What to serve with tamales: sides, salsas and drinks for a party

Once the tamales are ordered, the next question is always what to serve with tamales, and my answer is always the same: less than you think. A tamal is a complete thing, corn and meat and salsa in one hand-sized package. The sides are there to add color, a little crunch and something cold. Here is the short list that works, and how much of each to plan.

The short answer: Serve tamales with red and green salsa, crema and lime; one or two simple sides such as Mexican rice, charro or black beans, and something fresh like pico de gallo or a jicama slaw; chips and guacamole to start; and cold drinks, ideally an agua fresca or horchata. Plan two tamales per person for lunch and three for dinner, and keep the sides to about a half cup each.

What to serve with tamales: the short list

I have fed enough parties to know that the buffet with fourteen dishes on it is the one where the tamales go cold while people decide. The best tamale spreads have five or six things on the table, and every one of them has a job.

1. Salsas and toppings. Red, green, crema, lime wedges, maybe pickled onions. Non-negotiable.
2. One starchy side. Rice or beans. Both if it is dinner.
3. One fresh side. Pico de gallo, a slaw, or a simple salad. This is the color and the crunch.
4. Something to start. Chips with guacamole or queso, so the first guests have something to do while the line forms.
5. Cold drinks. Water, an agua fresca, and whatever else the occasion calls for.
6. A dessert that is not cake. Unless it is a birthday, in which case cake.

That is the whole menu. Everything below is detail on each line, plus the quantities.

Salsas, crema and what goes on top

Our tamales come as pork in red salsa and chicken breast in green tomatillo salsa, so they arrive already dressed. What people want at the table is more of both, and the ability to cross them: green salsa on a pork tamal is one of the small pleasures of life. For catering we send both salsas and crema on the side on request, along with utensils and serving spoons for buffet service.

Beyond salsa and crema, the toppings that earn their place are lime wedges (a squeeze over a pork tamal wakes everything up), quick-pickled red onions, chopped white onion and cilantro, crumbled cotija, and sliced jalapeño or a bowl of pickled jalapeños for the people who want more heat than our little kick. Put the salsas closest to the tamales in the line and the crema at the far end, in a smaller bowl, and the plates come out balanced without anyone being lectured.

How much salsa? I cover it properly in the best salsa for tamales, but the rule of thumb is about two tablespoons of each salsa per person, and a little more if you know the crowd.

Sides that hold up on a buffet

A side for a tamale party has to do two things: taste right next to masa and chile, and survive an hour in a chafing dish or on a picnic table. These do both.

Rice

Mexican red rice, cooked with tomato, onion and garlic, is the classic. It holds heat well, it soaks up salsa, and children eat it. Cilantro-lime rice works too and looks brighter on the plate. Plan about a half cup cooked per person, which is roughly a cup and a half of dry rice for every ten guests.

Beans

Charro beans, pinto beans simmered with bacon, onion, tomato and jalapeño, are the Texas answer and the one I would pick for a backyard crowd. Black beans are lighter and better for an office lunch. Refried beans are fine for a small family table but tire out fast in a chafing dish. Again, a half cup per person, and keep them in their liquid so they do not dry.

Something fresh

This is the side people forget and then miss. Pico de gallo is the easiest: tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt. A jicama and cucumber slaw with lime and chile powder is crunchy and cold and costs almost nothing. A simple green salad with a lime vinaigrette works for offices. Elote-style corn salad, with crema, cotija, lime and chile, is a crowd favorite and can be made the morning of.

To start

Tortilla chips with guacamole, salsa or queso. Set them out first, before the tamales come out of their trays, and they buy you twenty minutes of calm. Plan roughly two ounces of chips per person and a quarter cup of guacamole.

Drinks that go with tamales

Tamales are rich and a little spicy, so the drink should be cold and either sweet or sour. In order of how often I see them empty first:

• Agua fresca. Watermelon, hibiscus (jamaica) or cucumber-lime. Cheap to make in a big dispenser, pretty on the table, and children and adults both drink it.
• Horchata. Rice, cinnamon and sugar. It cools chile heat better than anything, which is why it sits next to tamales in every good taqueria.
• Mexican sodas. Glass bottles, cane sugar, a mix of flavors in an ice tub. The bottles do half the decorating for you.
• Beer and margaritas. For adult parties, a light Mexican lager with lime is the natural pairing, and a pitcher of margaritas on the rocks needs no defending. Keep the tequila away from the salsa table so the line does not stall.
• Coffee or Mexican hot chocolate. For a Christmas Eve or a Día de los Muertos table, tamales and a cup of champurrado or hot chocolate is the tradition, and it is the tradition for a reason.

Always put out water. At an office lunch it is often the only drink you need alongside one agua fresca.

Dessert after tamales

Keep it light and keep it Mexican if you can. Tres leches cake is the celebration choice and travels well from any good bakery. Churros are wonderful but need to be eaten within the hour. A tray of pan dulce from a panadería, sliced so people can try several, is my favorite for an office. For a backyard party, cut fruit with lime and chile, chilled, is the dessert nobody skips. Flan for a smaller dinner. We are a tamale kitchen, so dessert is yours to arrange, but tell me the occasion and I will happily point you toward what works.

How much of everything to plan

Start with the tamales, since they are the meal, then size the sides around them. Two tamales per person is a lunch, three is a dinner, and one to two if there is a lot of other food on the table. My guide to how many tamales per person goes into the details; this table is the quick version for a party where tamales are the main dish and the sides are as described above.

For a lunch, drop to two tamales per person and keep the sides the same. Leftover tamales are never a problem: they freeze and reheat better than any side on that table.

Two practical notes. Tamales stay hot in their trays far longer than rice or beans do, so set the sides out last and the tamales first; the guide to keeping catered food hot explains why. And if you are laying it all out yourself, how to set up a buffet line for tamales shows the order that keeps forty people moving.

Our own kitchen does the tamales and the burritos on the lunch menu; the rice, beans and drinks are the part you or a friend can handle easily. If you would rather not, mention it on the quote and I will tell you what we can do for your party.

Ready to build the menu?

Send me the date, the headcount and the occasion, and I will do the tamale math and tell you exactly how many dozens of pork and chicken to order, with salsas, crema and serving spoons if you want them. Maggie’s Tamales delivers hot to backyards, offices and halls across Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Dallas; the full picture is on our catering page. Request a catering quote, and the main dish is settled.

Frequently asked questions

What do you serve with tamales at a party?

Keep it to five or six things: red and green salsa with crema and lime; one starchy side such as Mexican rice or charro beans, or both for dinner; one fresh side like pico de gallo or a jicama slaw; chips with guacamole to start; cold drinks such as agua fresca or horchata; and a simple dessert like tres leches or pan dulce. The tamales are the meal, so the sides only need to keep up.

What side dishes go best with tamales?

Mexican red rice and charro or black beans are the classics, and they hold up in a chafing dish. Add something fresh and cold to balance the richness: pico de gallo, a jicama and cucumber slaw with lime and chile, elote-style corn salad, or a green salad with lime vinaigrette. Plan about a half cup of each cooked side per person and keep beans in their liquid so they do not dry out.

What drinks go with tamales?

Cold and either sweet or sour. Agua fresca in watermelon, hibiscus or cucumber-lime is the easiest crowd pleaser, and horchata cools chile heat better than anything. Mexican sodas in glass bottles look good in an ice tub. For adults, a light lager with lime or a pitcher of margaritas. For a Christmas Eve or Día de los Muertos table, Mexican hot chocolate or champurrado is the tradition.

What salsa should I serve with tamales?

Both. Our pork tamales come in red chile salsa and our chicken tamales in green tomatillo salsa, and guests love to cross them, so put out a bowl of each along with crema and lime wedges. For catering we send salsas and crema on the side on request. Plan roughly two tablespoons of each salsa per person, and add pickled jalapeños for the guests who want more heat.

Do I need rice and beans with tamales?

Not for lunch. Two of our tamales with salsa is a full meal on its own, and an office lunch is fine with one fresh side and a drink. For a dinner party or a holiday table, rice and beans make the plate feel complete and stretch the meal for big eaters. If you want to keep things lighter, skip the rice, keep the beans, and add a salad or pico de gallo instead.

How many tamales per person should I plan alongside sides?

Two per person for lunch and three for dinner when tamales are the main dish, and one to two when there is a lot of other food on the table. Ours are big, so those counts are generous. Round up to whole dozens, since tamales are $60 a dozen, and split pork and chicken about 60/40. Leftovers freeze well, so ordering an extra dozen is never wasted.