Can you microwave tamales? Yes, if you do these three things

You can microwave tamales, and most of the tamales I deliver to offices get reheated exactly that way, in a break room, at noon, by someone who has ninety seconds and a paper towel. The steamer is better. But a microwave does a fine job if you follow three rules, and a terrible job if you ignore them. Here are the rules, the times, and what to do when the result comes out dry anyway.

The short answer: Yes, you can microwave tamales. Keep the husk on, wrap the tamal in a damp paper towel, and heat it at medium power, about 50 percent, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes per tamal from the refrigerator, then let it rest for a minute. Skip any of the three and the masa dries out and the edges turn hard.

The microwave has a bad reputation with tamales, and it earned it. Full power with no cover for three minutes turns a good tamal into a corn brick with a molten center. The problem is not the microwave. It is water and heat, and once you understand what is happening inside the husk, the fix is easy.

Why microwaved tamales dry out

A microwave heats food by making the water in it vibrate. Masa is mostly water held in a net of corn starch and fat, and a tamal has more water at the surface than you would guess. On full power, the outside of the tamal boils first. The water at the surface flashes to steam and escapes, the starch tightens, and the edge turns tough while the middle, where the salsa and the meat are, is still cool. Give it another minute to fix the middle and the outside is leather.

The husk slows this down, because it traps some of the steam against the masa. A damp paper towel adds more steam from the outside. Medium power gives the heat time to travel to the center before the surface overcooks. That is the whole science, and it is why the three rules work.

The steamer avoids all of this because it heats the tamal with wet, gentle steam from every side at once. When you have fifteen minutes and a pot, use the steamer, and the method is in how to reheat tamales. When you have a break room and a lunch break, keep reading.

The three things that make microwave tamales work

1. Keep the husk on

Never unwrap a tamal before it goes in the microwave. The husk is the best cover it will ever have. It holds moisture against the masa, it keeps the salsa from spattering on the walls of the microwave, and it means you do not have to hunt for a lid. If the husk has already been peeled, wrap the tamal loosely in a piece of parchment or a second damp towel instead.

2. Wrap it in a damp paper towel

Wet a paper towel under the tap, squeeze it so it is damp rather than dripping, and wrap it around the husk. As the microwave runs, the towel gives off steam that keeps the surface of the tamal from drying. For several tamales, use a couple of towels and lay them over the top and around the sides. A microwave-safe plate with a tablespoon of water on it under the tamales does the same job.

3. Use medium power and rest it

Set the microwave to 50 percent power. Most microwaves let you do this with a “power level” button; if yours does not, run it in 30-second bursts with 20-second pauses instead. Heat 90 seconds to 2 minutes for one refrigerated tamal, then let it sit for a full minute before unwrapping. Resting lets the center finish heating from the heat already inside and lets the steam settle back into the masa. The tamal should be steaming hot all the way through, 165°F in the middle if you have a thermometer.

How long to microwave tamales, from one to a dozen

Times depend on your microwave. A small break room microwave at 700 watts needs longer than a 1,200-watt kitchen model. Start with the times below at medium power, check, and add 30 seconds at a time. Our tamales are big, so if you are used to reheating a smaller tamal, expect to add time.

Frozen tamales work in the microwave, but they are the hardest case, because the outside thaws and starts cooking while the middle is still ice. If you can, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator first and then use the refrigerator times. If you cannot, use the frozen times, rest for two minutes instead of one, and check the center before you eat.

For a dozen or more, the microwave stops being the right tool. A pot with a steamer basket, or a covered pan in the oven with a little water, brings back a whole tray at once and keeps every tamal moist. That method, including how to bring back ten dozen for a party, is in how to reheat tamales for a crowd.

Microwaving tamales at the office

This is the setting I think about most, because on a Tamale Day a whole office reheats lunch one plate at a time. Our catering deliveries arrive hot, so most people eat straight from the tray, but there is always someone in a meeting until one o’clock and a few people who take a plate home. A little office etiquette keeps everyone happy.

• Reheat one plate at a time, two or three tamales, so the line moves and the tamales heat evenly.
• Keep a roll of paper towels next to the microwave. It is the single most useful thing on Tamale Day.
• Cover the plate. A husk and a damp towel keep red salsa off the microwave walls, which your coworkers will appreciate.
• Label leftovers in the break room refrigerator with the filling and the date. Pork in red and chicken in green look identical under foil, and both are good for three to four days.
• Reheat only once. A tamal that has been microwaved, cooled and microwaved again is dry no matter what you wrap it in.

At $5 per tamal, an office lunch of two tamales each is $10 a head, and the leftovers are just as good the next day if they are heated with the rules above. Office managers can look at the menu for the lunch options, and the burritos reheat the same way, wrapped in their foil with the ends opened.

When the tamal still comes out dry

It happens, usually because the microwave was stronger than expected or the tamal had been in the refrigerator uncovered. The fix is moisture and salsa.

1. Unwrap the tamal and lay it on a plate.
2. Spoon salsa over the top, red for pork, green for chicken, and a spoon of crema or a splash of broth if you have it.
3. Cover the plate with a damp paper towel and microwave at medium power for 30 seconds more.
4. Let it rest a minute, then eat it with a fork. The salsa soaks into the dry edge and the tamal is back.

Tamales that have been frozen and thawed are the most likely to dry out, so wrap them well in the freezer and press the air out of the bag. My packing routine is in how to freeze and store tamales, and a well-wrapped frozen tamal microwaves nearly as well as a fresh one.

One more trick from my own kitchen: if you have a plate of three, put a small mug of water in the microwave next to them. It humidifies the whole box, and it is the closest a microwave gets to a steamer.

Other ways to reheat, compared

The microwave is the fastest, not the best. Here is how I rank the options for a home kitchen, from the tamal’s point of view. A steamer basket over simmering water, husk on, ten to fifteen minutes from the refrigerator, gives the most tender result and is what we do in the kitchen. A covered pan in a 350°F oven with a few tablespoons of water in the bottom, twenty minutes, is nearly as good and handles a whole tray. A skillet, husk off, with a little oil, gives a crisp, browned edge that some people, including my husband, prefer to any other version. The microwave comes fourth on texture and first on speed, and with the three rules it lands closer to the steamer than most people expect.

Whatever you use, the goal is the same: steaming hot in the center and moist at the edge. A tamal reheated that way tastes like it just came out of the pot, which is how the ones on our reviews page were eaten more often than not.

Ready to order tamales for the break room or the table?

Now you know how to bring a tamal back at noon with a paper towel and a break room microwave. The other half is having good tamales to reheat. Maggie’s Tamales & Catering makes pork in red salsa and chicken in green from scratch every morning in Richardson and delivers them hot to homes and offices across north Dallas, by the plate through DoorDash or by the dozen for an office, a party, or the freezer. Tell me the date and the headcount, and I will send a menu and a price the same day. Request a catering quote or start on the order page.

Frequently asked questions

Can you microwave tamales?

Yes. Leave the husk on, wrap the tamal in a damp paper towel, and heat it at 50 percent power for 90 seconds to 2 minutes from the refrigerator, then rest it for a minute before unwrapping. The husk and the towel trap steam so the masa stays moist, and medium power lets the heat reach the center before the outside toughens. Full power with no cover is what gives microwaved tamales their bad name.

How long do you microwave a tamale?

At medium power with the husk on and a damp paper towel, one refrigerated tamal takes 90 seconds to 2 minutes, two take about 2½ to 3 minutes, and a plate of three takes 3½ to 4 minutes. From frozen, roughly double those times and rest for two minutes. Microwaves vary, so check the center and add 30 seconds at a time until it is steaming hot throughout.

Do you microwave tamales with the husk on or off?

On. The corn husk is the best cover a tamal can have in the microwave: it holds moisture against the masa, keeps the salsa from spattering, and lets you skip the lid. Add a damp paper towel around the outside for extra steam. If the husk is already off, wrap the tamal loosely in parchment or a second damp towel instead, and peel everything away after it rests.

Can you microwave frozen tamales?

You can, but thawing overnight in the refrigerator first gives a better result. From frozen, keep the husk on, wrap in a damp paper towel, and microwave at 50 percent power for 4 to 5 minutes for one tamal, then rest two minutes and check that the center is hot. The outside thaws and cooks before the middle, which is why lower power and a rest matter even more with frozen tamales.

Why do microwaved tamales get hard?

Because the water at the surface of the masa boils off before the center gets hot. On full power, the outside overcooks, the corn starch tightens, and the edge turns tough while the salsa in the middle is still cool. Keeping the husk on, adding a damp paper towel, and using medium power slow the surface down and give the heat time to travel inward, which keeps the masa soft.

Is it better to steam or microwave tamales?

Steaming gives the most tender result, since wet, gentle heat surrounds the tamal from every side, and it is the only good choice for a dozen or more. The microwave is far faster and, with the husk on, a damp towel and medium power, comes out closer to the steamer than most people expect. For one plate at a desk, microwave; for a family dinner or a party tray, steam.