Arepa

Arepa

By Chef Cannon

Cuisine: Venezuelan

An arepa is a round, gluten-free corn cake from Venezuela and Colombia, crisp outside and soft and steamy inside. This recipe makes classic Venezuelan arepas from masarepa (pre-cooked white corn flour such as Harina P.A.N.

At a glance

Time: about 35 min · Makes about 8 arepas · Difficulty: easy · ≈ 125 kcal per plain arepa

An arepa is a round, gluten-free corn cake from Venezuela and Colombia, crisp outside and soft and steamy inside. This recipe makes classic Venezuelan arepas from masarepa (pre-cooked white corn flour such as Harina P.A.N.), water, salt and a little oil: no kneading, a 5-minute rest, a sear on a griddle and a short finish in the oven. Split them while hot and fill them like a sandwich: shredded beef, black beans, white cheese, avocado chicken salad (reina pepiada) or butter and cheese for breakfast.

Tutorial

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Cornmeal
  • 2 1/2 cups Water
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 410° F.
  2. Pour the water into a large bowl. Make sure it is room temperature.
  3. Add the salt. Blend well with a mixer, fork or spatula to make sure it dissolves well.
  4. While you continue to beat the mixture, slowly add the corn meal—a little bit at a time.
  5. Once all the flour is added, keep mixing until the corn meal, water and salt are thoroughly blended and dissolved.
  6. Set aside the masa in its bowl. Let it rest for 5 minutes so that the flour is thoroughly hydrated. This type of corn flour does not have any gluten, so it doesn’t need to be kneaded. The masa should be smooth, firm yet malleable.
  7. While waiting for the 5 minutes’ rest, heat your budare (or comal, griddle, cast-iron pan or non-stick pan) over medium heat. Coat with a little bit of the oil.
  8. Fill a small bowl with water to wet your hands to make the arepas.
  9. Take about 2 Tbsp of the masa in your damp hands. The masa should fit easily in your palm so that it is easy to shape into a small ball.
  10. Cross your hands, so that one is on top of the other, with the masa ball between them. Rotate your right hand in a circle, so that you are at the same time both pressing the masa into a flat disc and keeping its round shape.
  11. arepa making
  12. The last step in shaping your arepa is to quickly pass and lightly press the masa disc from one hand to the other until it is about ¾ of an inch thick and 4 inches wide. Smooth the edges with your fingertips (quickly dip them into the water bowl first) so that they stay as round as possible and without cracks.
  13. arepa making
  14. Place your arepas in batches on the preheated surface of your budare griddle or nonstick pan. Let each side turn golden, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Check them often so that they don’t burn.
  15. Once they are nicely browned on both sides, place the arepas on a baking sheet in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. They should be somewhat puffy, so that if you tap an arepa lightly on top, it will sound like you are tapping an empty box.
  16. Serve arepas hot, whether you stuff with them with your choice of fillings or serve solo to accompany your favorite Venezuelan guiso or stew.

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Time and temperature

Griddle (budare or skillet), medium heat: 4–5 min per side until golden · Oven: 410 °F (210 °C) for about 10 min, until the arepa sounds hollow when tapped · Dough rest: 5 min

Nutrition

125 kcal · Protein 2.5 g · Fat 2 g · Carbs 24 g

1 plain arepa, about 1/8 of the dough (estimate, without filling)

Substitutes

  • Masarepa → any pre-cooked corn flour labelled “harina de maíz precocida”
  • Not masa harina or cornmeal: they will not hold together the same way
  • Vegetable oil → butter or lard on the griddle
  • Water → half milk for a softer crumb

Storage

Cooked arepas keep 2–3 days in the fridge in a sealed bag, or up to 3 months frozen. Reheat in a 400 °F (200 °C) oven or air fryer for 8–10 min, or in a dry pan, until crisp again. Raw dough dries out quickly; wrap it tightly and use it the same day.

FAQ

What flour do you use for arepas?
Masarepa, a pre-cooked white or yellow corn flour (Harina P.A.N. is the best-known brand). Regular cornmeal and Mexican masa harina absorb water differently and make crumbly arepas.
How long do you cook arepas?
About 4–5 minutes per side on a medium-hot griddle until golden spots form, then about 10 minutes in a 410 °F (210 °C) oven. A finished arepa sounds hollow when you tap it.
What do you fill arepas with?
Popular fillings are shredded beef (carne mechada), black beans with white cheese (dominó), chicken-avocado salad (reina pepiada), ham and cheese, or shredded beef with yellow cheese (pelúa).
Why do my arepas crack at the edges?
The dough is too dry. Add warm water a spoonful at a time until it feels like soft play dough, rest it 5 minutes, and smooth the edges with wet fingers before cooking.

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Cuisine: Venezuelan