in one side of the husk, then the next, enclosing the filling. Next, fold the bottom over the center. Tear a narrow strip of husk and use it to secure the tamale. Repeat until all the filling is used.  

How to Cook the Tamales in a pressure cooker

Step 1: Pour 1 ½ cups of water into an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, then insert the steam rack. Arrange approximately 20 to 25 tamales on the rack (depending on the size of your Instant pot and tamales). Stand them upright, with the open end on top. Lock the lid and turn the valve to "seal."

Step 2: Press the "Pressure Cook" button and set the cooking time to 45 minutes at high pressure. When the time is up, let the steam release naturally until the pin drops. Carefully remove the lid and transfer the tamales to a plate. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy your Instant Pot Tamales!

🤷🏻‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

• You can also mix the dough ingredients by hand. However, it may be helpful to remove jewelry or wear latex gloves before mixing.
• Chill the broth to easily remove the fat at the surface, if you wish.
• Overlap smaller husks to make them big enough to fill. The amount of dough and filling will vary depending on the size of the corn husk.
• Tear the husks that are too small or too wrinkled into strips for tying the tamales once they're wrapped.
• It's ok if you accidentally use the rough side of the husk versus the smooth side. Don't panic, and don't unwrap them.
• If you have extra corn husks, but not enough to save for another time, place them on top of the tamales before steaming them.
• Don't pack the tamales tightly, leave room for air circulation. If packed tightly, they will take longer to cook and cook unevenly.

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