This keto tamale pie is sure to satisfy those Mexican food cravings! Richly seasoned ground beef topped with a grain-free coconut and almond flour crust. And plenty of cheese too! It’s an easy and delicious low carb dinner recipe.
This easy keto tamale pie is a wonderful dinner recipe with all the great flavors of real tamales. You won’t miss the corn, I promise! And I’ve given it a little update so now it’s even meatier and lower in carbs.
My family adores Mexican inspired recipes, and tamale pie is no exception. A few others that they love and willingly gobble down include my famous Keto Taco Pie, and 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!
Tasting real tamales for the first time
The first time I tasted real tamales was at Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. I have to admit, I’ve had some interesting experiences in my day.
After I finished my BA at the University of British Columbia, I was offered an internship at an archaeological center in southwestern Colorado, right in the heart of the Four Corners region. This was actually where I met my husband, who had just finished up his own internship and liked the place so much he took a job working at their front desk.
We made a day trip to Zuni Pueblo for a Feast Dance, and were honoured to be invited into the homes to take part in the feast. We were plied with food and drink, and it was there that I first spotted the corn-husk wrapped tamales.
Canadian-born Gringa that I was, I had absolutely no idea what they were. But one taste of a real tamal and it was love at first bite. From thence forward, I ordered them every chance I got.
Easy keto tamale casserole
Fast forward about a decade and diabetes put tamales on the naughty list for me. All that lovely steamed corn dough is not exactly diabetes-friendly. But I have since discovered that coconut flour can be made to taste quite a bit like cornbread. Add a little corn extract or cornbread flavor and it’s quite an acceptable facsimile. My keto cornbread recipe is extremely popular for that very reason.
By all accounts, it’s a lot of work to make real tamales, carefully filling the corn husks, wrapping them, and steaming to tender perfection. Very few of us are up to the challenge on a busy weeknight.
But we can get the same great flavours in a keto tamale pie. Simply cook some ground beef or pork with spices, top it with some faux cornbread, and bake it all in the same pan, and you have a delicious low carb dinner in under an hour.
I apologize to my Pueblo friends for the lack of authenticity. All that really matters is that it tastes good, right? It’s a new family favourite in our house!
How to make keto tamale pie
Brown the ground meat: You can use all ground beef, or a mix of ground beef and ground pork. You could even use ground turkey in this recipe. You want to cook it until it’s no longer pink but you don’t want to let it become too dry.
What seasonings to use? I used an organic taco seasoning blend I get at a nearby grocer. But you can always make your own or you can grab this healthy taco seasoning from Primal Palate. Whatever you use, be sure to check your labels for fillers and sugars.
I also amped up the heat and flavour with an additional tablespoon of chili powder and some chopped jalapeno. Those additions are optional, depending on your tastes.
A little tomato paste and water helps make the filling nice and saucy but not too wet. Then top that lovely spicy filling with some shredded cheese, if so desired.
Keto cornbread topping: You might recognize this mixture as similar to my keto cornbread recipe. And you would be right. Coconut flour with a little almond flour and a little sweetener makes an excellent grain-free “cornbread”.
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. Then simply bake until the topping is golden brown and firm.
Serve with your favorite toppings! We love it with sour cream and some chopped tomatoes and avocado.
Keto Tamale Pie is a healthy and easy family friendly meal!
More delicious keto Mexican recipes
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Easy Keto Enchilada Skillet
- Keto Mexican Shredded Beef
- Keto Carnitas
- Keto Albondigas Soup
- Keto Paleo Burrito Bowls
Keto Tamale Pie
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef or pork
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon butter melted
- ⅛ teaspoon cornbread flavor (optional)
- ¼ to ½ cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F.
- 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 30 to 40 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
Annie Bakaleinikoff says
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.
Nancy Wiest says
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.
Dot P. says
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!!!
Marianne says
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?
Kathryn says
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!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Candace says
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!
Candace says
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!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Lynn Blakeley says
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.
Alicia says
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?
Carolyn says
Sure, either way actually works!
Mel says
Super yummy! Can you please post how many servings this recipe yields. I think you accidentally forgot to do this. Thanks!
Carolyn says
I didn’t, actually. It states it in the recipe notes at the bottom of the recipe.
Katie says
If you don’t have tomato paste, could you use tomato the same amount of sauce instead of the water?
Carolyn says
Yes, that would be perfect.
Lu Vickery says
I am allergic to coconut, can I substitute almond flour, and would I use the same amount of the almond flour as called for, for the coconut flour?
Carolyn says
No, this recipe won’t work properly with almond flour.
Brenda says
I’m getting ready to make this (so excited… I love cornbread and any Mexican tamale type casserole! I was looking over the ingredients and have one quick question: Is the Swerve powdered. That is the only form I have seen it and want to make sure I use the right stuff.
Carolyn says
You cause either.
Jessica says
Do you drain the ground beef before adding the seasoning?
Carolyn says
No, I never do. Why waste all that good fat and flavor?
Kristine says
I just tried the corn bread part of this recipe last night for my chili and it was fantastic. The texture is amazing and the flavor is very similar to your standard corn bread. My husband even tried some and was very impressed, he honestly couldn’t tell the difference once the chili was on the bread! I have tried multiple different recipes for low carb corn bread and this one is by FAR the best one I have tried. Thank you so much for your dedication to low carb and healthy eating, we always look forward to trying your recipes.
Carolyn says
Thank you, Kristine. I feel the same way about it, that it’s almost indistinguishable from real cornbread!
Ange says
What does the xanthan gum do? Is it compulsory or could it be substituted?
Carolyn says
Just helps hold it together a bit more…
momofgirlswcurls says
Could you substitute Guar Gum if you are sensitive to Xantham Gum?
Carolyn says
Yes, that should be fine.
Lulu says
Hi! Not a big fan of taco seasoning but I will definitely be trying your topping on some tarted up Manwich mix and try adopting my Mum’s cottage pie base. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Enjoy!
Nancy Poe says
I’m confused. How can the total carb count be 6.85g, but have 23.18g of sugar. That’s more than the carb count. And where is all that sugar coming from?
Carolyn says
It doesn’t. I have someone going back through my recipes and adding the nutritional info into the recipe card and he made a mistake. That’s the PROTEIN grams, not the sugar.
Danae Kirschman says
I love your recipes and can’t wait to try this! I see you spent some time in Colorado- I live in Colorado Springs and find some of these these don’t turn out quite like yours (still tastes great). Do you have any ideas about adjusting for high altitude? Maybe a bit more coconut flour? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I have never baked at high altitude (the time I spent in CO was not time when I baked much!). But I hear that you make the same adjustments you do for conventional recipes.
Danae Kirschman says
Okay- often high altitude calls for adding all-purpose flour and water. I’ve just been hesitant about adding more coconut or almond flour not knowing how they’d react in the recipe. Sounds like I’ll just have to experiment 🙂
Shelsea Harwood says
Thank you so much for another great recipe! I’ve made it twice and have served to guests who also loved it. Tastes just as good, if not better than “authentic” tamale pie.
Lynn Lang says
I have googled and found half and half which I can do. Many thanks for the brilliant recipes.
Lynn Lang says
Hi looking forward to making this tonight. Could I use coconut milk instead of almond milk. Just having to throw nearly full carton of almond milk away as had to be used with 5 days of opening, now 6. I am using coconut milk at moment.
Carolyn says
Absolutely.
Lynn Lang says
Thank you Carolyn, didn’t see your reply until posted second one. Think I will use coconut milk.