It’s Tamales Season! Where to Buy Masa & Ready-Made Tamales
Bring tidings with tamales! Each tamale from Tucson Tamale is made and rolled by a real person. In fact, every box that is ordered and shipped has the name of the crew member who made the tamales with love.
While tamales are a favorite culinary treat consumed yearlong in Arizona, this time of year in particular is when handed-down recipes emerge, traditions return, and kitchens come alive as tamales are made at home.
For those of you who are skilled in the art of tamale making or for beginners who want to give it a try (keep scrolling for an amazing recipe), consider making this year’s holiday tamales with locally sourced ingredients.
We’ve made it easy for you to support local food producers with this roundup of Arizona businesses who are providing locally made masa and other tamale-making must-haves.
Where to Get Your Masa
Everything you need to make tamales is at Mi Cas Tortilla, including freshly made Red Chile Pork, Green Chile Corn, or Jalapeno Popper tamales.
For those of you who don’t have your own special recipe for prepared tamale masa, this is the stuff for you. Mi Casa Tortillas’ regular tamale masa consists of freshly milled corn treated only with water and lime. The rest is all up to you. It’s ready to be prepared however you wish for your favorite tamales. Not only do we think you’ll love the sensational texture and flavor, but you’ll also love how much time their prepared masa will save you. After all, the faster you make your tamales, the faster you can get to eating them!
Mi Casa Tortilla is also a one-stop-shop for all your tamale making needs. You can purchase:
Nixtamal (Hominy) in 5 pound bags of limed kernels of corn ready to be ground into fresh homemade masa
Hojas (Corn Husks) in both 8 oz and 1 pound bags
Dried New Mexican red chile pods
New Mexican roasted green chile available in mild, hot, and extra hot (the green chile comes skinned, seeded & diced in 16 oz containers)
Prepared and pureed New Mexican red chile pods
Green and Red Chile Powder and Jalapeno Powder.
Ramona Farms offers a range of ground corn products, so you can get creative and make your own masa from locally grown corn! Its Parched Pima Cornmeal is grown and harvested, hand parched, hand processed, and packed to order all by Ramona Farms! Another option is HUUN HAAK CHU'I, a delicious corn pinole that is hand processed from their corn crops and packed to order. Try adding this to your masa for a real flavor boost!
Tortilla Lady offers prepared masa made with ground corn, lime, and manteca (lard), and a vegetarian option that is prepared masa made with ground corn, lime, and vegetable shortening. PS: you can also purchase ready-made tamales that include vegetarian and vegan options.
Phoenix’s best one-stop-shop to give your tamales a local flair is Moma Lola’s. They offer:
Harina, an all-purpose flour that is that can be used for homemade tortillas or tamales
Nixtamal, partially cooked corn soaked in calcium hydroxide (lime) that can be ground into masa or kept in its whole form
Hojas, dried corn husks
Chiles from New Mexico that is just what's needed to give your dish that extra ‘pop' in flavor.
Filled with Localness
A good tamale is only as delicious as its tasty filling, and the possibilities are endless when it comes to ingredients that can be used added—from meat-filled treats, cheesy vegetarian ones packed with veggies, or sweet and savory dessert tamales.
If you’re looking for locally raised meat for a local flavor boost or farm-fresh chilis, tomatoes, and vegetables, the Good Food Finder Directory is a great resource to connect and purchase from local ranchers and farmers.
A Decadently Sweet Tamale Recipe
Elote Cafe Cookbook by Jeff Smedstad’s is a must in any cookbook library.
Elote Cafe in Sedona has just reopened in a new location. The interior is plush and comfortable with warm woods and soft leather booths. Chef Smestad’s food and tamales are as award-winning as ever. Head in for amazing tamales or pick up one of his cookbooks for recipes to make at home.
New Canela Tamal, from the Elote Cafe Cookbook
1 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
1 cup butter at room temp
2 cups sweet corn
1 tsp salt
8 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
4 cups masa
4 Tbsp dried corn powder
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp ground canela (Mexican cinnamon)
2 cups buttermilk
Dried cornhusks
Pulse the butter and lard into the food processor with sweet corn, salt, sugars, vanilla. Slowly add masa until combined with fats, add corn powder, baking powder and canela and slowly add buttermilk. Set in the refrigerator for at least one hour until it is set and thickened. Soak corn husks in warm water until soft and pliable. Place 2 tablespoons of mixture into the softened cornhusks, wrap and fold shut. Steam in a raised basket over boiling water for about 50 minutes. Serve with ice cream and a shot of almendrado.
Get Your Fresh, Ready-Made Tamales
Not up for DIY but want to fill the holidays with the heavenly taste and smell of fresh tamales? Here are some places where you can pre-order and purchase tamales!
The amazing CHICKEN MOLE tamale from the Tamale Store. A real Oaxacan Favorite! Made with shredded chicken breast and a sweet and savory mole sauce. Their famous mole sauce is made with various mild Mexican chilies, cocoa, peanuts, cinnamon, and sesame seeds.
The Tamale Store: Maiz and Spice and Everything Nice! Tamales from The Tamale Store are lard and shortening free, gluten free, preservative free, soy Free, and MSG free. They are handmade from scratch daily and do not use large machinery or mixers. Just good ol' fashioned elbow grease! Be sure to check out their flavorful range of meat, vegetarian, and vegan tamales (including their amazing chicken mole tamales) that are GENEROUSLY filled! They are not taking pre-orders and it’s a first come first serve basis. So be sure to check out their farmers market calendar of where they might be in Phoenix or swing by the restaurant where there is plenty to choose from.
Tucson Tamale: Unwrap happiness from Tucson Tamale! Order meat, vegetarian, vegan, and green chile tamales and get them delivered right to your doorstep. Can’t decide what to order? Choose a combo box to sample all the wonderfulness. Their tamales also make the best gifts and can be shipped anywhere in the United States.
Tamaliza Cafe: If you’re in Sedona during the holidays be sure to swing by Tamaliza Cafe to eat your fill of these large tamales, made with non-gmo organic corn masa, no lard, and full of filling. The vegetarian tamale is made with poblano peppers, cheese, and corn while the vegan one is cheese free. Meat tamales include: pork in guajillo pepper sauce, chicken in tomatillo sauce, chicken in mole Sauce, and beef and onions in guajillo sauce.
Los Sombreros: Get your holiday started with Los Sombreros! Holiday tamales are a popular tradition at Los Sombreros and can be ordered by phone and online. Choose from Green Corn, Tomatillo Chicken, Rajas (peppers and onions), Chipotle Pork, Red Chili Beef, and Pineapple. Mix & match any way you would like. EXTRA PERK: Los Sombreros holiday tamales are made with produce from Phoenix local farms!
La Mesa Tortillas and Tamales is a Tucson treasure that not only offers ready-made tamales, such as Red Chili Beef, Red Chili Pork with Spanish olives, Red Chili Chicken, and the ever popular Green Corn tamales with cheese and green chilis, it also offers white masa and prepared masa made to order only!
Hey Vegans! Earth Plant Based Cuisine has some glorious winter specials happening right now, including vegan Green & Red tamales and Portabella mushroom pozole! A Regular order of tamales comes with two tamales with a side of chips & salsa. But, if you’d like to order by the dozen you may call or swing by the restaurant in downtown Phoenix to place your order.
Raul's Cocina is a local purveyor of vegan, Latin-American cuisine in Glendale and a regular at Uptown Farmers Market. Raul’s Cocina has vegan chorizo and potato and red chile jackfruit tamales up for grabs. Visit them at the market or at their restaurant to purchase!