If you love Mexican food, then these Vegan Green Corn Tamales are for you! These rich, spicy tamales are made with Hatch green chiles, fresh white corn, and masa harina.
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These Vegan Green Corn Tamales are something that I have wanted to post since starting my blog almost two years ago.
So why the wait? For one reason, the corn is harvested late July to early October. My first year of blogging came after the season and last year we didn't make tamales.
There are many different varieties of tamales. Where I live I see two main kinds of tamales being made by the locals - red ones that are stuffed with meat which has been simmered in a red chili sauce, and green corn tamales.
Green corn tamales are made with cheese, freshly cut corn, lard, vegetable shortening, and masa harina (corn flour). There are also sweet tamales, but I have yet to try them.
When I was first introduced to green corn tamales many years ago, I knew that I had to veganize them. I love green chiles, especially when they are a spicy batch, so I knew that I would like them.
For my green corn tamales recipe I use vegan cream cheese because of its rich taste. I also use vegetable shortening.
I have seen recipes on the blogosphere using olive oil instead of vegetable shortening, but I learned from a long-time tamale maker that tamales don't fluff up the same way as when they are made with vegetable shortening.
These Vegan Green Corn Tamales are not a quick weeknight meal. They take time.
As I said in my notes below, once you grind your corn, you will want to finish the whole process. You can cut the corn, put it in the refrigerator, then grind it the next day and finish the rest of the process. That's what I did, and they worked out just fine.
I just had to include these cute little candies since they look like a small version of a tamal. They are tamarind flavored Mexican candy called tamalitos.
Other Vegan Mexican Inspired Recipes
- Black Bean and Corn Vegan Quesadilla
- Vegan Taquitos with Green Chiles
- Soy Chorizo and Tofu Breakfast Tacos
- Spinach, Tofu, and Pine Nut Enchiladas
- Bean and Mexican Cauliflower Rice Burritos
These spicy vegan tamales with green chiles are rich and comforting!
*Don't forget to come back and leave your feedback and star rating.
📋 Recipe
Vegan Green Corn Tamales (Tamales de Elote)
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Tall pot
- Vegetable steamer
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh white corn* (7 ½ cups after cut)
- 8 ounce vegan cream cheese - I used Tofutti
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup masa harina*
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ thinly sliced Hatch green chiles*
Instructions
- Husk the corn and save the leaves. Soak the leaves in water. Save the corn silk if you want to make tea.
- Cut the kernels off the cobs. Process in a food processor until finely ground (see photo above for consistency).*
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, mix together corn, vegan cream cheese, vegetable shortening, masa harina, and salt until mixed thoroughly.
- For each tamal, open the corn husk and spread about ¼ cup of the masa (the dough) on the widest part of the husk, an inch from the side (it will spread and spill out upon steaming). Using a fork, place a strip of Hatch green chili on top of the masa.
- Roll the husk tightly and fold over the small edge. Pinch it so that it stays shut. Tie a thin corn husk ribbon around tamal, if desired. Repeat until the dough is used up.
- In a tall pot, lay a few husks flat on the bottom*. This is to prevent burning your tamales in case the water gets too low. Place steamer on top of the leaves. Add water up to steamer. Place tamales in vertically. Steam on low heat for 45-50 minutes. Add warm water to the pot as needed. A water bottle works well for adding water. You will know the tamales are done because the masa creeps up to the ends of the tamales.
- To freeze them, wait until they are completely cool. Leave the tamales in their leaves. Place in a freezer bag and resteam or microwave before serving.
Notes
- Tamales should be made the same day that the corn is ground.
- You may need more or less masa harina depending on the consistency of your corn. If your corn is really wet, you will need more. Masa harina provides a fine consistency to mix in with the course consistency of the corn.
- Depending upon the spice level of your chiles, you may want more or less.
- One way to watch the water level of your pot is to place a coin under the steamer. If the water gets too low, you will be able to hear the coin rattling.
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Nutrition
*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.
Maryellen says
CAn I substitute can’ corn?
Willow Moon says
I’ve never used it, so I don’t know how they would turn out, but you could certainly try it.
Melissa Morris says
Will palm shortening work in place of the vegetable shortening?
-Melissa
Willow Moon says
I have never used it, but I read that you can substitute it in place of vegetable shortening.
Judy says
Ty..😋 my heart belongs to green corn tamales..I made them once while pregnant in 1982!! Lol..think it's time!
Although I love that tart "unripe" flavor of green corn,
There is so much beautiful corn around right now,
July 2019...BUT..can I possibly use fresh, plump, corn that is not all "white"??
my mouth is watering while writing...so, I'm not vegan, but I love great recipes.. gracias,
. judy.. living in Tucson Az
Willow Moon says
Hi Judy! My husband is the expert in this (long time tamale maker), so I asked him. He says that if you use yellow corn it won't bind and the tamales will be mushy. Since you are a fellow Tucsonan, I can direct you where to go to find white corn. There are truck stands at South Irvington and 12th Ave that sell corn and green chile.
Fran says
As you said, these take a lot of time, but they are SO worth it! They were rich and spicy! Thanks for the recipe!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Fran!
Ashleigh says
These tamales look really delicious! I haven't had tamales in so long! I will have to try it soon! Thank you for sharing!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Ashleigh!
Joanna @ Strong Girl collective says
I love that you make these! I have never been about putting that much effort into food... 🙂 They look amazing though!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Joanna! Up until a few years ago, I wasn't into putting in this much effort either! After I left my career and had more time to cook, I realized how much I love cooking!
Amber Hill says
My husband LOVES tamales, and these look amazing. I also love that they are vegan! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Amber! We love them too!
Madeline says
I love tamales so much!! your version sounds delicious!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Madeline! I do love these. They are rich and spicy!
Melita Jones says
These look great! My family is transitioning to Veganism, and we will certainly give these a try!
Willow Moon says
Thanks Melita! I hope you like them!
Fabiola Rodriguez says
I love this recipe. These remind me of the tamales my grandmother used to make. She used sauteed zucchini, corn, and jalapenos with white cheese as filling. I bet yours are delish!
FYI, here in Mexico we place a coin in the steamer water, so you can hear it clink when the water is boiling, and if you can no longer hear it, it's time to add more water.
Willow Moon says
Thanks Fabiola! I am familiar with the coin tip, which is why I included it in the notes section. I use the husk method because I tend to hover over my pots when cooking! I am a little OCD in that way.