Tamales at Thanksgiving: the Texas table tradition

In a lot of Texas homes, Thanksgiving dinner has two centerpieces. There is the turkey, and there is the pot of tamales next to it. Nobody argues about which one runs out first. If you are hosting Thanksgiving in Richardson, Plano, or anywhere in north Dallas and want tamales on the table, plan on two per person alongside the turkey, order them before the holiday week, and keep them in the husk until the moment you serve. Below is the whole tradition, and the whole plan.

My family has always done it this way. The turkey was my father’s job and the tamales were my mother’s, and the tamales got more compliments. I am not going to pretend that did not cause a small amount of tension at the table.

How tamales ended up next to the turkey

Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and Mexican-American families made it their own the same way every immigrant family does: by keeping the turkey and adding the food that tastes like home. In Texas, home tastes like masa and red chile. So the tamales went on the table, and then the neighbors tried them, and then the neighbors wanted them at their own Thanksgiving.

There is also a practical reason. The tamal season in Mexican tradition runs through the winter feasts, from late fall to Candlemas in February, and Thanksgiving falls right at the front of it. For many families the Thanksgiving tamales are a warm-up for the big Christmas tamalada a month later. For some families, Thanksgiving is the tamalada, because that is the weekend everyone can travel.

And there is a hospitality reason. A turkey feeds the table. A pot of tamales feeds the table, the neighbor who drops by, the teenager who eats at eleven at night, and the cousin who comes back for lunch the next day. Tamales are the only Thanksgiving dish that improves as a leftover. If you like the Christmas side of this story, I wrote about why tamales mean Christmas in Texas too.

What tamales do for a Thanksgiving menu

I hear from hosts every November who are tired of the same plate. Turkey, dressing, green beans, rolls, the sweet potato dish with the marshmallows that only one aunt eats. Tamales fix that plate without fighting it.

• They bring heat and depth. Most of a Thanksgiving plate is soft and mild. A pork tamal in red salsa gives the whole plate a backbone.
• They are naturally gluten-free. Our masa is corn, nothing else, so the one guest who cannot touch the rolls or the dressing has something substantial to eat. More on that in our note on gluten-free masa.
• They hold. Turkey dries out under foil. Tamales sit in a closed container for an hour and come out better than they went in.
• They feed the second shift. Late arrivals, the football crowd, and Friday lunch are all covered.

The two fillings I make cover the two kinds of Thanksgiving guests. Pork tamales in red salsa are for the people who want something rich and a little spicy. Chicken tamales in green tomatillo salsa are for the people who want something bright to cut through all that gravy. If you are torn, my guide to choosing between red and green for a crowd will settle it.

How many tamales to order for Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving number is different from the party number. At a party, tamales are the meal, and I plan two to three per person. At Thanksgiving, they share the plate with a turkey and eight sides, so the number drops. My rule for a full Thanksgiving spread is two per person, and then a few extra dozen for the fridge because nobody has ever complained about leftover tamales. Our tamales are large, and one is a whole meal on its own, so two is generous.

Two things move that number. If the tamales are replacing the turkey, or the turkey is small and the crowd is big, go back up to three per person. If half the guests are children under ten, go down, because a child eats one tamal and then goes outside. The full tamales-per-person guide covers every kind of event, from office lunch to quinceañera.

Timing the delivery around the turkey

Thanksgiving cooking is a scheduling problem, and the oven is the bottleneck. The nice thing about tamales is that they never need the oven. Here is how I tell hosts to slot them in.

1. Order the week before, not the day before. Every tamal is made from scratch in the week it is delivered, and the holiday weeks fill up early. The holiday tamales page has the quote form and the details.
2. Take delivery the day before if you can. Refrigerate the tamales in their husks in the closed container. This frees your Thanksgiving morning entirely.
3. Re-steam while the turkey rests. Every turkey needs twenty to thirty minutes of rest before carving. That is exactly how long it takes to bring a pot of tamales back to steaming hot. A steamer basket over an inch of simmering water, lid on, fifteen minutes. If you have no steamer, a colander in a stockpot works.
4. Serve in the husk. Put them on a platter in their husks and let guests unwrap their own. It keeps them hot longer and it starts conversations.

The kitchen is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM, and closed Thursday and Sunday, so Thanksgiving Day itself is not a delivery day. The Wednesday before is the busiest delivery day of my year. That is one more reason to lock your slot early.

What to put next to the tamales

Tamales are easygoing on a holiday table, but a few things make them sing:

• A bowl of extra red salsa and a bowl of green, so every guest can dress their own.
• Mexican crema or sour cream, chopped white onion, cilantro, and lime wedges. A tamal with crema and a squeeze of lime next to a slice of turkey is a genuinely good bite.
• Refried beans and Mexican rice if you want the plate to lean Tex-Mex. A lot of families put the rice where the dressing used to be and nobody misses it.
• Cranberry sauce. I mean it. Sweet-tart cranberry against pork in red chile is one of those accidents that works.

For a bigger family gathering where tamales are the main event and the turkey is optional, the family gathering catering page shows how I build a full spread with rice, beans, chips, and salsas. And for a Thanksgiving potluck at the office the week before, the office catering page covers it.

Leftovers, the best part

Thanksgiving leftovers are usually a chore. Tamale leftovers are a gift. The morning after, a tamal split open in a hot skillet with a fried egg on top is the breakfast my whole family fights over. A tamal chopped into leftover turkey soup thickens it and gives it a chile depth it never had. And a cold tamal eaten standing at the refrigerator door at midnight is a Texas tradition nobody writes about.

Refrigerated in the husk, they keep for several days. Frozen in a sealed bag, they keep for a couple of months and re-steam from frozen in about twenty minutes. Whatever you do, do not microwave one dry on a plate. Wrap it in a damp paper towel if that is your only option.

Frequently asked questions

Do people really eat tamales at Thanksgiving in Texas?

Yes, and not just Mexican-American families anymore. Tamales have shared the Texas Thanksgiving table with the turkey for generations, because the tamal season in Mexican tradition starts in late fall and because a pot of tamales feeds the crowd, the late arrivals, and the next morning. Every year more of my Thanksgiving orders come from families with no Mexican roots at all who tried them at a neighbor’s house.

How many tamales per person should I order for Thanksgiving?

Two per person if the tamales are sharing the plate with a turkey and the usual sides, plus an extra dozen or two for leftovers. Our tamales are big, and one is a full meal by itself. If the tamales are the main course, or your crowd is mostly adults who love them, plan on three each. For a table of twelve with a turkey, two dozen tamales is the right order.

Should I get pork or chicken tamales for Thanksgiving?

Get both. Pork tamales in red salsa are richer and carry a little heat, and they are the ones most guests reach for first. Chicken tamales in green tomatillo salsa are lighter and brighter, and they are the safe choice for guests who avoid spice. A two-thirds pork, one-third chicken split works for most families. If your crowd includes young children or people sensitive to heat, tip it toward chicken.

Can I get tamales delivered on Thanksgiving Day?

No, the kitchen is closed on Thursdays, including Thanksgiving. Most of my Thanksgiving customers take delivery on the Wednesday before, refrigerate the tamales in their husks, and re-steam them while the turkey rests. It takes about fifteen minutes and they taste as fresh as the day they were made. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is my busiest delivery day, so request your quote as early as you can.

Are your tamales gluten-free for Thanksgiving guests with celiac disease?

Our masa is made from corn with no wheat flour, so every tamal we make is gluten-free by recipe. That makes them one of the few substantial dishes on a Thanksgiving table that a guest with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity can eat with confidence. If you have a guest with a serious allergy, tell me when you order so I can walk you through exactly what goes into each filling.