Can You Freeze Tamales?
You can safely freeze tamales but they should be wrapped properly and stored in freezer-safe containers or bags to retain their quality for a longer time. Properly stored tamales can retain quality for up to 6 to 7 months without any change in the texture and flavor.
If you would like to freeze the tamales, you would have to tightly wrap them in plastic wrap, and then put them into a freezer-safe bag. Just make sure you wrap the steaming tamales tightly in plastic wrap and store in a sealed container when putting in the freezer. You should wrap tamales first with plastic, and then put them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Once you have prepared the prepared Tamales, regardless of if you used the wrapper or not, put the Tamales/Tamale Filling in the freezer bag or in an airtight container.
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Get a baking sheet, spray or rub some cooking oil or butter onto the sheet, then lay down your homemade tamales (husks removed). To reheat, individually unwrap each tamale and roast in 350F, 180C oven until heated through, about 20-25 minutes. If you do not want to wait overnight to allow tamales to thaw, you can defrost and heat the tamales directly from the freezer.
It is also faster to heat pre-cooked frozen tamales once thawed, saving you lots of time. It is best if you never thaw frozen tamales at room temperature, as this can ruin the texture and taste. The raw frozen ingredients in the tamales can taste different after spending long periods of time in the freezer and when they are thawed.
Freeze-cooked tamales also mean the flavors in the fillings were frozen in the strongest flavors, so little changes when they are heated. When you freeze cooked tamales, the flavors from the fillings have been frozen at their peak of flavor, so when you heat them up, the taste and texture are very similar to when they were first cooked.
It is best to freeze cooked tamales, because the fillings that are not cooked can have a different taste and texture when frozen, so freezing the tamales once cooked really preserves the most flavors, textures, and qualities. As long as the cooked tamales are wrapped up and frozen correctly, both uncooked and cooked tamales can last for up to 6 months in the freezer.
You can freeze cooked or uncooked tamales, provided that you have followed proper freezing practices, which will guarantee a simple cooking experience when defrosting. If you are freezing the tamales wrapped, you can prepare tamales from frozen in the steamer, not first defrosting.
| Types of Tamales | How To Freeze Them | How To Defrost Them |
| Freezing Raw Tamales | Separate the Masa and the Fillings and Freeze separately | Defrost in the fridge before shaping them to cook. |
| Freezing Cooked Tamales | Cool the Tamales to room temperature, pack, seal and freeze in portions | Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours |
Although, with proper techniques and preparation, you can prepare tamales ahead of time and store uncooked in a freezer for cooking later. In any case, with the right strategy, you can make the tamales early and store uncooked lumps in the freezer to be cooked at a later time.
Cooked tamales are usually more frequently frozen than uncooked ones, because it is easier to make large quantities and freeze the leftovers. For homemade frozen tamales, you can either prepare them in the steamer, in the microwave, in the oven, or in the cooker. Once you cook your tamales, you will need to make sure to package them correctly and thoroughly to freeze, since the initial wrapper of the corn husks is far too fragile to hold up under intense freezer temperatures. Homemade Tamales must be packed properly, as their original corn husk wrapping is too flimsy to withstand against the intense cold.
While some recommend tamales must be unwrapped before freezing, since freezing will destroy the cornhusk wrapper, this does not appear necessary. Without a freezer-safe container, a tamale can get damaged from ice crystals and freezing, which can change the texture and flavor drastically, and tamales simply do not taste the same once they are defrosted and cooked. Most tamale fillings tend to freeze pretty well, provided that you do the right steps it might require, and some may be easier than others.
Freezing tamales requires quite a bit of prep time, making it a very challenging task for busy individuals. Tamales traditionally require hours of cooking, so making batches and freezing a large portion afterward is a good way to save time. You can also thaw them overnight in the refrigerator then bake them like normal, but that takes longer due to prep work.
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Once they are cooled, you can either store cooked tamales in a ziplock bag or in a plastic food storage container in the fridge, where they will keep 4 days to one week, or you can freeze them. Freshly steamed tamales hold heat very well, so let about an hour or two pass before moving to a Ziplock bag or plastic tub for storage. If you would like your tamales to have that freshly-made flavor, wrap them with some fresh corn leaves before placing in the freezer.
It is really important to remember that it is really hard to get Tamales to taste just like they did on day one when you cooked them. If you store your Tamales in a properly freezerd environment, they will remain at their best version for approximately three to six months. The cooking method for tamales Tamales are very freeze-friendly, and they can last for a half-year in the freezer. In fact, due to the way tamales are wrapped tight with corn or banana leaves, Tamales can be frozen and stored up to 6 months.
To freeze tamales without cooking, you can pack the filling into corn husk wrappings, or you can pack the batch of fillings unwrapped into a sealed container. Depending on your personal preference, and whether or not you have corn husks handy, you can pack tamale filling into husks now, or freeze filling so that it is added to a husk when it is thawed. To do a freezer version, you would simply prepare the filling the way you normally would, then pack the tamale filling in a husk wrapper, or simply pack up your entire batch without wrapper, and put in your freezer. It is probably easiest to steam the entire batch of tamales all at once, separate out those that you will need right away, and then freeze the rest.
How do you properly freeze tamales?
Tamales wrapped in foil can be frozen, and the tamales can be firmly wrapped in aluminum foil as an alternative to plastic wrap. The tamales must be sealed tightly in a large freezer bag after being covered in aluminum foil.