Arepas

Name: Arepas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 250 g masarepa (precooked corn meal); 350 ml water, warm; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; 30 g butter (optional); 100 g queso fresco, crumbled (optional); 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Vegetarian

Round griddle cakes of precooked white corn meal, crisp outside and soft and steamy inside, split open and filled with butter, cheese or anything you like.

Arepas is a Venezuelan bread, ready in about 40 minutes and made with masarepa (precooked corn meal). It serves 3 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Arepa — Representative photo. Steven Depolo from Grand Rapids, MI, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: 5 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 3
Level: Easy
Calories: 348

Ingredients

3 servings (6 arepas)

250 g Masarepa (precooked corn meal) (opens in a new tab)Precooked white corn meal. Mexican masa harina is not a substitute.
350 ml Water (opens in a new tab), warm
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (14 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)
30 g Butter (opens in a new tab) (optional)For filling.Contains milk
100 g Queso fresco (opens in a new tab), crumbled (optional)Venezuelan queso blanco or Colombian quesito for filling.Contains milk
1 (150 g) Avocado (opens in a new tab), sliced (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Stir the salt into the warm water, then gradually work in the masarepa (opens in a new tab) with your hand until there are no lumps. Rest 5 minutes; it should be soft and not crack when pressed. Add a little water or meal to adjust.
- 8 min
2
Step 2
Divide into 6 balls and flatten each into a disc about 1.5 cm thick, smoothing any cracks at the edges.
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 180 °C. Lightly oil a griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat and cook the arepas until a golden crust forms, 5–6 minutes per side.
- 12 min
- medium heat
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels
4
Step 4
Finish in the oven (opens in a new tab) for 10 minutes; they are ready when they sound hollow when tapped.
- 10 min
- 180°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
5
Step 5
Split open while hot and fill with butter (opens in a new tab), cheese and avocado (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedArepas are central to both Colombian and Venezuelan cooking and both countries claim them; the dish predates the modern border.Also popular in Venezuela, Colombia
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method: Pan-fried, Oven-baked
Taste: mild, savoury
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with: Masarepa (precooked corn meal)
Techniques: Baking · Pan-frying

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter, queso fresco

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

348 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 207 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

Protein 7%
Carbohydrate 77%
Fat 16%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	348 kcal	169 kcal
Protein	5.9 g	2.9 g
Carbohydrate	66.2 g	32.1 g
Net carbohydrate	63 g	30.5 g
Sugars	1.3 g	0.6 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.3 g	1.6 g
Fat	6 g	2.9 g
Saturated fat	0.5 g	0.3 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	785 mg	380 mg
Salt equivalent	2 g	1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 118 mg
Calcium: 15 mg
Iron: 3.6 mg
Magnesium: 29 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 279 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: butter, queso fresco, avocado.
Masarepa (precooked corn meal): Degermed white cornmeal used as a stand-in for precooked white corn meal (harina precocida).
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Wet your hands while shaping to keep the edges smooth.

Serve with

Fill with shredded beef and black beans for a Venezuelan pabellón arepa, or chicken-avocado salad for reina pepiada.

Storage

Shaped raw arepas keep 1 day refrigerated; cooked ones freeze well for 2 months.

Reheating

Reheat in a toaster or a 180 °C oven until crisp.

Variations

Arepa reina pepiada (Venezuela): Filled with shredded chicken and avocado mayonnaise.
Arepa de choclo (Colombia): A sweeter, cheese-topped arepa made with fresh corn.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

GuasacacaSauce

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Masarepa (precooked corn meal)250 g
Queso fresco, crumbled (optional)100 g
Avocado, sliced (optional)1 piece · 150 g

Used in steps 1, 5

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 15 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 5 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 22 min at 180 °C
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
Start to finish: about 42 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Tough or chewy flatbread
Likely causes
- Dough too stiff
- Not rested
- Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan
What to do
- Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
- Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
- Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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