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Tamales Calories: What the Masa, Filling and Size Add

USDA puts a 4.9 oz meat tamale at about 244 calories and 662 mg of sodium, whether the filling is pork, chicken or beef. Size moves the number far more: restaurant cheese tamales in its samples ran from 6.3 to 19.4 oz.

By Phat Nguyen

Pork, chicken or beef, USDA gives a meat tamale the same numbers: about 244 calories, 10 g of protein and 662 mg of sodium in a 4.9 oz (140 g) tamale. The filling barely moves the count. The size of the tamale and what lands on the plate beside it move it a lot more. If you log meals with an AI food tracker like Dietfit, a photo of the plate in Deep Scan puts the tamales and each side on their own lines, so you can set the count yourself.

Three numbers to know:

  • 244 calories in a 4.9 oz pork, chicken or beef tamale.

  • 47% of those calories come from fat, about 114 of the 244.

  • About 3x the weight between the smallest and largest restaurant cheese tamale in USDA's samples, 6.3 oz against 19.4 oz.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS and SR Legacy); calorie share worked out at 9 calories per gram of fat.

Tamale calories by filling

USDA has values for four kinds of tamale, each at the weight it lists for one tamale:

Tamale

One tamale

Calories

Per oz

Protein

Sugars

Sodium

Pork, chicken or beef

4.9 oz (140 g)

244

49

10.3 g

0.6 g

662 mg

No meat (corn)

4.9 oz (140 g)

260

53

4.9 g

10.4 g

388 mg

Cheese, restaurant

6.3 oz (179 g)

387

61

16.1 g

2.2 g

900 mg

Sweet

1.2 oz (35 g)

91

73

0.8 g

5.4 g

93 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS and SR Legacy); the cheese tamale is the smallest of USDA's restaurant samples.

USDA's survey database lists pork, chicken and beef tamales with one shared set of values, the same as its restaurant pork tamale sample. Any real gap between meats comes from the recipe and the size of the tamale rather than from a USDA figure.

The meatless corn tamale carries more calories per ounce than the meat ones, with about 10 g of sugars and less than half the protein. Sweet tamales are the most calorie-dense of the four at 73 calories an ounce, but USDA's sweet tamale is small, about 1.2 oz. Cheese tamales sit between, with the most protein and the most sodium per tamale.

Where the calories come from: masa and fat

Fat supplies the biggest share. In a 4.9 oz meat tamale, fat supplies about 114 of the 244 calories, carbohydrates about 88 and protein about 41. The tamale also carries 3.8 g of saturated fat, 19% of the Daily Value.

When you make tamales at home, the fat beaten into the masa is the part you control most. Per tablespoon, the common choices look like this:

Fat, 1 tbsp

Calories

Saturated fat

Lard (0.4 oz)

108

4.7 g

Vegetable shortening (0.45 oz)

113

3.2 g

Canola oil (0.5 oz)

126

0.9 g

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS and SR Legacy); FDA Daily Values.

Swapping the fat changes saturated fat far more than calories. All three come to about 900 calories per 100 g, so a tablespoon of oil, which weighs more, even carries a few more calories than a tablespoon of lard. Using less fat in the dough is what lowers the count. The masa itself adds a steady base: a cup of dry masa harina (4 oz) has about 414 calories and 7.3 g of fiber before any fat goes in.

Size and count: one tamale, three or a dozen

At USDA's 4.9 oz, meat tamales add up like this:

  • One tamale: 244 calories, 10 g protein, 662 mg sodium

  • Two tamales: 487 calories, 21 g protein, 1,324 mg sodium

  • Three tamales: 731 calories, 31 g protein, 1,987 mg sodium, 86% of the Daily Value

  • A dozen (3.7 lb): 2,923 calories

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); FDA Daily Values; totals worked out per tamale.

Size is the bigger unknown. USDA weighed three single restaurant cheese tamales at 6.3 oz, 12.4 oz and 19.4 oz. At its 216 calories per 100 g, that is about 387, 758 and 1,188 calories, so the largest one equals nearly five 4.9 oz meat tamales.

Tamale Sizes Calories

If you make tamales at home, weighing one from the batch on a kitchen scale shows how close it is to USDA's 4.9 oz.

Sauce and sides

Sauce and sides can add more than the tamale itself. Per serving:

Side

Amount

Calories

Sodium

Red enchilada sauce

1/4 cup

19

350 mg

Green enchilada sauce

1/4 cup

24

580 mg

Red salsa

2 tbsp

11

210 mg

Sour cream

2 tbsp

59

15 mg

Guacamole

1/4 cup

93

206 mg

Queso fresco, crumbled

1/4 cup

101

211 mg

Spanish rice

1/2 cup

140

377 mg

Refried beans, restaurant-style

1/2 cup

230

523 mg

Black beans

1/2 cup

121

313 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Two meat tamales with red sauce, Spanish rice and restaurant refried beans come to about 876 calories and 2,574 mg of sodium, past the Daily Value in one plate. One tamale with salsa and black beans comes to about 376 calories and 1,185 mg. For more on the guacamole row, see our guacamole nutrition breakdown, and for the same rice and beans next to a different main, see enchiladas calories.

Tamale Plate Calories

Lighter tamales

Tamales can stay on the menu with a few changes on the plate and in the kitchen:

  • Count first, then add sides. Settling on one or two tamales before the rice and beans keeps the plate between about 376 and 620 calories instead of 876.

  • Salsa over sour cream. Two tablespoons of red salsa add 11 calories against 59 for sour cream.

  • Black beans over restaurant refried beans. Half a cup saves about 109 calories and keeps about 9 g of fiber.

  • Less fat in homemade masa. Each tablespoon of lard you leave out of a batch removes about 108 calories and 4.7 g of saturated fat, spread across the tamales.

  • Chicken filling at home. USDA gives meat tamales one profile, but leaner fillings cut fat in your own recipe; a 1/4 cup of diced chicken breast has 54 calories against 94 for seasoned ground beef.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); differences worked out from the values for each item.

Tamales also fit a calorie deficit when the count is set ahead of time. One 4.9 oz meat tamale with salsa and black beans is about 376 calories, and our health calculator gives a daily calorie target to set it against. For tamales next to tacos, burritos and other dishes, see whether Mexican food is healthy.

FAQ

Q: How many calories are in one tamale?

A: A 4.9 oz pork, chicken or beef tamale has about 244 calories, according to USDA. A meatless corn tamale of the same size has about 260, a 6.3 oz restaurant cheese tamale about 387, and a 1.2 oz sweet tamale about 91.

Q: Are pork tamales higher in calories than chicken tamales?

A: Not in USDA's data. Its survey database lists pork, chicken and beef tamales with the same values, about 244 calories per 4.9 oz tamale. In a homemade batch, a lean chicken filling can trim fat compared with fatty pork.

Q: How many calories are in 3 tamales?

A: Three 4.9 oz meat tamales have about 731 calories, 31 g of protein and 1,987 mg of sodium, according to USDA, before any sauce or sides.

Q: Are tamales healthy?

A: Tamales can fit a balanced diet in a measured count. A meat tamale gives about 10 g of protein and 3.4 g of fiber, but also 662 mg of sodium and 3.8 g of saturated fat, and the fat in the masa supplies close to half the calories.

Q: Do sweet tamales have fewer calories?

A: Per tamale, yes in USDA's data, because its sweet tamale is small: about 91 calories in 1.2 oz. Per ounce, sweet tamales are the most calorie-dense kind at about 73 calories, with 5.4 g of sugars in that small tamale.

Q: Do lard tamales have more calories than tamales made with oil?

A: About the same. Lard, vegetable shortening and canola oil all carry about 900 calories per 100 g, according to USDA. Lard has the most saturated fat, about 4.7 g per tablespoon against 0.9 g for canola oil.

References

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