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A pink sweet tamal with raisins and pecans sits on a corn husk on a white plate. A fork holds a bite, and pecans and raisins are on the side, highlighting the flavors of sweet tamales with raisins and pecans. The plate rests on a decorative orange and white tray.
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5 from 1 vote

Sweet Tamales with Raisins and Pecans (Tamales Dulces)

Sweet, pink-colored tamales filled with raisins and pecans. A traditional Mexican dessert tamale, made vegan.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 114kcal
Author: Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com

Ingredients

  • 24 corn husks or more as needed
  • 3 oz margarine or butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • small pinch salt
  • ½ cup sugar light muscovado or vegan friendly cane sugar
  • ½ lb masa harina the kind for tamales
  • 2 to 3 cups unsweetened almond milk at room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 to 13 drops red food dye optional
  • 1 cup raisins
  • ¾ cup pecans roughly chopped

Instructions

Prep Corn Husks

  • Sort through them and remove any badly damaged or dirty ones, then soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Use a heavy bowl or plate to weigh them down to fully submerge and hydrate.
    Corn husks soaking in water inside a clean sink, prepared for making tamales. The husks appear soft and pliable, showing the results of soaking corn husks for tamales, and are ready for use in cooking.

Prep Raisins

  • Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with plenty of water for 20 minutes. Drain and remove all excess water.
    Tamale ingredients labeled on a patterned surface showcase classic sweet tamales ingredients: raisins, milk, masa harina, pecans, food color, vanilla extract, sugar, butter, salt, and baking powder. All are arranged in bowls or cups and viewed from above.

Make The Pink Masa

  • In a large bowl or in a stand mixer bowl, whip and cream the butter or margarine with the baking powder and salt. Beat until airy and creamy.
    A person uses a hand mixer to blend ingredients in a glass bowl on a patterned kitchen table, creaming butter for sweet tamales, surrounded by other baking items and a cookbook shelf in the background.
  • Add half the masa harina with about 1 cup of the milk and whip until well combined. Mix in the sugar and continue to mix. Scrape down the bowl and gradually whip in the remaining masa harina and milk.
    A person pours sugar into a glass bowl of dough while mixing with a hand mixer, making sweet tamales masa. Various ingredients and bowls are arranged on a blue patterned tablecloth.
  • Mix in the vanilla extract then add a few drops of the red food dye, adding more dye a little at a time until you reach the shade of pink you like. I added a total of 13 drops.
    A person uses a hand mixer to blend a pink tamale masa in a large glass bowl on a blue and white tiled counter, with small bowls of nuts and raisins nearby.
  • Gradually mix both drained raisins and chopped pecans into the masa until distributed throughout.
    A person pours raisins from a blue bowl into a glass mixing bowl of pink batter, adding raisins to sweet tamales masa, while using an electric hand mixer on a colorful tile countertop.
  • Drain the corn husks and pat dry.
    Soaked corn husks draining inside a white colander.

Fold and Steam The Tamales

  • On the smooth side of the corn husk, add a 3 to 4 tablespoon dollop of the masa mixture.
    A wooden board with corn husks and a spatula spreading pink masa for sweet tamales, set on a blue and white tiled surface.
  • Fold in the sides of the corn husk to secure the masa, fold up the bottom of the husk to shape the tamal. Repeat until all of the masa is used up.
    A single pink tamales dulces sits on a wooden cutting board, surrounded by corn husks and vibrant pink masa. The background features a blue and white decorative tile pattern.
  • Fill your steamer pot with water to the indicated line. Secure the steaming rack and begin standing the tamales upright onto the steaming rack.
    A bowl and cutting board with several pink Mexican sweet tamales in corn husks sit on a blue and white patterned surface, next to a white towel with pink and green stripes.
  • Secure the lid on the tamalera pot. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Once you hear the water boiling and start seeing steam come out, turn heat down to medium low and steam for 1 hour.
    A large stainless steel steamer pot sits on a stove. Inside are sweet tamales cooking.
  • After one hour carefully remove one tamal from the pot, set aside for 10 minutes, then slowly peel away the corn husk. If the corn husks separates easily from the tamal then it's ready, if not steam another 20 minutes.
    A pink sweet tamal with raisins and pecans sits on a corn husk on a white plate. A fork holds a bite, and pecans and raisins are on the side, highlighting the flavors of sweet tamales with raisins and pecans. The plate rests on a decorative orange and white tray.

Enjoy

  • Serve warm and enjoy as a dessert or with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or atole.
    A pink Mexican sweet tamale made with raisins and pecans rests on a corn husk atop a white plate with a floral border, set on a colorful tiled surface with a fork and striped cloth nearby.

Notes

You can use vegan butter or vegan margarine, for a vegetarian version use regular butter. 
Milk: Use your favorite unsweetened plant milk or regular full fat milk for vegetarian version. 
Food Dye: Look for a vegan friendly brand or simply omit. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 24tamales | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
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