These keto Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork are just the Mexican comfort food for your keto diet dinner! Here we use an easy red chile pork for the filling and give other filling and topping ideas. Keep reading!

Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork
Almond-Flour-Tamales-with-Red-Chile-Pork-recipe-macronutrients-net-carbs

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Keto Tamales Using Almond Flour

Almond flour is the most obvious substitution for masa flour in a low carb keto tamale recipe. It’s slightly sweet and softly gritty, just like a corn meal flour.

The corn extract is added to give it even more of the sweet corn flavor. It’s optional, but I have a feeling you’ll be glad you tried it!

Keto tamales wrapped and tied and red chile pork

How to Make Keto Tamales

Time needed: 1 minute

The tamale wrapping process might sound intimidating, but don’t give up yet! These keto tamales are actually super easy to wrap. Once you make your first one, you’ll get into a good routine and have them all rolled in no time!

  1. Lay the corn husk down

    Pat the corn husk dry with a clean towel and spread it out.

  2. Place a scoop of almond flour masa dough on the corn husk

    Scoop about 2-4 tablespoons of the almond flour “masa” dough onto one corner of the wide part of the corn husk.

  3. Spread the almond flour dough

    Using your fingers, spread the almond flour masa dough into a square shape.

  4. Add a row of keto tamale filling to the middle of the dough

    Add about 2-3 tablespoons of whatever keto tamale filling you’ve chosen in a row on top of the spread almond flour masa dough. See further down the post for a list of keto tamale filling suggestions.How to make keto tamales steps 1-4

  5. Wrap the keto tamale

    Starting at the corner where you spread the masa dough, begin rolling the tamale.

  6. Continue wrapping keto tamales

    Wrap the keto tamale to the end of the corn husk.

  7. Fold the end of the corn husk

    Take the empty end of the corn husk and fold it up. At this point, you can take an extra corn husk and tear off a thin strip to tie around the tamale. It’s not necessary, but it does keep the tamale from opening too easily and looks cute. :)

  8. Steam or store the keto tamales after wrapping

    After rolling the tamales, you can follow the instructions in the recipe card to steam them, or store them in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

How to make keto tamales steps 5-8

If you love these tamales, check out our new Keto Tamale Pie recipe! A family favorite.

FAQs for Keto Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork

Are tamales high in carbs?

Unfortunately, traditional tamales are high in carbs. This is mostly due to the masa dough, which is made from corn. One pork tamale has 34 grams of carbs.

Is corn keto friendly?

Corn is not keto friendly, for two reasons. It’s a grain, which is generally a no-no on the keto diet. Secondly, it has 41 grams of carbs per cup.
For these reasons, I’ve chosen to use almond flour instead of masa flour. I’ve also added corn extract to make it taste more corny. Corn extract is a little spendy, but it lasts a long time and you can use it in other recipes, like this Keto Honey Cornbread with Almond Flour.Almond Flour Keto Tamales with Red Chile Pork

Check out these other Keto Mexican Dinners! And don’t forget to take a peek at our Keto Main Dish section!

Keto Tamale Fillings

Now that you have your recipe for the best low carb tamales with almond flour, you’re going to need some keto tamale fillings to go inside!

Keto tamale fillings can include various types of pulled pork, shredded chicken, beef, or low carb vegetable fillings.

Try one of these yummy ideas:

Easy Keto Red Chile Pork in Crock Pot (as shown in the photos on this post)

Keto Sweet Pork (my favorite!)

Keto Ground Beef Taco Meat

Closeup of keto low carb almond flour tamales on corn husk with tomatillo dressing and avocados

Related: Keto Taco Casserole

Keto Tamale Toppings

Keto tamale toppings are just as numerous as the fillings!

You can top your keto tamales with sour cream, sugar free mole sauce, salsa, avocado, Mexican blend cheese, cotija cheese crumbles, tomatillo dressing, jalapeno pepper slices, queso, or shredded lettuce.

Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork

Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork

Yield: 8-10 tamales
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

These keto Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork are just the Mexican comfort food for your keto diet dinner!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Fill a large stockpot with water and heat on the stove till boiling. Turn off heat.
  2. Rinse corn husks under tap water. Add corn husks to the stockpot of hot water and immerse. Allow to soak for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Add all of the tamale ingredients to a medium bowl and mix for the almond flour masa dough. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. keto tamale masa dough
  4. Pat dry a corn husk and spread it out. Place a ball of the almond flour masa dough one corner of the wider end of the corn husk.
  5. Flatten the masa dough into a square shape on the corn husk. Add a row of filling (see recommendations in the Notes section below or in the post above). Keto tamale masa dough and red chile pork filling spread on corn husk
  6. Roll the tamale all the way to the end. Fold the empty end over. You may take a spare corn husk and tear a strip off to tie the tamales, but this is optional.
  7. At this point, you can steam the tamales or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days before steaming. keto tamales in airight container for storage
  8. To steam: Place tamales open side up in steamer. Close lid and steam for 45 minutes. Unroll onto plate and add whatever toppings you like. Enjoy! steaming the low carb almond flour tamales

Notes

Recommendations for Keto Tamale Fillings:

Easy Keto Red Chile Pork for Crock Pot
Keto Sweet Pork Recipe

Keto Super Taco Meat

Topping ideas: sour cream, salsa, Mexican blend or cotija cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, queso

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8-10 Serving Size: 1 tamale
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245Total Fat: 21gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 481mgCarbohydrates: 8gNet Carbohydrates: 4gFiber: 4gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
These keto Almond Flour Tamales with Red Chile Pork are just the Mexican comfort food for your keto diet dinner! Here we use an easy red chile pork for the filling and give other filling and topping ideas. Keen for Keto | keto tamales

About the Author: Jenn

6 Comments

  1. Claudia Solorio November 15, 2021 at 8:34 am - Reply

    How long do they last after they’ve been steamed? I amd trying to make them tonight

    • Jenn December 28, 2021 at 12:20 pm - Reply

      Great question! I don’t usually steam them till I’m ready to eat them. I would think they would last about a week in the fridge after steaming, but know that they will begin to lose their flavor each day as with any leftovers. Enjoy!

  2. Janet Frost February 5, 2022 at 11:07 am - Reply

    I am making tamales for a friends get together dinner. One of my friends is allergic to corn, so I thought these would be perfect for her. But I have a question about the corn extract. I think you said it was optional, but would I substitute anything else for it?
    Thanks

    • Jenn March 4, 2022 at 12:31 pm - Reply

      That’s a great question! I hate to say this, but I don’t really know. The corn extract is a great addition, but expensive, so I get not wanting to buy it for one dinner. You could look up extracts and browse them to decide. I haven’t found the sweet corn extract any cheaper, but there might be something else similar you’d like to try, like a cornbread flavoring.

  3. Kate November 28, 2022 at 10:29 am - Reply

    Hi, it’s possible I’ve just over looked it, but I don’t see the instructions on how to make the almond flour masa. Can you tell me how or show me in the article, where this information is located. Thank you.

    • Jenn January 28, 2024 at 12:51 pm - Reply

      Sure! It can be a little confusing because of the sequence of photos before you scroll down to the recipe card. Scroll down to the recipe card and it’s under the “Instructions” heading at #3. Enjoy!

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Hi! I’m Jenn and this is your safe place from the naysayers and keto police. My journey to the ketogenic diet has been an enormously healing one, and I hope yours can be, too! Read More Here