Sweet Tamales (Tamales Dulces)

Sweet tamales or tamales dulces are tender, pink colored, and filled with plump raisins and chopped pecans, with a hint of vanilla and a light sweetness. My family has been making them for generations, always present at our holiday table alongside the traditional savory red and green salsa tamales. They’re a must-try!

Tamales Dulces

Typically when Mexicans think of sweet tamales, a bright pink colored masa with raisins throughout is what pops into their minds.

But amigos tamales dulces, or sweet tamales, are way more than those pink ones!

One of my favorite sweet tamales is strawberry tamales, drizzled with homemade strawberry jam.

There are so many delicious variations to these sweet masa pockets, some are traditional flavors, but there’s plenty of modern takes too. Have you seen the Gansito stuffed ones? It’s wild how creative people get, I love it!

The Traditional Mexican Pink Tamales

Tamales dulces are one of the most traditional tamales in Mexican families, passed down for generations with unique family touches depending on the region of Mexico.

I have very vivid memories of my mom making the pretty pink colored tamales every Christmas. She’d make the typical pork with red salsa and chicken with salsa verde, then sweet pink tamales for dessert.

One of my favorite ways to eat her sweet tamales was with a warm cup of chocolate caliente. It was such a perfect, sweet ending to my tamales feast. Once I started making tamales on my own, I taught myself how to make vegetarian and vegan versions of my mom’s tamales.

The most traditional Mexican cooks make sweet tamales with pork lard, water, and an animal-based red food dye. In my over 20 years of making tamales, I have adapted the recipe to fit both a vegan and vegetarian diet with small swaps.

Instead of lard, I use regular or dairy-free butter or margarine. Instead of water, I like to use regular milk or plant milk, and for the pink food dye, I use one that’s vegan friendly. These are minor changes to the traditional recipe, but you’d never know the tamales are vegan!

By the way, the red food color doesn’t add flavor to the tamales, it’s just the pretty pink color. Over the years I’ve experimented with other natural dyes, like beet powder, but the food dye is what works best for the traditional color. You could of course omit it altogether without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Ingredient Tips

Choosing your fat: Finding vegan butter for me is oftentimes difficult, so a margarine made with plant-based ingredients is my next choice. It gives the same “buttery” taste to the tamales. In a pinch you could use vegetable shortening or for the vegetarian version simply use regular butter.

Picking your milk: Stick to unsweetened, unflavored plant milk so it doesn’t compete in flavor or sweetened with the other ingredients. For the vegetarian version use whole fat milk for a richer masa.

Choosing masa harina: Using the one labelled specifically for making tamales will give you a better texture than the regular masa harina.

On the food dye: A vegan red food dye means it’s free of animal-derived ingredients like carmine, which is made from crushed insects and shows up in some red food colorings. In Mexico, I found that the Great Value food coloring from Walmart is vegan friendly.

Prepping the raisins and pecans: Soak the raisins for 20 minutes for the best texture and sweetness. Pecans don’t need to be toasted, just roughly chopped.

Vanilla: Instead of vanilla you could use ground canela, or Ceylon cinnamon. Or you could add both to the masa for extra flavor.

Instructions

1. Soak the corn husks.
2. Soak the raisins.
3. Cream the butter or margarine until light and fluffy.
4. Add the baking powder, sugar, and salt and whip for a few minutes.
5. Mix in masa harina and milk gradually until you have a smooth, spreadable masa.
6. Mix in the vanilla extract then add a few drops of the red food dye until you reach the desired shade of pink.
7. Mix in the drained raisins and chopped pecans.
8. Place 3 to 4 tablespoon dollop of the masa mixture onto drained corn husk.
9. Fold the corn husks sides in then the bottom up and repeat until all of the masa is used up.
10. Fill steamer pot with water, secure steaming rack, stack tamales upright, cover the pot and steam until cooked through.

How to Serve

Sweet tamales dulces are traditionally served warm, straight from the tamalera pot. They pair perfectly with a warm drink and are a natural dessert to the traditional savory tamales.

Some of my favorite ways to serve them:

• With a warm mug of chocolate caliente.
• Alongside a cup of champurrado or atole for an extra cozy winter pairing.
• On a holiday dessert tray next to other Christmas sweets.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerator: Allow tamales to come to room temperature then store in their husks and in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Store cooled tamales in a Ziplock bag or freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the best method to freeze and later cook them from frozen, check out my guide on how to cook frozen tamales.

Reheating: These reheat best steamed in their husks. For all the details on getting that just-steamed texture back, whether from the fridge or freezer, see my full guide on how to reheat tamales.

FAQ

Why are sweet tamales pink?

The pink color comes from red food coloring added to the masa purely for looks. Traditionally it signals to everyone at the table that these are the sweet tamales, not the savory ones. It doesn’t add any flavor, so the color is entirely optional.

What’s the difference between sweet tamales and regular tamales?

Sweet tamales use a masa flavored with sugar, vanilla, and mix-ins like raisins or nuts, while savory tamales use a masa seasoned with salt and filled with things like meat, cheese, or salsa. Both are steamed in corn husks the same way, the difference is entirely in the masa and filling.

Can I make these without raisins or pecans?

Yes. The sweet masa itself is the real star, so you can leave out the raisins, swap in another dried fruit, or use a different nut like walnuts or almonds. You can also make a plain version with no mix-ins at all.

Can I skip the red food dye?

Yes, completely. Leaving it out won’t change the flavor or texture at all, your tamales will just stay a natural pale yellow instead of pink.

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