Sweet Strawberry Tamales Recipe (Tamal de Fresa)
Strawberry tamales are a sweet Mexican tamal with a pink masa dough filled with homemade strawberry jam. They’re soft, fruity, and a fun change of pace from savory tamales, perfect with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate or atole.
Quick Answer: What Are Strawberry Tamales?
Strawberry tamales are sweet Mexican tamales with pink masa dough filled with homemade strawberry jam, not the same as traditional pink tamales, which are made with raisins instead of fruit. They’re a soft, fruity treat perfect with Mexican hot chocolate or atole.
Recipe at a Glance
- What it is: Sweet tamales made with strawberry jam filling and a pink masa dough.
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Dish type: Dessert/ sweet tamales
- Difficulty: Medium
- Ready in: 2 hours 5 minutes (stovetop steaming)
- Method: Stovetop, Instant Pot (with steamer insert)
- Key ingredients: Masa harina, fresh strawberries, vegan butter, soy milk, corn husks, pink food coloring
- Flavor: Sweet, fruity, light, delicate, creamy
- Best for: Christmas, Las Posadas, Día de la Candelaria, New Year’s, family gatherings, sweet tamale sampler platters
Strawberry Tamales
Imagine a soft tamale that combines the traditional airy texture of masa dough with delicious, sweet and juicy fresh strawberries.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Just like savory tamales, sweet tamales are such a treat and there are countless variations in flavors. From traditional ones to a modern and delightful twist on traditional tamales like the cheese and guava paste tamales recipe in my tamales cookbook.
Basically, if you can dream a dessert tamales flavor you can make it.
These strawberry tamales are one of the more popular sweet flavors. It really is no wonder because they’re packed full of fruity taste. If you’ve never had a sweet tamal then these strawberry ones are a great place to start.
I didn’t grow up eating strawberry tamales. My mom made the traditional pink sweet tamal instead, no fruit filling. I first tried strawberry tamales with a friend from Mexico City, who grew up eating them and sold them as a side hustle alongside her savory flavors.
I was eager to taste them, and they didn’t disappoint. They smelled like fresh strawberries, and when I sliced into one, warm strawberry jam oozed out from the fluffy, tender masa.
I never got her recipe, so I experimented over the next six years until I got the balance of masa and jam just right.
For another strawberry treat, try this carlota de fresa, a creamy Mexican icebox cake layered with Maria cookies.
Popular Sweet Tamale Flavors
Besides these strawberry tamales there are other popular sweet tamales flavors.
- Tamales Dulces (Pink Tamales): These are the traditional sweet tamales, a bright pink color with raisins mixed into the dough, no fruit filling like these strawberry ones.
- Tamales de Piña: Pineapple tamales are made with chunks of pineapple mixed into the dough. I have a recipe you may enjoy.
- Tamales de Chocolate: These sweet tamales have either chopped chocolate or cocoa powder mixed into the dough. Sometimes nuts are also included.
- Tamales de Zarzamora: Blackberry tamales sometimes also have cream cheese mixed in.
- Uchepos or Tamal de elote: These green corn tamales are made with fresh, tender corn kernels and are a must try!
- Tamales de Cajeta: Made with sweet goat milk caramel sauce, sometimes it’s called Mexican dulce de leche. They may also have pecans and cream cheese mixed in.
- Tamales de Calabaza: Pumpkin tamales have become popular over the last few years. They are more of a Mexican-American fusion, yet still delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Tamales Recipe
• Real strawberry flavor, not just food coloring. The homemade jam filling means every bite actually tastes like strawberries, not just sweet corn dough.
• Works for vegan and vegetarian tables alike. One recipe, two easy swaps, so you’re not making separate desserts for different diets.
• A fun way to try sweet tamales for the first time. If you’ve only ever had savory tamales, this is an easy, approachable place to start.
• Perfect for holiday spreads. They hold their own next to Mexican hot chocolate or atole and don’t require last-minute prep the day of.
Are These Tamales Vegan?
Yes, this is a vegan tamales recipe, perfect for anyone looking for a sweet plant-based or dairy-free tamales option. We won’t be using any animal products in this recipe. Check the ingredients list below.
Can These Strawberry Tamales Be Made Vegetarian?
Absolutely! Many people make these sweet tamales a vegetarian recipe using dairy butter instead of vegan butter. If you’re ever offered sweet tamales elsewhere, it’s worth asking whether lard or butter was used.
🍓Strawberry Tamales Ingredients
A short note regarding the tamale dough: My recipe uses masa harina, and though you can absolutely make them with fresh masa, I use the corn flour in my recipes because many people don’t have access to a Latino supermarket to buy fresh masa.
• Fresh Strawberries: We’ll be making our own strawberry jam filling so the fresher the better.
• Water: For the strawberry jam base
• Corn Starch: This is to help thicken the homemade jam a bit.
• Vanilla Extract: To flavor the strawberry jam and tamale dough.
• Vegan Cane Sugar: Vegan sugar means it hasn’t been refined with animal bones. An alternative would be light brown sugar.
• Vegan Butter: For the vegetarian strawberry tamales use regular unsalted dairy butter or margarine.
• Baking Powder: This is to help make the tamale dough light and airy.
• Salt: To bring out the flavors.
• Vegan Pink or Red Food Coloring: Some natural red dyes, like carmine or cochineal extract, are made from crushed insects. Check the label if you want to keep this vegan, or omit the coloring altogether, the tamales will still taste delicious.
• Masa Harina: I use the one specifically for tamales.
• Soy Milk: Unsweetened kind. You could also use almond milk but I prefer the soy because it’s thicker and I like the results better. For vegetarian version use whole fat milk.
• Corn Husks: Sweet tamales are wrapped in corn husks rather than banana leaves.
Ingredient Notes
If you don’t want to do a homemade strawberry jam then you can use a big jar or a couple jars of store-bought kind. I would actually suggest buying strawberry preserves and the highest quality you can budget for. This will ensure your tamales are delicious.
Instead of vegan butter you could use firm coconut oil, just make sure it’s refined coconut oil so it doesn’t have a coconut taste.
Some people like to mix in chopped strawberries into the tamale dough.
There are also many people that like to add a dollop of cream cheese to the center of the dough with the strawberry jam. For dairy cream cheese, Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a perfect brand. For vegan cream cheese you need to make sure it’s a brand that doesn’t melt into an oil once heated. I hear Tofutti cream cheese is a good option.
How to Make Strawberry Tamales
Making your own tamales isn’t difficult. Once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll get the hang of it and want to make them often. I have lots of experience, so feel free to reach out with questions anytime.
Step 1: Make The Strawberry Jam
Pour a little water into a saucepan, then add the chopped strawberries, vanilla, and sugar. Simmer over medium-low heat until the strawberries break down, mashing larger pieces if needed.
Mix the cornstarch with a little water, stir it in, and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes until thickened. Cool completely before using, ideally a few hours or overnight.
Step 2: Prepare The Corn Husks
Sort through the dried corn husks and remove any dirt or damaged pieces. Rinse well, then soak in warm water for a few hours until soft and pliable.
Step 3: Make The Sweet Tamales Masa
Whip the butter and sugar until creamed. Mix in the baking powder, salt, vanilla, and food coloring if using.
Add the masa harina gradually, mixing on medium speed, then add the milk little by little until smooth, creamy, and airy. (Try the masa float test if you’d like.) Fold in chopped strawberries here if you want them in the dough.
Step 4: Make The Tamales
Drain the corn husks well. With the smooth side up, spread a couple tablespoons of masa on the wider end, leaving the edges bare.
Add a heaping tablespoon of jam to the center (top it with cream cheese here if using). Fold the corn husk, bringing the long sides together, then fold up the narrow end. Repeat until you’re out of masa and filling.
Step 5: Steam The Tamales
Add water to your steamer pot, place tamales upright and open-side up, and don’t pack them too tightly. Cover with foil (a small vent hole helps), then secure the lid.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and steam 45 minutes. Test one: let it rest 8 minutes, and if it peels cleanly from the husk, they’re done. If not, steam another 15 minutes and check again.
How to Serve
Oh the best part, eating your homemade tamales!
You can serve a delicious strawberry tamale with fresh strawberry slices, a dollop of cream sauce using the sweet version of my dairy-free Mexican sour cream recipe. Additionally a drizzle of just strawberry jam on top is quite delicious, whipped cream would taste wonderful as well.
To drink Mexican hot chocolate goes great, as would champurrado, or strawberry atole would be yummy.
These tamales are perfect for serving at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Las Posadas, New Year’s, and el Día de la Candelaria, or whenever you’re craving sweet tamales. Building a tamales spread for the holidays? Pair these with savory options like bean and cheese tamales or jalapeño and Chihuahua cheese tamales for something for everyone.
How to Store
Allow the tamales to come to room temperature then you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 7 days if no dairy was used. If dairy was used store for up to 4 days.
These tamales can also be stored in freezer bags and frozen for up to 3 months.
For more tamales storing tips make sure to read my guide: How to Store Tamales.
How to Reheat
To reheat leftover cooked tamales place them in the steamer pot for 10 minutes. Or you can also microwave them for a couple of minutes.
If reheating cooked frozen tamales, defrost first then put in the steamer pot for 20 minutes then check.
For more tips on reheating tamales do read my guide: How to Reheat Tamales.
Strawberry Tamales Tips
Here are some great tips to ensure that your homemade strawberry tamales turn out perfect and delicious!
- Sweet tamales are made small, so don’t make them too big.
- Make sure strawberry filling, or the jam, is cooled completely. You can make it the day before, refrigerate and next day it’ll be cold and thicker.
- The butter and milk should be at room temperature to help ingredients better combine.
- I like to use my handheld electric mixer but you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if desired. Or the old-fashioned way is to mix by hand.
- The strawberry jam can become a bit runny once heated so press the seam of the tamales corn husks to create a secure pocket.
- You can lay extra corn husks on the steamer tray before standing the tamales up inside the steamer pot.
- If you don’t own a tamalera, or tamale steamer pot, you can also use a regular large pot with a steamer basket. You can also cook these tamales in the Instant Pot using the steamer insert. Read my guide How to Steam Tamales Without a Steamer.
- Instead of using the aluminum foil you can add a layer of corn husks over the top of the tamales then secure the lid and steam.
Sweet Strawberry Tamales Recipe
Amigos, there are lots of different ways to make strawberry tamales, but this jam-filled version is the one I landed on after years of testing. As someone who prefers savory tamales over sweet ones, let me tell you, these are really good!
Every time I make them I make a small batch and always end up wishing I had doubled or tripled the recipe. So, I really do think you’re going to also enjoy these sweet tamales.
Let me know if you have any questions, I’m always happy to help!
Buen provecho!
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
Strawberry Tamales Recipe (Tamal de Fresa)
Video
Equipment
- hand held mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam Ingredients
- 2 lbs. strawberries leaves removed and roughly chopped
- ⅛ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup cane sugar vegan
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
Strawberry Tamales Ingredients
- 6.50 oz. salted butter vegan butter (or dairy butter for vegetarian)
- ½ cup cane sugar vegan
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon vegan pink or red food coloring to start and optional
- ¾ lbs. masa harina the kind for Tamales
- 2 cups unsweetened soy milk or whole fat milk
- 16 to 18 corn husks
Instructions
Strawberry Jam Instructions
- Pour water into a pot or saucepan then add the strawberries, vanilla extract and sugar. Simmer until strawberries begin to break down.
- Mix cornstarch with a little bit of water until fully dissolved. Mix into the strawberry mixture and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the jam has thickened. Remove a tablespoon from the pot, allow to cool and if it thickens up it’s ready.
- Pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely before using. Cooling overnight is best or at least for a few hours.
Strawberry Tamales Instructions
- Sort through the corn husks and remove any dirt, debris or damages husks. Rinse thoroughly then leave to soak in warm or hot water in the sink or in a very large container.
- Whip the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy and airy. Add the baking powder and salt and mix until well combined. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the food coloring and mix until well combined. You can check the color and add more now if you want a brighter color. Or wait until you’ve mixed in the masa harina then add more coloring.
- Add in the masa harina gradually and mix until well combined. Start pouring in the milk gradually and mixing it into the masa dough. Gradually add more milk as needed until you have a smooth, creamy, airy and easy to spread masa. The consistency will be like creamy peanut butter, not too thick and not too runny.
- Drain the corn husks and shake off or pat dry to remove any excess water.
- Lay a corn husks with the smooth, shiny side up then drop a couple tablespoons of the tamale masa onto it. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it on the top wider end of the husk. Try not to go all the way to the top or side edges and the bottom tapered part shouldn’t have any masa. Please reference the video or photos for a visual guide.
- Next add a heaping tablespoon of cooled strawberry jam into the middle of dough (if you’re using cream cheese add it on top of the jam).
- Grab both long sides of the corn husk and bring them towards the center to fold on top of each other. Now fold the narrow end up towards the top. If you’d like you can use a corn husk strip to tie around the tamal for decorative purposes or to help distinguish them from other tamales you may be making at the same time.
- Repeat until all of the masa and filling has been used up. Don’t make the tamales too big. I ended up with 16 medium-small tamales.
- Fill the tamale steamer pot with water to the indicated water level. Secure the steaming rack then arrange the tamales, open side up, inside of the pot. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, cut a small whole in the center then secure the pot’s lid in place.
- Place on the stove over medium-high heat and allow to come to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat down to medium-low and steam for 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove a tamal form the pot and allow to cool for 8 minutes. Unwrap and if it peels away from the corn husk easily then they tamales are cooked through. If not, steam for another 15 minutes. Then enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Pro Tips
Nutrition
FAQ About Strawberry Tamales
Is there dairy in this recipe?
Not by default. This recipe uses vegan butter and soy milk, so it’s dairy-free as written. If you’d like the vegetarian version, swap in regular dairy butter and whole milk instead.
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?
Yes, frozen strawberries work well for the jam filling, especially outside of strawberry season. Thaw them first and drain off any excess liquid before simmering, since frozen berries release more water than fresh ones.
Can I assemble the tamales ahead and freeze them unsteamed?
Yes, you can assemble these tamales and freeze them unsteamed to cook later. My full guide on storing tamales covers exactly how to freeze them uncooked, plus how long they’ll keep.
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Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-born published cookbook author and recipe developer with 20+ years of cooking experience. Raised in the U.S. and now living in North-Central Mexico, she creates authentic vegan and vegetarian Mexican recipes rooted in tradition and tested for real home kitchens. Read more…
