Arepas Recipe - Thrift and Spice (2024)

This delicious arepas recipe can be eaten during anytime of the day be it breakfast, dinner or even as a snack.

Arepas are a very common food in Colombia and Venezuela.

They are delicious corn patties that can be opened and stuffed with pretty much anything you can imagine.

If you like arepas then you’ll have to give pupusas a try next!

What are the ingredients for arepas?

This arepas recipe consists of just 4 ingredients which include pre-cooked cornmeal, water, salt and sugar.

Are arepas and gorditas the same?

Arepas are very similar to gorditas and pupusas but they are not the same.

You can read about the similarities and differences of the three here.

How to Make them

Here is the pre-cooked cornmeal I use. You should be able to find it at any Hispanic grocery.

Follow the instructions on the back of the package.

Don’t forget to add the sugar to the water!

Mix until you have a smooth dough.

Shape the dough into 8 equal sized balls.

Next flatten the balls.

You can use a tortilla press to flatten these but I didn’t feel like getting mine out.

So what I did was put it between two sheets of plastic from a ziploc bag.

Then I used a heavy pot to flatten them.

Don’t flatten them super thin because we have to open them later to stuff them.

If they’re super thin it will be difficult to open them without them breaking.

Cook the arepas on a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

It’s important not to cook them on very high heat because then the outside of the arepa would be cooked but the inside would be uncooked.

By cooking them on medium heat for about 5 minutes the inside of the arepa has time to cook properly while the outside browns a little.

The arepa should look something like this after flipping. Now let the other side cook.

I use a large cast iron skillet so I’m able to cook 2 or 3 arepas at a time which is a big help.

Add a little more oil to the skillet as you go to help prevent the arepas from sticking.

After they’re done let them cool down on a plate for about 10 minutes or until they are no longer hot to the touch.

How to eat arepas

Once they’re cooled down take a knife and split them open carefully.

Stuff with your favorite fillings.

My favorite is simple.

Just some melty mozzarella cheese. I also have a cheese arepas recipe that combines the cheese into the arepa dough.

Then I put the cheese filled arepa back on the skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes on each side until nicely melted.

Beans, shredded meat, and tuna could also be stuffed in the arepa.

Some like it with just butter. As you can see they are very versatile.

However you choose to enjoy your arepas they are sure to be delicious!

If you’re feeling brave try it with some salsa macha. It’s insanely delicious!

I really hope you have enjoyed this arepas recipe.

Arepas have become one of my favorite things to make.

My husband and I really enjoy them!

I hope you will too!

Don’t forget to rate this recipe below! Thanks for visiting, see you soon!

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