Oaxacan cheese tamales wrap Chihuahua cheese and jalapeños in masa, then steam in corn husks for 90 minutes—no filling leaks out.
Cheese Tamales with Jalapeños
Warm up your chilly days with these delightful Cheese Tamales packed with zesty jalapeños! Whip up a batch using velvety cheese and fresh masa, then steam them to perfection for a comforting treat that’s ideal for holiday gatherings. Share the love (and the flavors) with friends and family!
Prep
15
min
Cook
45
min
Serves
36
people
Level
intermediate
The Story
Tamales predate the Aztecs by a good two thousand years—Mesoamerican farmers were wrapping masa in corn husks around 8000 BC, long before Monterrey Jack cheese existed, because that's a Spanish colonial dairy trick bolted on after 1521. So this Jalisco-meets-Wisconsin situation is really a five-hundred-year-old fusion dish wearing a jalapeño disguise, and nobody told your local taqueria.
Regional Twist
Up in Monterrey itself, cooks ditch the canned jalapeños entirely and stuff these with rajas of roasted poblano instead, swapping some of that chicken broth for beer to give the masa a yeasty backbone that pairs properly with the cheese.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 36🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- Some corn husks
- 2 cups of water (add more if needed) (480 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 4 cups chicken broth (960 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- Monterrey Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)optionalcheese of choice
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 5 tsp baking powder (25 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 tsp salt (10 ml)
📦Other(4)
- Canned jalapeños
- Fresh jalapeños (optional)optional
- 1 1/2 cups lard (360 ml)
- 6 cups masa (I'm using Maseca for Tamales) (1.44 L)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
138
Protein
3g
Carbs
15g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Start by making the masa. In a mixer, add one and a half cups of lard and beat for three to five minutes until fluffy.
- 2
Add two teaspoons of salt and five teaspoons of baking powder, and beat for about a minute.
- 3
Add one cup of masa for every cup of warm liquid. Use four cups of chicken broth and mix until all broth is used.
- 4
Add two cups of water, mixing until well combined. The masa should float when tested in water.
- 5
Soak corn husks overnight or for a few hours until soft. Pat them dry.
- 6
Spread masa on the soft side of the husk, add Monterrey Jack cheese and jalapeños, then fold the tamales.
- 7
Place the tamales standing up in a steamer with a layer of husks at the bottom, cover with a wet kitchen towel.
- 8
Cook on low-medium heat for 45 minutes.
- 9
Tamales are ready when they slip off the husk.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Beat lard for 3-5 minutes until it reaches a pale, fluffy consistency with 40-50% air incorporation; this creates steam pockets that leaven the masa without relying solely on baking powder.technique3-5 minutes, 40-50% air incorporation
- ✓Maintain a 1:1 masa-to-liquid ratio (6 cups masa to ~6 cups combined liquid) because masa flour absorbs approximately 60-65% of its weight in water; exceeding this causes dense, gummy tamales.ingredient1:1 ratio, 60-65% absorption rate
- ✓Test masa float after mixing by dropping a small ball into cold water—it should float immediately because proper aeration creates a bulk density below 1.0 g/cm³, indicating sufficient air and moisture.techniqueDensity <1.0 g/cm³
- ✓Steam tamales at a rolling boil (212°F) for exactly 45-50 minutes; the masa continues gelatinizing up to 65°C (149°F) internal temperature, and undercooking leaves a wet, doughy center.timing45-50 minutes, 65°C (149°F) internal temp
- ✓Place a wet kitchen towel directly over tamales (not the pot lid) to trap steam while allowing excess moisture to escape; this prevents condensation drip that saturates the top layer of masa.equipmentWet towel barrier
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
45
min
Serves
36
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Oaxacan cheese tamales wrap Chihuahua cheese and jalapeños in masa, then steam in corn husks for 90 minutes—no filling leaks out.
Cheese Tamales with Jalapeños
Warm up your chilly days with these delightful Cheese Tamales packed with zesty jalapeños! Whip up a batch using velvety cheese and fresh masa, then steam them to perfection for a comforting treat that’s ideal for holiday gatherings. Share the love (and the flavors) with friends and family!
The Story
Tamales predate the Aztecs by a good two thousand years—Mesoamerican farmers were wrapping masa in corn husks around 8000 BC, long before Monterrey Jack cheese existed, because that's a Spanish colonial dairy trick bolted on after 1521. So this Jalisco-meets-Wisconsin situation is really a five-hundred-year-old fusion dish wearing a jalapeño disguise, and nobody told your local taqueria.
Regional Twist
Up in Monterrey itself, cooks ditch the canned jalapeños entirely and stuff these with rajas of roasted poblano instead, swapping some of that chicken broth for beer to give the masa a yeasty backbone that pairs properly with the cheese.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 36🥬Fresh Produce(2)
- Some corn husks
- 2 cups of water (add more if needed) (480 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 4 cups chicken broth (960 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- Monterrey Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)optionalcheese of choice
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 5 tsp baking powder (25 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 2 tsp salt (10 ml)
📦Other(4)
- Canned jalapeños
- Fresh jalapeños (optional)optional
- 1 1/2 cups lard (360 ml)
- 6 cups masa (I'm using Maseca for Tamales) (1.44 L)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
138
Protein
3g
Carbs
15g
Fat
8g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Start by making the masa. In a mixer, add one and a half cups of lard and beat for three to five minutes until fluffy.
- 2
Add two teaspoons of salt and five teaspoons of baking powder, and beat for about a minute.
- 3
Add one cup of masa for every cup of warm liquid. Use four cups of chicken broth and mix until all broth is used.
- 4
Add two cups of water, mixing until well combined. The masa should float when tested in water.
- 5
Soak corn husks overnight or for a few hours until soft. Pat them dry.
- 6
Spread masa on the soft side of the husk, add Monterrey Jack cheese and jalapeños, then fold the tamales.
- 7
Place the tamales standing up in a steamer with a layer of husks at the bottom, cover with a wet kitchen towel.
- 8
Cook on low-medium heat for 45 minutes.
- 9
Tamales are ready when they slip off the husk.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Beat lard for 3-5 minutes until it reaches a pale, fluffy consistency with 40-50% air incorporation; this creates steam pockets that leaven the masa without relying solely on baking powder.technique3-5 minutes, 40-50% air incorporation
- ✓Maintain a 1:1 masa-to-liquid ratio (6 cups masa to ~6 cups combined liquid) because masa flour absorbs approximately 60-65% of its weight in water; exceeding this causes dense, gummy tamales.ingredient1:1 ratio, 60-65% absorption rate
- ✓Test masa float after mixing by dropping a small ball into cold water—it should float immediately because proper aeration creates a bulk density below 1.0 g/cm³, indicating sufficient air and moisture.techniqueDensity <1.0 g/cm³
- ✓Steam tamales at a rolling boil (212°F) for exactly 45-50 minutes; the masa continues gelatinizing up to 65°C (149°F) internal temperature, and undercooking leaves a wet, doughy center.timing45-50 minutes, 65°C (149°F) internal temp
- ✓Place a wet kitchen towel directly over tamales (not the pot lid) to trap steam while allowing excess moisture to escape; this prevents condensation drip that saturates the top layer of masa.equipmentWet towel barrier