Sauces

Sauces to spoon on top

Spoon these over unwrapped, cooked tamales. Each recipe is listed with its ingredients and steps.

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Red Chile Sauce

An earthy red sauce to spoon over pork, beef, or chicken tamales.

Ingredients

  • 10 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
  • 2 medium tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 cup water, plus more for soaking and thinning
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Warm a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toast the chiles for about 10 seconds per side, just until fragrant. Avoid scorching them.
  2. Cover the chiles with hot water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain.
  3. Place the tomatoes and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  4. Let the tomatoes cool slightly. Blend them and their cooking liquid with the drained chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt.
  5. For a smoother sauce, press through a fine-mesh strainer. Add water a tablespoon at a time if needed.
  6. Warm gently in a saucepan and spoon over unwrapped, cooked tamales.
A bowl of deep red chile sauce on a wooden table, with dried guajillo chiles, a peeled garlic clove, a spoon and a plate of husk-wrapped tamales behind it.
Red Chile Sauce — toasted guajillo, spooned over tamales.

Green Tomatillo Sauce

A bright, tangy sauce to serve over chicken, pork, or cheese tamales.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
  • 1–3 jalapeños, stems removed
  • ½ medium white onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Water as needed

Instructions

  1. Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover.
  2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the tomatillos soften and change to an olive-green color.
  3. Drain, reserving some cooking water. Allow the vegetables to cool slightly.
  4. Blend the vegetables with the lime juice and salt. Start with one jalapeño and add more to suit your preferred heat.
  5. Add reserved cooking water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce pours easily.
  6. Return to the saucepan, warm gently, and spoon over unwrapped, cooked tamales.
A bowl of olive-green tomatillo sauce with visible seeds on a wooden table, beside a tomatillo in its papery husk, a whole jalapeño and a spoon, with a chicken tamale in a husk behind.
Green Tomatillo Sauce — bright and tangy over chicken.

Creamy Roasted Poblano Sauce

A creamy roasted-pepper topping for chicken, cheese, or vegetable tamales.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound poblano peppers, approximately 4–5
  • ⅓ cup sour cream or Mexican crema
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet. Broil for approximately 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until the skins blister.
  2. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. Peel away the loosened skins. Remove the stems, seeds, and inner ribs.
  4. Blend the peppers with the sour cream, garlic, milk, lime juice, and salt until smooth.
  5. Add milk a tablespoon at a time if you want a thinner sauce.
  6. Spoon over hot, unwrapped tamales. If warming the sauce first, use low heat and avoid boiling.
A bowl of creamy pale-green poblano sauce swirled on top, on a wooden table, with a charred poblano, a cut lime half, a spoon and a plate of tamales drizzled with the sauce behind.
Creamy Roasted Poblano Sauce — smooth and spoonable.

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