There are some keto dinner recipes that make everyone at the table happy, and this Keto Tamale Pie is one of them. It has all the bold, comforting flavor of real tamales, without the carb-heavy cornmeal. It’s hearty, satisfying, and the kind of meal that makes you forget you’re eating low carb.
My family adores Mexican inspired recipes, and happily gobble down large servings of Keto Taco Pie or Keto Mexican Cauliflower Rice. I do believe that a little bit of ground beef, some taco seasoning, and plenty of melty cheese may be the way to my kids’ hearts.
I created this recipe when I was craving an easy casserole with tons of flavor. I already have a wonderful keto cornbread recipe, and realized it would make the perfect topping for a dish like this. I scaled it down a bit so it didn’t overpower the filling, and was thrilled with the results.
If you need a family-pleasing recipe that reheats well and feels like pure comfort food, this Keto Tamale Pie is it!
Reader’s Thoughts
“I made this for dinner tonight. I followed the directions and it turned out perfect! Full of flavor and very filling. Will be adding to the rotation.” — Cheryl
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy preparation: Brown the beef, add the seasonings, and make the cornbread topping. Pop it in the oven and relax!
- Hearty and satisfying: It’s incredibly flavorful and leaves you feeling satiated, without weighing you down.
- Bold Tex-Mex flavor: Some taco seasoning, chili powder, and a little fresh jalapeño turn this into a mouthwatering meal.
- Gluten-free and keto-friendly: No grains or gluten, and only 3 grams net carbs per serving.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground meat: You can use ground beef, pork or even turkey and chicken.
- Taco seasoning: You can use store-bought seasoning, but make sure it has no added fillers, sugars, or starches. Or make your own by combining chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Jalapeño peppers: If you want something less spicy, you can use poblano or anaheim peppers. If you like more spice, keep the seeds in.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: You can shred your own or use pre-shredded cheese. Cheddar, Monterey, or Pepper Jack are great choices for this recipe.
- Keto flours: I use a mix of coconut and almond flour to give it the texture of real cornbread.
- Cornbread flavoring: Yes, there really is such a thing! And many readers like to add it. But a little vanilla extract works as well.
- Kitchen staples: Butter, eggs, chili powder, tomato paste, baking powder, salt and pepper
How to Make Keto Tamale Pie
- Brown the meat: In an oven-proof skillet, brown the ground beef with a little salt and pepper, breaking up any clumps. Stir in the the taco seasoning, chili powder, and jalapeño.
- Add the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the tomato paste with the water until well combined. Pour over the beef and stir in.
- Top with cheese: Remove from heat and sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese.
- Prepare the topping: Whisk the coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir in the wet ingredients until the batter is thick but spreadable.
- Bake: Spread the topping evenly over the filling. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm to the touch.
- Serve: Let cool 10 minutes, then serve with your favorite toppings.
Tips for Success
What seasonings to use? I used an organic taco seasoning blend I get at a nearby grocer, but this one from Spiceology is fantastic as well. Whatever you use, be sure to check your labels for fillers and sugars.
Customize the spice level to your liking. Not a fan of spicy food? Skip the jalapeño and use mild chili powder. Prefer it spicier? Leave the seeds in the jalapeño for more heat and add a touch of chipotle powder.
Use an oven-proof skillet, so the dish can go from stovetop to oven. It doesn’t need to be cast iron, although that’s always a good choice!
Spread the topping over the filling, all the way to the edges. In essence, you want to seal the juicy fillings into the pan before baking.
Serve with your favorite toppings! We love it with sour cream and some chopped tomatoes and avocado.
More Popular Keto Tex Mex Recipes
Keto Tamale Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb (907.18 g) ground beef or pork
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp chili powder, (optional)
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced, (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) water
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup (56 g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (28 g) almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/8 tsp cornbread flavor , (optional)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (59.15 g) water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a 10-inch oven-proof skillet set over medium heat, brown the ground beef with a little salt and pepper until mostly cooked through, breaking up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the the taco seasoning, chili powder, and jalapeno.
- In a small bowl, whisk the tomato paste with the water until well combined. Pour over the beef and stir in, then remove from heat. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
- In a large bowl, whisk the coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, and cornbread flavor until well combined.
- Add the water a little a time until the batter is thick but spreadable.
- Dollop the batter over the beef in the pan. Use a knife or an offset spatula to spread over the top and to the edges.
- Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the top is firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornmeal is very high in carbs and should be avoided on low carb and keto diets. But you can simulate the texture and flavor with a combination of coconut and almond flour. A little cornbread flavoring and you’ll fool your tastebuds!
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It reheats well in the microwave or in the oven.
This keto tamale pie recipe has 5.7g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.9g net carbs per serving.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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New to the Low Carb family. On your Nutritional Facts when it says Carbohydrates 5.7 am I to substract the fiber to get the net carbs and is this for all your recipes?
Yes, but please also read the nutritional disclaimer at the bottom of every post for how I treat Swerve/erythritol.
Made this tonight. So good. Perfect amount of spice. Served with shredded cabbage and Pico de Gallo. Will definitely makes this again! Thank you!
This is delicious! I’m eating some right now. It’s comfort food that you can eat again and again. The flavor was really good. I wondered it might be bland, but the spices were perfect. I plan to make this again soon. I think it will freeze well too. I saw someone else made it with chicken. I think that’s a great idea, and I will try that too.
Ok – I’m making this for the first time and it’s in the oven now – can’t wait! I have a few questions, though. In the recipe you say 2 tsps baking powder but in the video you say 2 TBSPs. I hope it’s really tsps? Also, my cornbread mixture was barely enough to cover the 2 pounds of meat – what size cast iron skillet did you use? Finally – people in the comments are asking about almond milk – I didn’t see anything about it in the recipe – did I miss something? Thx!
Aw crud, did I say 2 tbsp? I didn’t catch that, sorry. It’s 2 tsp. In the recipe and the video, I do believe I specify a 10 inc skillet. And the almond milk is no longer, since it’s an updated recipe. Look at the date stamp on some of those old comments… 🙂
Thanks so much – it was DELICIOUS!
Carolyn, there are NO DATE stamps on comments nor is there a date for the ORIGINAL first time posted date. I just asked if you could include all of those in your posts from now on…..
GREAT blog and recipes! I only use YOUR recipes now as they are all great! I also have ALL of your printed cookbooks!
I cannot. 🙂 Sorry, but Google wants to know most recently updated dates, and dings me if I have two dates or older dates. It’s a pain but I have to play the game. ARGH!
OMGfantastic! This was ez and amazing. I made 1/2 a recipe. Having a piece for breakfast with an egg on top and some salsa and cheese! Thank tou
Ooooh breakfast! I like your style.
This looks so good, I’m trying it tonight! This weekend I’m trying your sheet pan jambalaya. Thanks for all the work your put into your recipes. They are always so good! And I loved reading your story about Pueblo. 🙂
Oh, wow… this dish is wonderful. The kiddos LOVE IT! I used 2 cans of chicken instead of beef or pork. Oh so good! I was hesitant about the sweetener, but it was amazing. Thank you for a new recipe now added to my repertoire.
Wow, we absolutely loved this! Quick to make! Baked for 40 minutes to a lovely golden brown. I added in 100g of chopped onions and fried until translucent before adding the beef, followed by three minced garlic cloves. I only used a pound of ground beef and made my own taco seasoning to go with it. The crust was great. Served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Perfect!
Yesterday I was CRAVING some comfort food. I knew I had a couple pounds of ground beef, and was just at a loss as to what to do with it. I found this recipe – and I am forever thankful. Super easy to make, and the bonus was that I already had every single thing I needed to make this! I didn’t have any regular sweetener, so I used Lakanto Golden. This was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a very long time. I live with three teenagers and let me tell you, this was a HIT all around. My kids never touch leftovers, so I was looking forward to having some for lunch today. Guess what? They finished it all off after I went to be last night! My son asked me to PLEASE include this in the recipe book he asked me to make for him.
I made this last night for dinner. It was delicious! My husband kept saying this is really good, you can’t tell it’s low carb. He ate 2 servings last night, he isn’t dieting, I had 1 and he finished it off tonight. Telling me he was disappointed there wasn’t more. I love your recipes haven’t ever had a failure.
The topping was really good. I had some corn extract so I added a scant 1/4 teaspoon.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Great recipe!!! Made this and served with a green salad for dinner tonight. My husband loves it and this will be one of our regular go to recipes. I used a can of pureed tomatoes and green chilies in place of the tomato paste and water. Also, I substituted 1/2 cup heavy cream for the almond milk, plus I added a 4 oz. can diced green chilies. Totally yummy!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!!
I made this and it is good! Next time I will leave out the sweetener. Maybe add some herbs or chillies to the topping. I am wondering if the topping could be made with Brien, similar to masa topping. Maybe with additional butter?
Hello!
I made this tonight and it was great! I added a can of mild green chilies in the cornbread and a little in the meat. Very tasty. I also omitted the swerve and added better half coconut and almond creamer which is a little
But sweet. Over all the texture was great and my non keto husband demolished it. Thanks!
So glad to hear it!
ok seriously you cannot just have 1 slice of this pie. it is way too good! and so easy too!
We had it for dinner last night and brought leftovers for lunch. I am counting down the minutes to lunch time!
oh i should add we only had a 12 in skillet and 1 lb ground beef, but i didnt change anything else about the recipe and it was great! i may get a smaller pan so it will be heaver on the meet then cornbread topping all just for the love of this recipe!
So glad to hear it!
Just started Keto 6 weeks ago. Loving it. I made this Tamale Pie last week. Very good. I could eat Mexican food for every meal, every day. Even my picky husband liked it. He’s not doing keto, yet.
I saw your jalapeno cornbread recipe and I really wanted to use that recipe here for the topping without the sausage. Would that work? Would I just need to add some jalapeno to this recipe?
Sure, either way actually works!
Super yummy! Can you please post how many servings this recipe yields. I think you accidentally forgot to do this. Thanks!
I didn’t, actually. It states it in the recipe notes at the bottom of the recipe.