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    Home » Recipes » Dinner Recipes

    Published: Dec 20, 2021 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    Turkey Tamales

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    promotional graphic for turkey tamales

    Allow me to preface this by quickly saying that these are NOT a traditional tamales recipe. They are, however, easy and delicious turkey tamales made with leftover Thanksgiving meat.

    These Thanksgiving tamales may be the thing that I look forward to after my yearly feast. While I don't enjoy the several hours of prep, it's the deliciously soft dough and meaty filling inside every corn husk that has me making my dining table into an assembly line year after year.

    I enjoy taking my Dry Brined Turkey and turning it into several meals following Thanksgiving but my favorite "after feast" meals are Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup, Turkey Dumpling Soup, and these Leftover Turkey Tamales.

    Why This Recipe Works

    1. Great for using up leftovers. These tamales are incredibly versatile and pretty great for a budget-friendly meal too!
    2. Fluffy and easy to make. Making tamales is a time consuming event, but the steps and prep work is all very simple and repetitive.
    3. You can swap out the turkey for chicken. Don't have enough holiday meat left over? That's okay! You can just use some shredded chicken instead.
    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍽 Equipment Needed
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🧾 Substitutions
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Storage
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe

    🥘 Ingredients

    For the Dough, you will need:

    Masa Harina- You can buy a big bag of this for fairly cheap in the baking aisle or the international aisle in your local grocery store.

    Lard- Traditionally, lard is used, but we can get the same results from using regular shortening.

    Chicken Broth- Use chicken broth to moisten the dough while leaving some good flavor in the dough.

    Taco Seasoning Mix- We add a little taco seasoning to make sure there are plenty of flavors.

    Corn Husks- You will need to prep some corn husks in warm water before using them. This will make them much easier to fold and fill.

    For the Turkey Filling, you will need:

    Olive Oil- Use olive oil to cook the onions and garlic until soft.

    Onion- Onions will give our filling a better depth of flavor.

    Garlic- Garlic is a great flavor enhancer. You can use fresh or jarred minced garlic.

    Chicken Broth- Adding in some broth will help to moisten the filling, so these tamales don't turn out dry.

    Cooked Turkey- Use leftover turkey, or even shredded chicken will work fine here.

    Taco Seasoning Mix- You can DIY taco seasoning to use or buy taco seasoning packets from the store.

    For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    • Large Pot
    • Metal Tongs
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Steamer Basket

    🔪 Instructions

    Check out how to make turkey tamales with these simple step-by-step instructions:

    Prep

    Soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, 20 min; drain.

    Dough

    Mix masa and taco seasoning together in a bowl. Stir in crisco or lard into masa mixture.

    Add in the broth or water, 1 cup at a time, to the masa mixture until dough is smooth and the consistency of thick peanut butter. You may not need it all.

    Turkey Filling

    Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; saute onion and garlic until softened and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

    Remove skillet from heat and add turkey, taco seasoning packet. Stir reserved ½ cup turkey broth into filling until moistened.

    Return to heat and stir until the seasoning looks dissolved and there is no water running around on the pan.

    Assembly

    Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon the dough in the center of each corn husk.

    masa spread in flattened corn husk

    Top filling with 1 heaping tablespoon filling.

    meat topped masa in flattened corn husk

    Roll husk around dough and filling, tucking bottom of husk into tamale.

    Tie a corn husk strip or string around each tamale to secure. Making these ties is actually optional, I just think it looks pretty. If you want to omit this step, just fold the bottom over and make sure to have enough in the basket to keep the tamales upright.

    a turkey tamale tied up and ready for the steamer basket

    Cook

    Place a steamer basket insert into a large pot and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer.

    Bring water to a boil. Stand tamales upright in the steamer, cover, and steam until cooked through, about 1 hour. Add more water as needed to keep the pan from running dry.

    Serve with warmed enchilada sauce, mole, or sauce of choosing.

    🧾 Substitutions

    Chicken broth. If you don't wish to use chicken broth or don't have any on hand, water can be used instead. while the tamales may not have as much flavor, they will still taste incredible.

    Lard. This can be an inconvenient purchase if you don't use it much and while you could buy a small container of it exclusively for this recipe, you could just as easily use the plain flavored Crisco shortening already in your pantry.

    Cooked Turkey. If you don't have cooked turkey on hand, you can use cooked chicken instead. Just make sure to watch out for bones and to remove the skin from any meat source you choose.

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    Recipe Scaling

    You can scale this leftover tamales recipe up or down as needed but you will need to make sure that there are enough tamales to stand upright in your steamer basket. If there are large gaps causing your tamales to fall over, roll up some balls of aluminum foil and place them in the basket next to the tamales to act as a brace.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Storage

    These easy tamales are great for storing in an airtight container for up to a few days after being cooked. Reheat them for a simple meal throughout the week. My husband and I usually eat them for several days as a late-night snack or easy lunch option.

    Cooked tamales last for about 4-7 days when stored properly.

    💭 FAQs

    What to serve with tamales

    Traditionally, tamales are served with just rice and beans because they are considered easy on-the-go street foods, but for a sit-down meal you can serve them up with anything from Mexican rice to tortilla chips, jalapeno cornbread, and cilantro lime rice, or black beans.
    As far as condiments go, you can top your tamales with ranchero sauce, mole, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, red chili sauce (or my personal favorite) enchilada sauce.

    How to reheat tamales

    To reheat your tamales in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap each tamale with foil so that no air can escape. Place them on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking process.

    Do you microwave tamales in the corn husk?

    You can choose to do with or without. I always remove the husk because I can fit more tamales on a plate and it saves me effort later. But you can leave the husk on if desired. Place the tamales on a plate and leave space between each so that they are not touching. Microwave for about 3-5 minutes depending on how many you're reheating and the strength of your microwave.

    More great Dinner recipes to check out soon

    • Air Fryer Tostadas
    • Instant Pot Taco Zucchini Boats
    • Easy Dorito Taco Salad
    • Taquitos Enchiladas
    • Loaded Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)
    • Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

    📖 Recipe

    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Turkey Tamales

    While these are NOT a traditional tamales recipe, they are easy turkey tamales made with leftover Thanksgiving meat. Deliciously soft dough and meaty filling inside every corn husks. This recipe makes 36 tamales.
    Prep Time 2 hrs
    Cook Time 1 hr
    Total Time 3 hrs
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 108kcal
    Cost Recipe $11.90 / Serving $0.99
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Large Pot
    • Metal Tongs
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Mixing Bowls
    • Steamer Basket

    Ingredients

    For the Dough:

    • 3 cups Masa Harina ($0.62)
    • 1 cup Crisco or Lard ($0.70)
    • 2.5 cups Chicken Broth or Water ($0.76)
    • 1 packet Taco Seasoning Mix ($0.44)
    • 7 ounce Package Corn Husks ($3.98)

    For the Turkey Filling:

    • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil ($0.13)
    • 1 Onion, Finely Chopped (1cup) ($0.70)
    • ½ cup Chicken Broth ($0.31)
    • 2 cloves Garlic, Minced ($0.18)
    • 3 ½ cups Finely Chopped Cooked Turkey ($3.64)
    • 1 packet Taco Seasoning Mix ($0.44)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Prep

    • Soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, 20 min; drain.

    Dough

    • Mix masa and taco seasoning together in a bowl. Stir in crisco or lard into masa mixture.
    • Add in the broth or water, 1 cup at a time, to the masa mixture until dough is smooth and the consistency of thick peanut butter. You may not need it all.

    Turkey Filling

    • Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; saute onion and garlic until softened and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Remove skillet from heat and add turkey, taco seasoning packet. Stir reserved ½ cup turkey broth into filling until moistened.
    • Return to heat and stir until the seasoning looks dissolved and there is no water running around on the pan.

    Assembly

    • Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon the dough in the center of each corn husk.
    • Top filling with 1 heaping tablespoon filling.
    • Roll husk around dough and filling, tucking bottom of husk into tamale.
    • Tie a corn husk strip or string around each tamale to secure. Making these ties is actually optional, I just think it looks pretty. If you want to omit this step, just fold the bottom over and make sure to have enough in the basket to keep the tamales upright.

    Cook

    • Place a steamer basket insert into a large pot and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer.
    • Bring water to a boil. Stand tamales upright in the steamer, cover, and steam until cooked through, about 1 hour. Add more water as needed to keep the pan from running dry.
    • Serve with warmed enchilada sauce, mole, or sauce of choosing.

    Notes

    What to serve with tamales

    Tamales are usually served with rice and beans but you can choose to serve yours with anything you'd like. Some examples include anything from Mexican rice to tortilla chips, jalapeno cornbread, and cilantro lime rice, or black beans.
    As far as condiments go, you can top your tamales with ranchero sauce, mole, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, red chili sauce (or my personal favorite) red enchilada sauce.

    Storage

    These easy tamales are great for storing in an airtight container for up to a few days after being cooked. Cooked tamales last for about 4-7 days when stored properly.

    Reheating

    Oven method
    To reheat your tamales in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap each tamale with foil so that no air can escape. Place them on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking process.
    Microwave
    Remove the husks or leave them on as desired. Place the tamales on a plate and leave space between each so that they are not touching. Microwave for about 3-5 minutes depending on how many you're reheating and the strength of your microwave.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 3tamales | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course dinner
    Cuisine American, Mexican
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.

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    I'm Nicole and I am the owner and recipe developer here at Beeyond Cereal. I love saving money and one of the best places to trim expenses is in the kitchen. With this site, we are serving up tasty and frugal homemade dishes that the whole family will enjoy.

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