Nothing hits the spot quite like fresh, delicious corn tamales.
If you make a large batch, you’ve got a family favorite that never seems to stay in the fridge long enough to go bad, but to make them perfect you’re going to need a source of reliable and good corn husks. In today’s article, we’ve collected an assortment of corn husks that you can purchase online and some are even imported straight from Mexico for those of you who want a 100% traditional tamale.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best corn husks for tamales and with a little luck, you might just find your new favorite wrapping for delicious tamales!
The best corn husks for tamales are available online
In the sections below you’ll find the corn husks that we’ve selected today to show you and we’re going to tell you a little about each brand as we go. Along the way, we’ll also share review information, so that you know how many people contributed feedback, and we’ll even share a little of that actual feedback, too.
We won’t just use the glowing reviews, either. You’ll get a taste of those, but we’re also going to share the 1-star comments as well in an attempt to keep things fair and balanced. Just keep in mind that we do this so that if we see any red flags we can bring them to your attention and also simply so you will know to check the reviews yourself.
Just be sure to withhold judgment until you do – these are organic fresh corn husks, so shipping and other issues are quite common – and compare the bad with the good to see if you still feel confident with the brand.
With that little disclaimer out of the way, let’s take a look at those corn husks and what you need to know!
Amazing Chiles and Spices – Natural and Premium Corn Husks
First up we have these traditional Mexican corn husks from Amazing Chiles and Spices and with this 1-pound bag, you’re ready to wrap a whole lot of tamales!
All-natural, these are also large corn husks, so that you’ll have plenty of room to work with as you prepare a tamale feast. Did we mention that they are imported straight from Mexico?! These husks are about as authentic for your tamales as it gets!
Checking out the reviews, these Corn Husks were well received. In a review pool of 713 global reviews, 71% of customers rated them a 5-star product, while another 13% were willing to part with 4 stars. User ‘homegirl’ tells us that she’ll be ordering again, as these husks were ‘an excellent size, clean, and worth the price’, and ‘Pamela K. tells us that they are ‘wonderful, soft, and pliable’.
Checking into the 1-star reviews to look for naysayers, 7% of the reviewers were not as pleased with this product. The comments that were listed most said that the husks had a vinegar smell to them and there were some reports of them arriving molding.
While we don’t have enough data to determine if this is a shipping snafu or simply an import risk with organics, we didn’t see any 2023 entries with this complaint so please be advised to look closely at the good and bad reviews before you make your decision!
Bonaterra Valley Premium Large Corn Husk for Tamales
Next up we have these Bonaterra Valley Premium Large Corn Husks and they come from the fields in Zacatecas and Veracruz.
Selected by hand, each husk is dried and also subject to UV light in order to maximize the shelf life and to help keep your corn husks fresh of vinegary smells! Each husk measures 8 to 11 inches wide and they’re clean and just a rinse away from being ready to use!
Taking a close look at reviews, 82% of the 42 polled gave this product 4 or 5 stars, with 52% giving them 5 and 30% admitting that they’d earned at least 4. Comments in praise of these included ‘Alisa Franklin’ stating that these were ‘big enough for tamales hands thumb to pinky’ and ‘SibesOfSD’ saying they are clean and fresh.
Checking out the less-savory reviews, we find that 5% of the review pool had less glowing things to say, with ‘Olynomad’ stating that ‘maybe I got a bad bunch but the quality and amount of black specks and dirt all over these was disappointing’, and user ‘Kixycat’ stated that she also got some with black specks and was worried that they were molded.
While we don’t have enough data to determine exactly what happened, don’t forget that imported organics do come with a bit of a risk – so be sure to check the reviews if you are worried and if you don’t feel confident, don’t worry – we’ve still got plenty of other corn husks to show you!
1400’s Spice – Hojas Para Tamal
If you fancy a mix of large and small corn husks for your tamale-making projects, then 1400’s Spice has these lovely Hojas Para Tamal ready and waiting for you!
While some brands list as ‘rinse and go’, 1400’s Spices recommends that you rinse these in cold water, then soak them in warm for a good half hour before use and if you aren’t happy with your corn husks, they even have a satisfaction guarantee to refund your price in full! It’s always nice when a company backs its products like that, so how did they do in the reviews?
Well, from a modest pool of 144 global reviews, 70% were 5-star reviews, and another 15% of customers felt that at least a 4 was definitely warranted. ‘Smith’ assures us in their review that these are ‘By far the best I’ve found for tamales’ and added that some were big enough to split and make 2 tamales out of. ‘Sarah G.’ also chipped in her 2 cents worth to add that they were ‘all clean and no bad spots’, so we’re off to a good start.
Of course, it’s not fair to only show you the happy stuff, so moving over to the 1-star reviews we have 7% of customers that were less than pleased. ‘ASU ANGE’ said they couldn’t get a refund on a wet and moldy batch and ‘Marianne’ said she got one with a bug in it – yikes!
As we’re talking about shipped food, these things can arise, and while this doesn’t seem to be a trend in the comments we promised to share the good with the bad so do with this what you will!
Don Ponchos 1 lb Corn Husks
Don Ponchos enters our list with this 1 lb pound of corn husks, which gives you about 8 dozen large, clean corn husks that are ready to become delicious tamales! Imported from Mexico, Don Poncho’s husks are thoroughly dried and carefully hand-packed to ensure that they arrive to you at their best.
Looking into the reviews, they seem to be doing a pretty good job. From an overall pool of 170 global reviews, Don Poncho’s received 5 stars from 73%, and another 10% on top were willing to award 4 stars to these husks.
User ‘Count59’ tells us that they’ve been buying tamale husks for 10 years now and these are ‘by far the cleanest and most uniform husks I’ve ever bought’ and the ironically-named user ‘Disappointed’ was definitely anything but, adding that they ‘could not be improved’ and they intend to buy this brand for the rest of their life.
That’s about as positive as it gets, so let’s challenge the ’sunshine and unicorns’ feedback with a little dirt from the 1-star reviews. As it turns out, 5% of the review pool did indeed have some shade to share, with ‘just a robot shopper’ complaining that they were ‘2x construction paper thick’ and overpriced in their opinion. In contrast, some other users complained about a vinegar smell and received moldy batches.
As always, we recommend that you withhold judgment until you can look at the reviews yourself – these husks did fantastic in the reviews, but it wouldn’t be right to hide the bad stuff!
Los Chileros Corn Husks
Our next corn husks to review come from the Los Chileros brand and it’s a .38-pound package, so it’s a great size for those who like the occasional tamale but don’t intend to make a whole mountain of tamales. While most of the husks will be big, expect an assortment with this brand, so if you like smaller tamales too or don’t mind ‘doubling up’ for a few then you should be quite happy with these husks.
Wandering over to look at reviews, we have a decent pool of 389, 66% of which were 5-star reviews. Another 14% gave this product 4 stars, for a base ‘satisfaction total’ of 80%. Praise for the product included ‘Amber’ telling us that ‘out of 3 brands I’ve purchased at Amazon, these were the best’ adding that there was no smell of added preservatives, mold, or discoloration.
‘Summy’ also gave them 5 stars, but warns that you must follow the instructions and rinse them, as she believes sulfur is used to help preserve these husks, although she assures that you only smell corn after a good rinse.
Peeking into the not-so-happy section of reviews, we can see that 6% of the review pool gave these husks only 1 star, with ‘fetch’ telling us that they received a moldy batch and that the sheets were not very uniform at all, with different sizes and thicknesses present. We noticed a few other reports of mold, but these all appear to be from 2020, so be sure to check the current reviews before you make your final decision.
Angie’s Gourmet Kitchen Premium Corn Husks
Our next product is this 1 lb bag of Premium Corn Tortillas from Angies.
Dried and packed in Mexico and imported to the U.S. for your tamale or corn husk craft needs, each bag contains a mixed assortment of sizes so that you’ll have the right husk for exactly what you need. With all the stiff competition today, it’s time to take a look at the reviews so that we can see how Suchiate rated its customers.
As it turns out, in a modest pool of 101 reviews, 72% of customers gave Suchiate 5 stars, and another 9% conceded that these tamale-ready husks deserved at least 4. User ‘Heidi’ likes them enough that these are what she uses for her Gramma’s 130-year-old recipe and ‘Linda Gardner’ tells us that these husks were ‘very much moist and easy to use’.
Flipping the coin to see the 1-star reviews, however, 5% of the folks who purchased Suchiate had less flattering things to say. User ‘Monzanita’ tells us that they smelled of vinegar and she felt that they were too thin, as some shredded with too much handling.
‘Kerry Duvall’ reported that she found holes and bugs in her batch in a report from March 2023. While we didn’t see any other 2023 reports to this effect, this being a recent report we felt that we would be remiss if we did not mention it.
Just remember that these are organic products and check the reviews before you make your judgment call.
Country Creek Acres 25-count bag of Dried Corn Husk Wrappers
Moving along, we present to you this handy 25-count bag of dried corn husk wrappers from Country Creek Acres.
For those of you who are happy with a small batch of tamales when the urge takes you, these might just be a perfect fit. Cleaned, dried, and carefully packed, they’re a great choice for corn crafts, tamales, and other recipes where you need a nice, fresh husk to steam to perfection.
Checking out the reviews, in a pool of 63 ratings, we have an 86% satisfaction score with 60% of customers giving this product 5 stars, while 26% felt that it had earned a 4. User ‘Sarah’ tells us that they were ‘extremely clean’ and stayed good for a week in her fridge, while ‘M&D’ was pleased with their quality and lack of chemicals, and also waxing patriotic that they were sourced from the United States.
While there were no 1-star reviews, 5% of reviews DID fall into the 2-star category, with ‘Dirtybookbabe’ telling us that they were ‘okay, but not great’ and adding that she liked the consistently large sizes of the husks but felt that they were a little overpriced. As far as ‘shade’ goes, that’s not so bad, so just check the reviews and see what you think if these husks have piqued your interest.
Powernutri Corn Husks for Tamales
Our final entry is the Powernurti Corn Husks for Tamales which comes in a handy 1lb bag.
Upon opening, you’ll encounter an array of cleaned, dried corn husks varying from 4 to 11 inches in width, providing the flexibility to craft petite tamale starters or sizeable full-meal tamales, depending on your mood! Sourced directly from Mexico, these husks are preserved using the conventional light application of sulfur dioxide. But don’t worry, after a quick soak, all you’ll perceive is the heartening, appetizing scent of pure, natural corn.
Over at the Review Booth, Powernurti has performed reasonably well, receiving a total of 63 reviews with 71% amounting to 5-star ratings. An additional 14% granted the product a commendable 4 stars, so let’s dive into their comments.
‘Sarah’ provides us with her take, mentioning that these corn husks arrived exceptionally clean and neatly packed. Despite finding a few smaller ones, she put those to good use, allowing her daughter to practice on them. She also disclosed her method of soaking them with a dash of baking soda, resulting in superbly prepared husks.
‘Corey’ also shares his opinion in a concise manner, declaring ‘These are by far the best husks I’ve ever used’ and ensures us that he will be placing another order.
However, delving deeper into the Review Booth data, we discovered a disappointed 4% of customers, with a single response from ‘Joel G.’, who stated ‘Nada bueno, la Mayoría están todas quebradas’, which translates to ‘not good, most of them broke’.
With such a limited pool of reviews, we’re hesitant to pass a final verdict. Nonetheless, the numbers remain promising for this brand, so we recommend perusing the reviews before you make your choice.
FAQs
Now that you’ve had a look at the best corn husks for tamales it’s just about time for us to go. Before we do, however, we’ve collected a batch of frequently asked questions about corn husks and tamales that we hope you’ll find interesting and useful.
Let’s take a peek at the questions that we are getting the most of on this subject and you can see what you think!
What can you do with corn husks, anyway?
Corn husks can be used for a few different things besides wrapping up your tamales to steam the masa to perfection and add a little corn flavor. For kitchen purposes, they’re really quite similar to a banana leaf, in that you can use them before you dry them to wrap up steamed or grilled food in.
If you like arts and crafts, you can also make corn husk dolls, and you can find tutorials for this online in video format for this quite easily through YouTube!
What to do with leftover tamale corn husks?
Washed corn husks can be used to wrap up rice very nicely and neatly if you like and you can also put them inside your instant pot so that when you are cooking up a delicious soup you’ll be incorporating a light, corn flavor into the mix. Just be sure to remove the husks when you’re done, as they aren’t meant to be eaten.
How long do I soak my corn husks for tamales?
You’ll want to check the instructions on the ones that you’ve purchased, but typically what you do is give the corn husks a good rinse in cold water first, and then soak them for 30 minutes to an hour. This will soften up the husks nicely so that they will be much less likely to crack on you when you’re folding up your masa.
What is the point of the corn husk on tamales?
The corn husks impart a little bit of corn flavor during the cooking process, but they’re really just there to hold things together. Safely wrapped up in the husk, the tamale is steamed to perfection inside, and the layer of corn husk surrounding it also helps to keep the moisture inside so that your tamales don’t taste dry.
How many tamales does a pound of corn husks make?
While it will vary a bit by brand, on average you can expect to get about 80 – 100 tamales out of each 1-pound bag of corn husks. That’s just a ballpark figure, of course, but it should give you a pretty good foundation if you’re at the market and need to guess how many husks you should purchase.
Some final words on the best corn husks for tamales
If you’ll excuse the corn husk pun, it’s time for us to wrap things up, and we hope that you’ve enjoyed yourself along the way. Today we’ve reviewed some of the best corn husks on the market and we hope that one or two of these brands has caught your eye.
Just be sure to check the reviews a little on your own before you settle – after all, it’s not a race – and don’t forget to give those husks a good soaking beforehand to make sure that they’re good and ready for your delicious tamales.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got the strangest craving for some fresh-cooked tamales and it simply can’t wait. We appreciate your understanding in this matter, thanks so much for reading, and we hope to see you again very soon!
David learned to cook at an early age after his mother told him that he couldn't live on pizza forever, Dave uses his modest kitchen skills to recreate sorely-missed recipes from home and to occasionally make new favorite ones from places he is visiting.