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Instant Pot Tamales (Lard Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free)

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Instant Pot Tamales are lard-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. Depending on what filling you choose, they can easily be made vegan or vegetarian.

Instant Pot Tamales | The Urben Life

Easy Lard-Free Tamales

Typically tamale making is an all-day fiasco but with the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker), you can enjoy fresh tamales with ample side dishes in less than an hour.

I have made these tamales on numerous occasions and I feel confident in saying they’re pretty fail-proof and forgiving.

My family used to have tamales around the holidays and it was something we always looked forward to. It wasn’t until I was browsing the aisles at our new grocery store and came across frozen tamale bags, that I realized how much I missed them.

We decided to give them a try and they weren’t bad at all. However, we knew we could make our own at home and leave out some ingredients that didn’t necessarily need to be in there. Lookin at you, lard!

Easy Instant Pot Tamales The Urben Life

How to Make Instant Pot Tamales

First things first, decide what filling you want. Vegetables, pork, chicken, ground beef.

We went with ground beef because we had some leftover from making homemade meatballs earlier in the week. Cook your filling before moving onto making the dough.

Using the directions on the backside of the masa harina, form your dough and get to work! Simply press the dough out on a corn husk, fill with veggies or meat, roll up, seal, and place in pressure cooker.

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Lard Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Instant Pot Tamales from The Urben Life

Instant Pot Tamales | The Urben Life
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5 from 5 votes

Instant Pot Tamales

Instant Pot Tamales are lard-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. Depending on what filling you choose, they can easily be made vegan or vegetarian.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

  • 14 corn husks

For the dough

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the filling

  • 1 pound seasoned ground beef, previously cooked (or another filling)

Toppings

  • Tomatillo Salsa, Guacamole, Refried Beans

Instructions

  • Rinse the corn husks and place them in a large bowl. Fill with warm water to cover and set aside.
  • To form the dough, combine tamal, water, and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Mix using your hands until a soft paste-like dough is formed. 
  • Drain corn husks and carefully pat dry. Prepare your workstation by laying out several corn husks next to the dough and filling. Place steamer rack in Instant Pot and add 1 cup water. 
  • To fill the corn husks, use your fingers or back of a spoon to spread an even layer of the dough in the middle of the husk. Arrange a small amount of meat (or another filling) down the center of dough. Carefully fold the corn husks closed by pressing dough together, then rolling the husk, and folding the bottom. Place in Instant Pot standing up.
  • To cook tamales, secure the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position. Steam at high heat for 20 minutes. 
  • To serve, unroll tamales from the husk and top with tomatillo salsa, guacamole, and refried beans.

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Comments

  3. Laura

    Hi – by (the ingredient) tamal, do you mean masa? Isn’t tamal the singular of tamales? I’m confused by what ingredients I need for this recipe!

    Reply

  12. Julie

    I’ve always wanted to make tamales, but I have never done it. Maybe I can try your recipe, my family loves this type of food. I’ve really got to get myself an instant pot, I keep hearing about them!

    Reply

  17. Marcie

    5 stars
    I’ve never been too impressed with tamales, but I think I just haven’t had GOOD ones before. This recipe looks awesome and I’m excited to try! Plus, any excuse to use my Instant Pot!

    Reply

  20. Marysa

    I absolutely love tamales, but I’ve never made them before. This sounds like a really easy way to make them in the instant pot. I’ll have to give this a try sometime!

    Reply

  21. Karla Cook

    I keep hearing about the Instant Pot but it’s not something I’ve used before. Sounds like it would be a very handy appliance to have. Your tamale recipe looks yummy!

    Reply

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