Cheese And Jalapeño Tamales Recipe (Tamales De Rajas) | Mexican Made Meatless™ (2024)

Cheese and jalapeno tamales or tamales de rajas con queso are one the most popular tamal recipes from Mexico. Learn how to make them with this easy to follow simple recipe. Can be made vegetarian or vegan!

Mexican Tamales

Tamales (for plural and tamal in singular form) are made in so many variations. Their fillings range from meat, vegan meats or vegetable ingredients to the different color and flavors of the salsas used.

If the savory choices aren’t enough, there’s also a huge selection of sweet flavored tamales.

Yet another variation is found in the individual family or Mexican region that is preparing the tamal.

For example in the Yucatan Peninsula the traditional tamales made by the Maya favored banana leaves instead of the corn husks that are more commonly used in other regions of Mexico.

(Some countries from Central America also make tamales and also use both these types of wrapping to steam tamales. The tamales may be called by another name though.)

Both the corn husk and banana leaf versions are delicious and each give the tamales a unique look and touch of scent and flavor.

Tamales are one of the most delicious traditions of Latin America and Mexico.

Cheese and Jalapeno Tamales

My family, like every other Mexican familia, makes tamales every year for Christmas, holidays and for some special occasions.

In the years since following a meatless lifestyle, I’ve recreated the traditional tamales and made vegetarian or vegan versions. I even wrote a tamales cookbook!

One vegetarian tamales I grew up eating were my mom’s jalapeño and cheese tamales. Sometimes also called tamales de rajas.

So needless to say they were absolutely one of the vegetarian recipes to be included both here on my blog as well as my tamales cookbook.

These cheese and jalapeno tamales are ones that I make every year for the holiday season. Trust me even though they don’t have meat, even meat eaters will devour these. Honestly these are the favorites of lots of tamale-lovers.

One of the best parts is that you can use either milk cheese or vegan cheese and no one will notice.

Cheese and Jalapeno Tamales Ingredients

The ingredients you’ll need a very easy to find just about everywhere. The only exception to this may be the masa harina or corn flour, and the dried corn husks. But you can purchase both in Mexican and Hispanic grocery stores as well as Amazon. I’ll link to both at the bottom of the post.

Ingredients for The Tamales Masa

• masa harina (is instant corn masa)
• baking powder
• salt
• vegetable shortening or oil
• vegetable broth

Ingredients for The Vegetarian Tamales Filling

• raw jalapeno peppers
• onion
• garlic
• tomato
• olive oil
• salt
• cheese

Ingredient Substitutions

If instead of shortening you’d like to use oil, you can use regular vegetable oil or coconut oil. A bland tasting olive would work as well. You can use 2/3 cups oil instead of 1 cup of shortening.

To make the jalapeño chiles less spicy you can remove all of the seeds and the veins from the chile.

Cheese you can use either dairy cheese to make vegetarian tamales, or vegan cheese to make vegan tamales.

What Type of Cheese to Use

Below are all the different types of Mexican cheese that you could use in my jalapeno and cheese tamales recipe.

• Chihuahua cheese
• Mexican Manchego cheese
• queso fresco
• queso panela
• Oaxaca cheese
• Monterey Jack cheese

Vegan Cheese and Jalapeño Tamales

The masa recipe is vegan and the filling is also with the only exception being the cheese.

You can simply use your favorite vegan cheese for these tamales. Use something that you can slice. If it melts a bit then that’s even better.

I’ve only ever used the Heartbest vegan cheese brand for my tamales, but not sure if it’s available everywhere. I also like Daiya and Violife brands.

Tamales Making Tips

I know many people hear tamales and feel too intimidated by the work involved in making them. They are a delicious labor of love, for sure!

I used to feel that way too, but there are many ways to try to make it go smoother and faster. One such way is making a small batch, like this one with can make up to 2 dozen tamales — which is still a good amount.

You can also break up the process into two days. So one day you can make the fillings, maybe soak the corn husks overnight. Then on the second day you make the masa and then just assemble and steam the tamales.

If you want to take it a step further you can always volunteer your family or invite friends over to help make tamales. This is commonly done in Mexican families.

Once you make tamales for the first time you’ll see that it really isn’t such a big deal. Also after you assemble a few you’ll get the hand of it.

Also don’t stress it if the first few don’t look as “pretty”, it doesn’t matter because you’ll see that they still taste AMAZING!

More Tamale Making Tips

• Masa For Tamales | No Lard Recipe
• How Long Does It Take to Cook Tamales on the Stove?
• What to Eat with Tamales | 24 Tamales Side Dishes
• How Long do Tamales Last
• How to Store Tamales

How to Make Cheese and Jalapeno Tamales

As I previously said, just make sure you’re well organized and the process will go by quickly. If you have helpers you could assign each person to do one task, then when you’re ready to fill the tamales build an assembly station where each person does one step.

Soak The Corn Husks

The first step is to soak sort the corn husks and get them soaking so they’re ready to go.

Sort through the husks, remove any dirt and debris. Rinse thoroughly then leave to soak in warm or hot water, either in a large container or a clean kitchen sink.

Make The Filling

Next you’ll want to make the filling. This way it can cool down before you fill the tamales.

Heat the oil in a very large pan then sauté onions with a little salt, until soft. Next add the garlic then add the jalapeno pieces and sauté until they begin to soft. Then add the tomatoes, more salt and cook until they break down.

Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Make The Masa

You can either use a stand mixer for this, or a very large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl with a spoon. Your choice.

Whip the shortening until light and fluffy. Add half of the masa harina, the baking powder and the salt and whip until well combined and you have coarse crumbs. Add a little bit more of the masa harina and some of the vegetable broth and whip.

You want to combine masa harina into the masa dough little by little. The same with the remaining broth.

Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl so you can assure the ingredients are all well combined.

Whip until the masa is well combined, smooth and airy.

The Float Test

Once all of your ingredients are well combined you want to do “The Masa Float Test”.

You do so by dropping a small dollop of the mixed masa dough into a glass of water.

The dough should float back to the top. If it doesn’t you need to continue whipping and test again. This ensures that your masa is airy and you end up with light and not dense tamales.

Not everyone does this, but I like to. It’s up to you.

Assemble The Tamales

Drain corn husks and place then on a colander to drain off excess water. If they’re still too wet when you’re getting ready to spread the masa on them, then pat dry with some paper towels.

For this step it helps to have a large work surface.

Grab one softened corn husk, place the smooth side facing up and the wide end should be toward the top.

Use a spatula or the back of a spoon and spread some masa on it. Make it a thin layer, not too thick.

In the center of dough, place two tablespoons of the filling then a slice of cheese.

For the first fold, grab one side of the husk and fold it towards the center. Grab the other side and fold towards the center. Then lastly fold up the thin pointy long side of the corn husk.

Place tamales on a tray and repeat until you have used up all of the masa and filling.

Steam The Tamales

Once all of the tamales are made you can steam them.

You can use the traditional tamalera steamer pot, or a large pot with a steamer basket or even the pressure cooker or Instant Pot.

Add warm water to the pot then secure the steaming basket insert an then arrange the raw tamales inside the pot. Cover with extra hydrated corn husks or a clean kitchen towel. Set to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling you can lower the heat to low and steam for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes you can carefully take out one tamal to check for doneness. Leave the tamal to sit for 5 minutes then unwrap it. If the corn husks pulls away easily the tamales are done, if not they need to steam longer.

Steam for another 15 minutes then check again for doneness.

How to Serve Cheese and Jalapeno Tamales

You can enjoy these delicious tamales with some salsa verde or your favorite salsa.

Refried beans are a great side dish also. You can check out my tips for more serving ideas here, What to Eat with Tamales | 24 Tamales Side Dishes.

Tamales de Rajas Recipe

Okay amigos, below is the printable recipe. If this is your first time making tamales, please read through the whole article and recipe card before you begging the process.

Remember this is a small batch but you can easily double the ingredients to make a large batch of tamales.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out!

*I make a small commission from Amazon when you purchase through the links below. The commissions help fund new and free recipes for you. Gracias!*