Greetings! You’re just in time for the tamale party.
Tamales are, of course, the Mexican dish made of seasoned meat wrapped in cornmeal dough and steamed in corn husks.
The cornmeal mixture used in tamales is called masa harina. Since cornmeal is too high in carbohydrate to eat on a low carb diet, I’ve found a way to make it out of almond flour and flax seed meal. The masa harina recipe comes from the website GAPS Diet Journey. She makes a roasted pork tamale that is really good. I didn’t have enough time to roast a pork butt today, so I made up a quick filling of seasoned ground beef and cheese. My recipe is very simple, so the only trick is getting the cornhusk wrapping just right.
Here are step by step instructions on how to roll a tamale:
Submerge the cornhusks in very hot water for 30 minutes to soften them up. Lay out one of the corn husks.
Add masa harina to the corn husk and form into a rectangle along the longest edge.
Add seasoned ground beef in the middle of the rectangle.
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
Bring the edges of the corn husk together so that the filling folds over on itself.
Roll the corn husk around itself.
Cut one of the cornhusks into thin strips and use one to tie together the tamale.
And there you go. Now you’ve got a perfectly wrapped tamale, all ready to steam.
Time to party.
Low Carb Keto Beef Tamales
These low carb beef tamales use almond flour in place of corn masa harina which lowers the carb count to 4g net carbs.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 1:30
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 tamales 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
masa harina:
- 2 1/2 cups super fine almond flour
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
- 1 cup butter or lard
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
seasoned ground beef:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
1. Add the corn husks to a pot of hot water and use a plate to keep the husks underwater. Cook over medium heat to keep the water hot. Do not boil. When it gets close to simmering, lower the heat. You just want the water to be hot. After 30 minutes, remove the cornhusks and dry them off.
2. Heat the olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add ground beef and cook until completely browned.
3. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, oregano, paprika, cumin and salt. Add to the ground beef and stir to coat.
4. In a medium sized bowl, microwave water and butter for the masa harina. Mix with almond flour, flax seed meal and salt.
5. Lay out one of the corn husks. Add 1/8 of the masa harina to the corn husk and form into a rectangle along the longest edge.
6. Add 1/8 of the seasoned ground beef in the middle of the rectangle.
7. Sprinkle 1/8 of the shredded cheese on top.
8. Bring the edges of the corn husk together so that the filling folds over on itself. Roll the corn husk around itself. Fold it in the middle, leaving the long end open.
9. Cut one of the cornhusks into thin strips and use one to tie together the tamale.
10. Repeat the process with the remaining 7 corn husks.
11. Add to a steam basket and steam, covered for 1 hour.
12. Allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Unwrap the corn husks and enjoy. It’s best with salsa verde or chili sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tamale
- Calories: 533
- Fat: 50
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 17
Keywords: Low Carb Tamales, Keto Tamales, Paleo Tamales
If you liked this recipe for Beef Tamales, then you might like my recipes for Chicken Tamales, Cabbage Wrapped Enchiladas or Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
I’ve included links to the specialty ingredients used in this recipe. You should know that these are Amazon Associates links, so I’ll receive a small commission if you buy something.
You’ll need these specialty ingredients:
Paula says
October 25, 2018 at 7:34 amI loved these tamales. What a good idea to use almond flour instead of corn.
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
October 26, 2018 at 7:40 amThanks! I was surprised how much like masa harina it tasted.
Nancy says
June 29, 2019 at 5:15 amBecause you put masa harina in it, read the recipe, no offense just stating the obvious.
EmilyKrill says
June 29, 2019 at 9:57 amThis recipe doesn’t have normal cornmeal masa harina, because it is, obviously, not low carb. The low carb masa harina in this recipe is made from almond flour, flax seed meal, butter or lard and salt. That’s why the ingredients read: “masa harina:” with the ingredients listed down below it. I think it’s pretty clear.