Thanksgiving side dishes: where tamales fit next to the turkey

Thanksgiving side dishes in my house have always included a pan of tamales, right between the dressing and the green beans, and nobody has ever asked why. In Texas that is not unusual. Half the tables in north Dallas have a turkey at one end and a steamer at the other, and the tamales are gone before the turkey is carved.

The short answer: tamales work as a Thanksgiving side dish at one to two per guest alongside the turkey and the usual sides, which means one dozen for eight people and three dozen for twenty. Serve pork in red salsa and chicken in green, put the salsa next to the gravy, and reheat them in a steamer on the stove so they do not compete with the turkey for the oven.

Below I cover how tamales ended up on the Thanksgiving table in Texas, which sides they get along with, how many to add for your headcount, how to handle a full oven, and the one scheduling detail every Dallas family needs to know before ordering from my kitchen.

How tamales became a Texas Thanksgiving side dish

Tamales were never a Thanksgiving food in Mexico, where the holiday does not exist. They are a Christmas food, made in a crowd the day before Nochebuena. What happened in Texas is simple: Mexican-American families were already making or buying tamales in November for the Christmas season, and Thanksgiving is a big meal in late November, so the tamales showed up. Then the in-laws tasted them, and the following year the in-laws asked if the tamales were coming.

That is how a side dish becomes a tradition. Not by decree, but because one dish outperformed the rest of the table. My mother used to say a tamal is the only thing on a Thanksgiving plate that anyone would eat cold at midnight, and she was right.

Today the pattern I see in my orders is a table that is two-thirds classic, turkey, dressing, potatoes, cranberry, and one-third Mexican: a pan of tamales, a pot of beans, a good salsa. The people ordering are just as often named Johnson as Hernández. I wrote about the bigger picture, including tamales as the whole meal, in tamales for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving side dishes that go well with tamales

A tamal is corn masa around seasoned meat, steamed in a husk. It is rich and soft, so it wants sides with acid, crunch or green. Here is how the traditional lineup pairs, from my own table.

• Cornbread dressing. The best friend a tamal has. Both are corn, both are savory and soft; put a little green salsa on the dressing and watch the Texans in the room nod.
• Cranberry sauce. Sharp, sweet and cold against a hot pork tamal in red chile. This is the pairing that converts people. Serve it next to the tamales on purpose.
• Green beans and Brussels sprouts. Anything green and a little crisp balances the masa. Skip the cream-of-mushroom casserole version if the tamales are on the table; two soft dishes side by side is one too many.
• Mashed potatoes and gravy. Fine, but understand that the salsa will win. Put the salsa bowl and the gravy boat next to each other and let people choose.
• Sweet potatoes. Roasted with a little chile and lime instead of marshmallows, they belong to both halves of the table.
• Charro beans or black beans. The natural partner. A pot of beans with bacon, onion and jalapeño next to the tamales makes the Mexican side of the table feel complete.
• Elote or esquites. Corn off the cob with crema, cotija, chile and lime. It doubles as the “corn” side and disappears first.
• A green salad with lime. Somebody always brings one. With tamales it finally has a purpose.

Drinks: the tamales are happy with whatever the turkey is drinking. My longer list of pairings, including the things I would not serve, is in what to serve with tamales.

How many tamales for Thanksgiving when they are a side

When tamales are the main course I plan three per person. When they are one dish among eight, plan one to two per guest and round up to the next dozen. My tamales are big, so one is a fair portion beside turkey, but Thanksgiving is the one day nobody takes a fair portion, and the leftovers are the point. Here is the arithmetic at $5 per tamal.

Children under ten eat one or less, so a table heavy with kids can lean toward the low end. A table heavy with uncles cannot. If you want the longer version of this math, with the cases where tamales are the whole dinner, it is in how many tamales per person, and the menu page shows the by-the-dozen prices that all of this is built on.

Pork or chicken next to the turkey?

Both, and split the order. Pork in red salsa is the richer one, slow-cooked in dried red chiles with a little kick, and it stands up to everything on a Thanksgiving plate. Chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa is brighter and milder, and it is what the grandparents and the small children reach for. On a table that already has a heavy bird and a heavy dressing, I tilt a little toward chicken, maybe seven green to five red in a dozen, because the green cuts through the rest of the meal.

Two more things to plan for. Every tamal I make uses gluten-free corn masa, which quietly solves the problem of the cousin who cannot eat the rolls or the dressing; I say more on the FAQ page, including the honest note that burritos with flour tortillas come out of the same kitchen. And ask for extra salsa. A Thanksgiving table goes through twice the salsa a normal dinner does, because people put it on the turkey.

The oven is full: how to reheat tamales on the day

The turkey has the oven from morning until it comes out to rest, and then the dressing, the rolls and the casseroles fight for the space. Tamales do not need to join that fight. They reheat with steam, on the stove, and they are better for it.

1. Put two inches of water in your biggest pot and a steamer basket or a rack above it. A tamalera if you have one; a stockpot with a metal colander works.
2. Stand the tamales upright in their husks, open end up, packed loosely so the steam moves. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and the lid.
3. Simmer, do not boil. Twenty to twenty-five minutes from cold, less from the refrigerator, and they come out as soft as the morning they were made. Turn the flame to its lowest and they hold for two hours while the turkey rests and the photos get taken.

If you have a slow cooker or a chafing dish, both work as a holding station once the tamales are hot. What I would not do is put them dry in the oven at 350 with the rolls; the masa hardens at the ends. My guide to reheating tamales for a crowd has the timing for four dozen and up.

The scheduling detail every Dallas family needs to know

Thanksgiving is a Thursday, and my kitchen is closed on Thursdays. I do not deliver on Thanksgiving Day, and I would rather you hear that from me than from a voicemail. What every family who orders from me does instead: the tamales are delivered hot on Wednesday, they go into the refrigerator in their husks, and on Thursday afternoon they spend twenty minutes in the steamer while the turkey rests. Nobody at the table can tell, and plenty of my customers say a day in the refrigerator makes the red chile taste deeper.

The rest of the calendar matters too. The two weeks before Thanksgiving are one of the two busiest stretches of my year, and Wednesday delivery windows fill in the order requests arrive. Send your headcount as soon as you know it, through the quote form on the holiday tamales page; I price every request myself, usually the same business day, and we agree on a window. Delivery covers Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Dallas, and the pans arrive labeled by filling with salsa and crema on request. Smaller orders, a dozen for a Wednesday night, can go through DoorDash from the ordering page during kitchen hours.

Adding tamales to your Thanksgiving table?

Tell me how many people are coming, whether the tamales are a side or the main event, and the Wednesday window that suits your kitchen, and I will send a menu and a price the same day. Maggie’s tamales have sat next to turkeys from Richardson to McKinney, and they arrive hot, wrapped and labeled, ready for the steamer on Thursday. Request a Thanksgiving quote before the Wednesday windows are gone.

Frequently asked questions

What Thanksgiving side dishes go with tamales?

Cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans or Brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, charro or black beans, elote and a green salad with lime all pair well. The rule is acid, crunch or green next to a rich, soft tamal. Cranberry against a pork tamal in red chile is the pairing that wins over skeptics. Put the salsa bowl beside the gravy boat and let guests choose; most take both.

How many tamales do I need as a side dish for Thanksgiving?

Plan one to two per guest when tamales sit beside turkey and the usual sides, then round up to the next dozen. For eight people that is one dozen; for twenty, three dozen; for fifty, about seven dozen. Children eat one or less, big eaters take two, and the leftovers are the best part of Friday. A dozen from my kitchen is $60 and every tamal is $5 at any quantity.

Should I serve pork or chicken tamales with turkey?

Both, split roughly evenly. Pork in red salsa is rich and a little spicy and stands up to a heavy plate; chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa is brighter and milder, and children and grandparents reach for it first. On a table already full of heavy dishes, tilt slightly toward chicken. Pans arrive labeled by filling, so guests can pick without asking.

How do I reheat tamales on Thanksgiving when the oven is full?

On the stove with steam. Put two inches of water in a large pot with a steamer basket, stand the tamales upright in their husks, cover with a towel and the lid, and simmer for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Drop the flame to its lowest and they hold for a couple of hours. Avoid the dry oven; it hardens the ends of the masa. A slow cooker works as a holding station once they are hot.

Can I get tamales delivered on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas?

Not from my kitchen; we are closed on Thursdays, and Thanksgiving is always a Thursday. Every family who orders from me takes hot delivery on Wednesday, refrigerates the tamales in their husks, and steams them for twenty minutes on Thursday afternoon while the turkey rests. Nobody can tell the difference, and many say the red chile tastes deeper after a night in the refrigerator.

When should I order tamales for Thanksgiving?

As soon as you know your headcount. The two weeks before Thanksgiving are among the busiest of my year, and Wednesday delivery windows fill in the order requests arrive. Send the date, the number of guests and your address through the quote form; I price it myself, usually the same business day. A week or two of notice is comfortable for a few dozen; a large family or office order deserves more.