Nixtamalizing dried corn kernels is quite easy to do at home. You measure the corn, calcium hydroxide, and water; boil; let it sit; then drain and rinse the corn. This corn, now called nixtamal, is good to go for grinding into a paste/dough or “masa” for tortillas or tamales, or for using whole in stews like posole. You can also store the nixtamal in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days for later use.

The nutrient profile of corn is actually improved by nixtamalization, but this is relevant only if your diet is totally dominated by corn. For people with varied diets, nixtamalization is important because it makes the masa bind better. If corn hasn’t been nixtamalized, masa made from it will barely form a ball, let alone survive the tortilla press and subsequent transfer to a pan or comal. And tamales made from regular cornmeal tend to be more crumbly when unwrapped.

Of course, for stews with whole corn kernels, any cooked corn will work, but for traditional flavor and texture of Mexican posole, you should use nixtamalized whole corn kernels, also known as hominy. The flower stalk or “pedicel” of the kernel is removed in commercially produced hominy, but I like the texture and extra fiber it adds, so I leave it on. This is the orange tip in the blue corn kernels pictured above.

So why not just buy nixtamalized corn flour aka masa harina or stock up on cans of hominy?

Flavor and freshness of course. Canned hominy is relatively bland, and while some masa harina can be fresh and flavorful, what you typically encounter in stores has been on the shelves for a while and lacks variety.

In contrast, fresh nixtamal has a deep corn aroma and the flavor possibilities are so diverse. Heirloom corn varieties have distinct flavor characteristics, different amounts of endosperm (starch), and many gorgeous colors: red, pink, blue, yellow and white. So beautiful and delicious.

Heirloom blue bolita corn from Jocotitlán, Mexico

Here’s a step-by-step guide to nixtamalization, as a printable recipe and a photo gallery. This recipe makes enough corn for a large pot of posole (e.g. any recipe that calls for about three 15-oz cans of hominy and 3 lbs of meat) or for 12-18 tortillas. The number of tortillas depends on the size of your tortilla press or how large you choose to roll them out.

*Calcium hydroxide is alkaline and slightly caustic. There’s no issue with handling wet kernels to test their softness, but I don’t recommend immersing your hands in the liquid for any length of time.

Corn Variety & Boil Time

I used heirloom blue bolita corn for this guide, which has a very large kernel, so I needed to boil the corn for about 1.5 hours. This is longer than what’s specified in Masienda’s video on how to cook corn with calcium hydroxide. Smaller kernels like the cónico or chalqueño varieties will likely need 1 hour or less boiling, but you should focus on the texture and appearance of the kernels, and not the clock: The boil is complete when the kernels can be halved with your thumbnail and more than 50% of the interior is translucent (see photo gallery below).

Tools for Grinding Nixtamal

Food processor (electric blade grinding): To finely grind nitxamal in a food processor requires more added water than the other tools below. You can have some commerical dry masa harina (nixtamalized corn flour) on hand to add to your ground nixtamal to fix the too-wet hydration. Another option, shared by Breadtopia community member @festusbodine is to air dry the food processed nixtamal for a few hours before rolling it into the balls to press into tortillas.

Metate (volcanic stone, manual grinding)

Victoria grain ginder (manual grinding or drill modification, sometimes called a corona mill)

*Breadtopia community member @donna322 has reported success using an electric juicer to grind nixtamal.

**If you have a dehydrator, you can dry your nixtamal and then mill it in a countertop stone mill to have masa harina for later use.

How to Nixtamalize Corn for Tortillas, Tamales, Posole and More

Nixtamal is corn that has been treated with calcium hydroxide through boiling and soaking. The nixtamalized corn becomes softer and super flavorful, and when ground, the masa or dough has nice binding properties making fantastic corn tortillas or tamales. In its whole kernel form, nixtamal is also called hominy, and when made fresh, it’s superb in flavor, aroma, and texture. Perfect for the Mexican stew posole.

Servings

Nixtamal for 12-18 tortillas or 1 large pot of posole

Prep Time

10 minutes

Baking Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Wait Time

10 hours

Ingredients

• 500 grams field corn, heirloom blue bolita corn (3 cups)
• 5 grams chef grade calcium hydroxide (1 ½ tsp)
• ~2.5 quarts water (2.4 liters or 80 ounces)
• additional water for rinsing

Instructions

• Combine the water, corn kernels, and calcium hydroxide in a large non-reactive pot (stainless steel). The water should be a couple of inches higher than the level of the corn.
• Cover and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about an hour, depending on the corn kernel size. I leave the lid on, but this isn’t required.
• The boiling period is over when you can easily break apart a corn kernel with your thumbnail and less than half of the inside is opaque or powdery looking. Do not drain.
• Leave the corn to soak in the liquid for 8-12 hours.
• Strain out the liquid and rinse the corn with fresh water, letting some of the corn pericarp (skin) wash away. Rub gently, but don’t wash off all the soft exterior of the kernels. The inside of a kernel after the long soak will have even less of an opaque area.
• The nixtamalized corn is now ready to grind into masa or add whole to a stew, where it will need at least 1 hour more boiling to be soft enough to enjoy.