How to steam tamales in Instant Pot to get them tender in no time. Beef, chicken or cheese they all work well this way in just a few minutes.
This is how to steam tamales in Instant Pot y’all! Using fresh or frozen tamales you can easily heat these babies up in no time and enjoy your favorite Mexican treat at home. Filled with beef or chicken this has been a game changer for us. Another great and quick Instant Pot recipe on The Typical Mom blog. (affiliate links present)
How to Reheat Tamales in the Instant Pot
No. It isn’t safe to consume flour or eggs that haven’t been cooked yet. When cooking frozen tamales this isn’t a concern as almost all of these are precooked and safe. You’d just need to defrost and warm them, steaming is the best method to get the entire thing tender and moist.
Don’t worry about going out and buying this basket. It is nice to have so they stay upright nicely but any trivet or steam rack will keep them out of the water. Setting something in the middle will help them sit up and not fall over. With a steamer basket there is already a handle there so a small ramekin isn’t needed.
Cup of water or broth could be used as the liquid below, either way. The corn husks will get nice and soft and easy to peel off this way. Remember, you don’t eat these. The outside is to just hold the goodness inside. They literally are the outside of corn on the cob, you wouldn’t want to consume that part.
How Long to Steam Tamales
You can pressure cook any variety from beef to chicken or pork tamales. It will take 30 minutes to finish this in total, but 10 – 20 minutes to reach pressure. You’ll want to pressure release naturally instead of doing a quick release in order to maintain the moisture inside the pot.
Make sure you carefully remove the lid away from you because it is hot inside.
- Pour cold or hot water into your pressure cooker. Lower down the trivet or vegetable steamer.
- If using a trivet place a small ramekin in the middle so they can lean on it and stand up. For the other you don’t need this.
- Place your fresh or frozen tamales wrapped in husks around the middle piece so they are standing up and the open end is facing up.
Close and lock lid + steam valve. Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. Let pressure release naturally which will take about 15 minutes. Open lid and use tongs to remove tamales and serve with all the things. If you eat these regularly or as a child you probably have your must haves that go with these, we have some suggestions below.
Instant Pot Frozen Tamales – the best ever way to steam frozen tamales is in the Instapot! OMG!
FAQ
What is the best way to cook frozen tamales?
How do you cook frozen tamales?
Place frozen tamales around the middle piece so they are standing up and the open end is facing up. Close the lid and steam valve and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure. Let pressure release naturally which will take about 15 minutes. Open lid and use tongs to remove tamales and serve.
How do you cook frozen tamales in a pressure cooker?
Pour water into pressure cooker and lower down trivet or vegetable steamer. If using a trivet place a small ramekin in the middle so they can lean on it and stand up, for the latter you don’t need this. Place frozen tamales around the middle piece so they are standing up and the open end is facing up.
Can you cook frozen tamales in the Instant Pot?
You can have frozen tamales right from the freezer ready in less than 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. Then insert the steamer basket on top of the trivet. Pour the water into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Insert a small ramekin or something similar to help hold the tamales upright. Add the frozen tamales with folded side down around the ramekin.
Can You reheat frozen tamales?
Using a steamer, cook the leftover frozen tamales for about 20-40 minutes. You can also use an insert above a pot filled with boiling water. Cook the tamales for about 40 minutes. Follow the instructions above to use an Instant Pot, a slow cooker, or a skillet to reheat your tamales. How to Freeze Tamales Properly?