There's no chilli anywhere near a Hot Tamale — the heat is pure cinnamon, and the name is really about the shape, a tiny tapered oval that looks like a miniature version of the wrapped Mexican dish.
A Brooklyn candy maker's second big hit
Hot Tamales come from Just Born, a family-run American candy company founded in Brooklyn in 1923 by Sam Born, a Russian-Jewish immigrant confectioner whose surname literally became the company's name. Just Born had already built a hit with Mike and Ike, a multi-fruit chewy candy launched in the 1940s, and used the same dense, chewy base to launch Hot Tamales in 1950 as a single-flavour, cinnamon-only spin-off.
What's actually in the recipe
- Base — a firm, chewy candy shell similar in texture to Mike and Ike, built around sugar, corn syrup and modified food starch.
- Flavour — cinnamon oil provides the entire heat and taste profile; there's no capsaicin or chilli involved.
- Shape — small red ovals with tapered ends, chosen deliberately to echo the look of a wrapped tamale.
A fixture of American movie theatres
Hot Tamales became especially associated with US cinema concession stands through the second half of the twentieth century, sold in the same red boxed format still used today. They remain one of the better-known imported American sweets stocked outside the US, prized for being one of the few mainstream candies built entirely around a spice rather than a fruit flavour.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Hot Tamales?
Hot Tamales are made by Just Born, an independent American candy company founded in Brooklyn in 1923 by Russian immigrant Sam Born, best known today for Peeps and Mike and Ike.
When were Hot Tamales invented?
Hot Tamales launched in 1950, a few years after Just Born introduced its Mike and Ike line using the same chewy candy format.
Why are they called Hot Tamales if there's no chilli in them?
The name and shape reference the Mexican dish rather than the flavour — the small oval, tapered candies visually resemble mini tamales, while the heat actually comes from cinnamon, not chilli.