The first time I had an arepa (or even heard of it) was in Montañita, a small little coastal town in Ecuador. I remember that meal so vividly; sitting at the outdoor bar at the hotel I was staying at on that warm evening, my arepas arrived and I was eager to dig into this exciting new dish. I may have been biased in the moment since I was famished, but I thought it was one of the best meals I’d ever eaten!
I wanted to recreate that memorable South American evening with this particular recipe, so I made these arepas with fried plantains and black beans with fresh veggie toppings because it reminds me of that night in Ecuador. But arepas are versatile and can be made with a variety of fillings!
What are arepas?
Arepas are flat, round, patties made from pre-cooked cornmeal that can be grilled, baked, or fried. Originating from Colombia/Venezuela region, arepas can accompany a main meal or be the main course. Arepas are cooked and filled with various combinations of beans, meat, eggs, seafood, cheese, avocado, and/or vegetables.
Arepas can be cut into “pockets,” made into sandwiches, or prepared open-faced. Since the cornmeal is pre-cooked, the patties are mixed and formed quickly and easily and there is no leavening process.
When making arepas, you must use Masarepa! There is no substitute.
You can find Masarepa easily at Latin grocery stores or order online. Make sure you’re purchasing Masarepa and not Masa Harina. Masa Harina goes through a nixtamalization process in which the corn is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution which makes it more nutritious and digestible. Masa Harina is used primarily for making tortillas, tamales, empanadas, pupusas, and gorditas. But not arepas; arepas are made with Masarepa!
Tips and Variations
- Use a ripe plantain. This can be the trickiest part! You want a plantain that is a little soft to the touch (but not too soft and over-ripe). Most of the time at my local grocery store, the plantains are hard as a rock. These will never ripen properly and will be forever firm and woody. If there isn’t a soft plantain, skip the plantain and just use rice!!
- Costa Rican Gallo Pinto is absolutely delicious in arepas. Especially if you don’t have a perfect plantain. Try my Gallo Pinto recipe here!
How to make Arepas with Black Beans and Plantain
Step 1:
In a large mixing bowl, combine Masarepa, salt, and warm water and mix well with your hands. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Step 2:
Heat a medium sized pot on medium heat with ½ tsp avocado oil. Once hot, add thinly sliced yellow onions and ¼ tsp salt and cook until softened. Then add the drained and rinsed black beans (or 1 ½ cup freshly cooked), chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Once heated through, reduce heat to low, adding a splash of water if beans get too dry.
Step 3:
In a large skillet on low heat, drizzle 1 tsp avocado oil and place plantain strips on skillet with a pinch of salt. Be patient and don’t cook these too hot or they will burn! Once plantain begins to brown, carefully flip them. Once both sides are browned, remove from heat.
Step 4:
To make arepas, use your hands to prepare the arepa patties to desired size, about 1/2-3/4” thick and 4-5” in diameter.
Place arepa patties on another oiled skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until they begin to golden, about 5 minutes. Careful not to overcook or they’ll get tough; they should be golden on the outside and soft on the inside.
Step 5:
Cut the cooked arepas in half for sandwich style or slice one side to make a pocket. Fill with beans, plantain, thinly sliced lettuce, cilantro, purple cabbage, and red onion, then top with avocado or guacamole and optional salsa. Enjoy!
Storage
Arepas are best made and eaten fresh. I personally don’t like leftover and reheated arepas and find refrigerated masarepa mixture tends to dry out, so I make small batches and cook as much as I need per meal.
Arepas with Black Beans and Plantain
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Medium sized pot
- 2 Large skillets
Ingredients
Arepas
- 1 ½ cups Masarepa must be Masarepa, there is no substitute!
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- ¼ tsp salt
Arepa Filling
- 1 ½ tsp avocado oil, divided
- 1-2 ripe plantains, sliced
- ¼ of a yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cup cooked black beans)
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
For Serving
- thinly sliced lettuce
- cilantro
- purple cabbage, thinly sliced
- avocado or guacamole
- red onion, thinly sliced
- salsa (optional)
- hot sauce (optional)
- vegan cotija cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine Masarepa, salt, and warm water and mix well with your hands. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Heat a medium sized pot on medium heat with ½ tsp avocado oil. Once hot, add thinly sliced yellow onions and ¼ tsp salt and cook until softened. Then add the drained and rinsed black beans (or 1 ½ cup freshly cooked), chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Once heated through, reduce heat to low, adding a splash of water if beans get too dry.
- In a large skillet on low heat, drizzle 1 tsp avocado oil and place plantain strips on skillet with a pinch of salt. Be patient and don’t cook these too hot or they will burn! Once plantain begins to brown, carefully flip them. Once both sides are browned, remove from heat.
- When ready to make arepas, use your hands to prepare the arepa patties to desired size, about ½-¾" thick and 4-5” in diameter.
- Place arepa patties on another oiled skillet on medium heat. Cook each side until they begin to golden, about 5 minutes. Careful not to overcook or they'll get tough; they should be golden on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Cut the cooked arepas in half for sandwich style or slice one side to make a pocket. Fill with beans, plantain, thinly sliced lettuce, cilantro, purple cabbage, and red onion, then top with avocado or guacamole and optional salsa. Enjoy!
Notes
