Venezuelan Arepas
Cornmeal, water and salt come together in this Venezuela side — 115 minutes, 18 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 18 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and pan. At involved difficulty across 18 steps, it's worth setting aside proper time for. As written, every ingredient resolved to a plant source.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegan — no meat, fish, dairy, egg or honey, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: none of the major allergens we track from the ingredients listed.
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 410° F.
- Pour the water into a large bowl. Make sure it is room temperature.
- Add the salt. Blend well with a mixer, fork or spatula to make sure it dissolves well.
- While you continue to beat the mixture, slowly add the corn meal—a little bit at a time.
- Once all the flour is added, keep mixing until the corn meal, water and salt are thoroughly blended and dissolved.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fill a small bowl with water to wet your hands to make the arepas.
- 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.
- 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.
- arepa making
- 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.
- arepa making
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve arepas hot, whether you stuff with them with your choice of fillings or serve solo to accompany your favorite Venezuelan guiso or stew.
You'll use: Oven · Pan · Blender · Mixer · Baking sheet
Watch how it's made
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What to serve with Venezuelan Arepas
- Venezuelan Sancocho Beef
- Venezuelan Coconut Chicken Chicken
- Venezuelan Shredded Beef Beef
- Arepa pelua Beef
Tips & common questions
How long does Venezuelan Arepas take to make?
About 115 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 18 steps and 4 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Venezuelan Arepas vegan?
Every ingredient listed on this page resolved to a plant or mineral source in our ingredient ontology — no meat, fish, shellfish, dairy, egg or honey. Labels can still differ by brand, so check packaged items.
Related recipes
Structured source recipe — not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Recipe data for Venezuelan Arepas via TheMealDB (open database). ▶ Video. Original source. Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.