Venezuelan Arepas are flat, round, savory corn flour patties made with only five ingredients for crispy on the outside and tender on the inside delights. This Latin-American staple can be enjoyed plain, on the side, or stuffed with meat, cheese, or almost anything you like!
You know, I truly love cooking and blogging because I get to travel all over the world, trying different foods. And whenever I find a fantastic new recipe, I can’t help putting my little spin on it. Then I get anxious and excited to share it with you.
These patty-shaped arepas are my latest discovery and are pretty spot-on addictive. And the best part is they pair well with almost anything you like! Especially with carnitas and guacamole. Aah! They are so heavenly!
What are Arepas?
Arepas are flat, fried corn cakes made from a special precooked corn flour called masarepa (a.k.a areparina or arepa flour), salt, and water. Traditionally, people made arepas by soaking and pounding dried corn kernels in a pilon or mortar and pestle, then shaping the dough into flat, slightly thick rounds. Kinda like a thick tortilla. Good thing the ready-made flour is available in the U.S., huh? 😉
Recipe Ingredients
Arepas have a somewhat crispy exterior and a soft, slightly creamy inside. And they are effortless to make with only a few ingredients.
- Masarepa – You can find this specialty flour in the Latin section of your favorite supermarket. You’ll usually see brands like Areparina (which I use), Goya Masarepa, and Harina PAN – among others.
- Butter – Besides adding creamy and rich flavor to these corn patties, butter creates a light and tender texture to our arepa dough.
- Mozarella – This is optional, but the gooey, chewy, and warm, melty cheese makes these masa arepas even tastier. So, why would you skip it?
How to Make Venezuelan Arepas
Make the Dough
- Combine – In a large bowl, mix arepa flour and salt until fully combined. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter and water.
- Adjust Consistency – Gradually stir using a wooden spoon until no dry lumps remain. Adjust the consistency by adding more flour or water as needed. The dough is ready when it doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl or your fingers. Let it rest for about 5 minutes to hydrate.
- Shape the Dough – Grab 3 tablespoons of the dough and form a ball. Gently press the dough between your palms to flatten, forming about a ¼-inch thick patty. Pay attention to the edges so it doesn’t leave cracks. If you are using cheese, make a little well in the center of the dough ball before flattening. Place flattened dough on greased parchment paper and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
Fry the Dough
- Fry Them – Heat oil in a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the arepas in batches, flipping once, until golden brown for 5-8 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel.
- Cool – Transfer the arepas to a wire rack and let them cool. Split them and stuff them with your desired filling; shredded chicken, shredded pork, guacamole, butter, maple syrup, or enjoy them as they are.
Recipe Variations
- Plain Arepas – If you are not fond of cheese, you can still enjoy the arepas without it because it’s already delicious enough with butter and salt. 😉
- Grilled Arepas – Complete your outdoor party with arepas grilled instead of fried. The added smoky flavor and beautiful charred lines will surely level these guys up.
- Baked Arepas – Does too much oil scare you? Luckily, this corn dough can be baked, too. You can bake them in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes at 350℉177℃.
Tips and Tricks
- To substitute masarepa with masa harina, I highly suggest adding ½ cup of gluten-free flour to 1½ cups of masa harina to achieve the same consistency as masa arepa. You could also add a teaspoon of baking powder to give it some rise. Feel free to add more gluten-free flour or arrowroot starch until you get the desired consistency – moldable and not crumbly.
- If you opt to grill or bake the arepas, I recommend cooking them at a high temperature for 3-5 minutes on each side to give them a nice golden color and crunchy exterior. Then, cook on medium-low for 8-10 minutes per side on the grill or 18-20 minutes in the oven to ensure they are thoroughly cooked inside.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Arepas are best enjoyed straight from the pan to enjoy the warm and crispy. However, you can make the dough ahead to have some ready for frying for emergency cravings.
To properly store uncooked arepa dough for later, simply wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for three days or freeze it for two months. Thaw and cook as instructed when ready to serve.
Serving and Storing Instructions
Serving – I could actually make a long list for you. First off, that crispy exterior and soft, creamy, doughy inside is pure heaven on its own! To serve it for breakfast, you can go for butter or jam, eggs, or ham and cheese. Simply cut it in half to create two pieces, as you would for an English muffin, and slather it with whatever you like.
Storing – You can store leftover arepas in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, 4-5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
Reheating – Bring the arepas to room temperature while preheating the oven to 350℉/177℃. Thaw overnight inside the fridge if frozen. Then brush the arepas with water or melted butter, cover with foil, and bake for 15 minutes or until warm.
FAQs
Both countries use the same ingredients, although Venezuelan arepas tend to have more fat in their dough, making them heavier but tastier and rich in flavor. They’re also thicker than the Colombian arepas. Venezuelan arepas are usually filled, while the thinner, lower-fat Colombian arepas are topped.
Masarepa is precooked corn flour that is starchier than the more well-known masa harina used for tortillas and tamales. Because it’s precooked, your arepas will cook faster than the Mexican version (gorditas).
Regular arepas have a milder corn taste than tortillas or tamales. They’re an excellent tool for soaking up all delicious juices and flavors from cooked meat, beans, and salsa. To add more flavor to these easy Latin corn cakes, you can add a few tablespoons of butter and cheese just like I did.
Authentic arepas are gluten-free because the flour is 100% corn. However, if you’re enjoying them in a restaurant, ask to make sure because some people add white flour to the mix.
What to Serve with Venezuelan Arepas
Arepas make a wonderful appetizer, side dish, or breakfast, lunch, or dinner, especially when you fill them with the following recipes.
More Mouthwatering Bread Recipes to Try
Conclusion
If you love trying different cuisines, these arepas make an excellent starter to enjoy Venezuelan dishes. I love my arepas filled with cheese and topped with meaty fillings, too. What delicious fillings do you use? Please let me know in the comments. 😉
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Venezuelan Arepas
Ingredients
- 2 cups (228g) masarepa flour (or areparina)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
- 2 tablespoon (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (474ml) warm water
- ½ cup (66g) mozzarella cheese (optional)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) cooking oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine arepa flour and salt until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter and water.
- Gradually stir using a wooding spoon until no dry lumps remain. Adjust the consistency by adding more flour or water as needed; the dough is ready when it doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl or your fingers. Let it rest for about 5 minutes to hydrate.
- Grab 3 tablespoons of the dough and form a ball, gently press the dough between your palms to flatten, forming about a ¼-inch thick patty. Pay attention to the edges, so you don't leave cracks. If using cheese, make a little well in the center of the dough ball before flattening. Place flattened dough on greased parchment paper and repeat the process for the remaining dough.
- Heat oil in a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the arepas in batches, flipping once, until golden brown in batches, for 5-8 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel.
- Transfer the arepas to a wire rack and let them cool. Split them and stuff them with the desired filling; shredded chicken, pork, guacamole, butter, maple syrup, or enjoy them as they are.
Tips & Notes:
- You can store arepas covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for about a month.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Cathy says
These look so good!! Going to try soon. Can these be made bigger, like the size of taco shells?? 6 inches in diameter???
ImmaculateBites says
yes they sure can . Please do let me know how it works out for you.
Thanks
Marilena says
I like this recipe, will try for sure
Imma says
Thank you Marlina, sure go ahead and don’t forget to share your feedback, I will be waiting to hear 🙂
Imma says
Sure, give it a try. I am sure you would love it:)
Ed Kozak says
Thanks for the note about adding the flour or arrowroot starch. I’ve tried making these in the past but couldn’t get them to stop being so watery, despite adding more and more masa harina.
Imma says
Go ahead and try it. I am sure it will turn out great now 🙂
Glen says
My friends from Colombia approved this recipe Yay!
Imma says
Yayy, Great to hear !!!
Jezebel Jones says
If you do not know that cheese and butter are naturally gluten free, I do not think you are qualified to be giving ANY advice about allergies until you educate yourself. Either google it or just don’t say anything.
Chrystal says
Neither cheese nor butter contain gluten, a protein found in some grains like barley, rye, oats (which are usually grown in rotation with wheat and therfore may contain wheat unless the fields are used exclusively for gluten free plants), and wheat.
I say all of this to say that your recipe, as it is above, is gluten free, as long as the arepa flour only contains the corn flour and none of the ingredients, or products derived from them like malt (often made from barley).
Malissa says
Love your recipes! What is the recipe for the meat that is served with the arepas in the picture?
ImmaculateBites says
It’s slow cooker carnitas. Check out the recipe here https://www.africanbites.com/spicy-pulled-pork/
Betty says
Do you work the cheese into the dough? Or just cook it on top of the dough?
imma africanbites says
Hello. I add the cheese at the center of each dough ball before I flatten them. Please see step #2. Thank you.
Eileen says
what is Arepa flour?
imma africanbites says
Hi Eileen. It is a refined, pre-cooked corn flour specifically for making arepas. For arepa flour, it uses large, starchy corn kernels which makes it a starchier variety of flour. You can purchase them online in amazon.com or at any Latin specialty stores.
Ivonne says
Harina PAN….Venezuelan food
Katie Kohler says
I was wondering if you knew of a substitute for the flour as I can’t find it anywhere and don’t have time to order it!
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry there isn’t a real substitute for this flour .
Yaeli says
Hi sweety! First, i want to say thtat i love your blog and recipes! I am from israel, the food here is amaizng! Israelis are very open minded and love to try and test new food and recipes. Unfortantly, we dont have a lot from the caribbian-african side here, i hope we will…, any way, what i want to ask is about this special arepas flower, we dont have it here, we have yellow and whait cirn flower, thick and thin…, can i make this beautiful arepas with a diferent flower?? I would love to make it…! Is it possible?? Thabk you, yaeli.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Yaeli. Thank you for dropping by. I haven’t tried this recipe with other types of flour. But as per online digging, the closest substitute you can have for Masarepa flour would be Masa Harina which is a very finely ground white corn flour used in making tortillas. Though there’ll be a noticeable difference in taste and texture. You can purchase masarepa though on amazon.com. You’d usually see brands like Areparina (which I use), Goya and PAN – among others. Hope this helps.
Pam says
My sister-in-law is from Columbia and serves them with a salted yogurt that is sooo good! They kind of remind me of my southern Grandmas fried corn bread which I miss so much. I am definitely going to try making these soon!
imma africanbites says
Got to try these with yogurt. I’ve had these with butter and I love love it. That’s my first thought, too. These resembles the hot cornbread or fried cornbread. Can’t wait for you to try it. Enjoy!
Diana says
Listen here Imma, my mother-in-law gave me a bag of this flour about 3 weeks ago and I have to admit that I didn’t know what to do with it, so it ended up in the cupboard until i can figure out what to use it for.
Now today i got your update, and what you know the same flour present itself… well honey, I made Arepas for lunch with some sweet plantain hash. OMG!! DELICIOUS!!
Thank you so much hun… you are appreciated.