These pan-fried corn flour cakes make a delicious snack or main course. Enjoy them on their own or topped with even more yumminess like avocado or salsa. If you’re a fan of the masa goodness of a tamal, you will love these Vegan Masa Cakes!
If you read my posts or follow my Instagram, you already know I made tamales this year for our Christmas feast. This was my first time making tamales since I was a kid. I remember staying up to make them all night (or what seemed like all night) on Christmas Eve at my padrinos house. To be honest, however, I don’t remember a thing about making them, so this was really my first time.
If you are wondering, the tamales turned out to be everything we had hoped! I made some with jackfruit in red chili sauce, and some with nopales, corn, and white “cheese” in green chili sauce. I have many already asking for the recipe, and for me to sell them, so those two things may be coming in the future. For right now, however, I’ve decided to share with you this recipe which stemmed from me making the tamales. One that is much less time consuming yet still delicious!
After my husband and I finished wrapping up our Christmas tamales, I had a little of the masa leftover. I didn’t want it to go to waste so I decided to use it as a little snacky-snack for the two of us. I mixed in a few ingredients I had laying around, pressed (or spread actually because my batter was a little wetter since I was using it for the tamales), drizzled a little oil in a skillet, and fried them up on both sides. Simple, delicious, and they made the perfect snack!
We enjoyed them so much I decided to make them again last week for a dinner. I added a little less broth to make them easier to press into patties and they turned out perfect! We tried them with all the different toppings I suggest below. I found they’re tasty all dressed up, but I also like them quite a bit when kept simple and plain.
If you make these, you’ll have to let me know you’re favorite way to eat them. A little avocado, a dash of your favorite hot sauce, or straight out of the pan, naked? Leave a comment below, or take a pic and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Vegan Masa Cakes
Equipment
- Electric mixer — hand held or standing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup frozen corn soaked in room temperature water for 5 minutes
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or more to taste
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cup “chicken” flavored vegetable broth or sub regular vegatable broth
- 1 4 oz can diced green chilies drained
- 1/2 cup (packed) non-dairy cheese shreds (optional) mozzarella or cheddar — I use a mix of both
Optional for topping (pick one, some, or none)…
- avocado slices or guacamole
- salsa or hot sauce
- vegan sour cream
- fresh cilantro
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Check the corn to see if it’s defrosted. If defrosted, transfer the corn to a strainer to let dry. Otherwise, let the corn soak for a few more minutes before straining.
- Add the masa harina, baking powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and sea salt to a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- To a separate, large mixing bowl, add the shortening and using an electric mixer, mix on medium for one minute. Next, add in about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the masa harina mixture, and once combined, add in about the same amount of the broth. Once the broth is fully mixed in, continue to alternate adding in the masa harina and broth. After you’ve mixed in the last of the masa harina and the broth, taste masa and if desired, mix in a bit more salt. Turn off the mixer and set the bowl aside.
- Pat the corn dry with a clean towel. Stir the corn, green chilies, and cheese shreds (if using) into the masa. Form patties about 1/4” thick and about 3 – 4 inches in diameter (or however wide you prefer them).
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat and drizzle with oil. Working in batches, once the oil is hot, add patties to the skillet and fry about 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely golden with some spots of brown. You can keep the finished masa cakes in a warm oven while cooking additional batches.
- Serve masa cakes as they are, or garnish with toppings of choice.