I am half Colombian and my grandma and I make arepas on the regular. My great grandma also made them before she passed last March. We boil the water with a bit of butter and salt and add that to the cornmeal. We also mix a bit of cheese into the masa (nothing too strong in flavor but some mozzarella and a bit of cheddar work great). I cook mine stovetop with a bit of butter and they are glorious. And they can be reheated using the microwave and toaster and good as new! And my mom makes a wonderful braised chicken that she shreds to put inside them. So freaking good!

I am Venezuelan and we have one type of arepa called “reina pepiada”, the filling is a mixed of shredded chicken, mayonnaise, smashed avocado, chopped onions and a bit of cilantro… It is so good!!!

In Venezuela they are made with Harina PAN, which is amazing and yields a lighter dough. Typically, we add much less oil, so they are not really fried. I also suggest putting them in the airfryer at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning them after 10min so they cook evenly. It’s just easier and convenient. One of the typical arepas is boiled shredded chicken, mixed with mayo, avo, salt and pepper. Delicious! Or you can go really simple and stuff them with scrambled eggs and some kind of white latin cheese. One last thing, you can boil a ripe plantain and mix it with the flour and water, maybe add some raw sugar cane for a sweet flavor but not necessary. Amazing!

I am Italian and my specialty is Italian cuisine but there is nothing I love more than making arepas for my son who is half Colombian. ❤️Great recipe and instructions!

one of my school friends was from Venezuela and moved to México, he used to bring arepas for lunch and we would exchange foods and learn about other countries! i remember loving them! ❤

My Tia would pan fry the arepas and then cut a little hole and pour a whole egg in and bake them. That with a little cheese in the dough was my favorite breakfast when I was little 😋 Also a littleeee sugar and some anise seed in the dough with cheese is a close second best breakfast ever. We don’t stuff ours in my family just serve them next to things more like a biscuit.

My husband lived in Venezuela for two years and arepas were his favorite thing! He’s not much of a cook so he’s never tried to replicate them. I’m excited to try this!

THANK YOU for sharing this recipe with the world. As a Venezuelan, I'm very happy to see this in your collection of recipes. For the black beans we make a sofrito and cook them in it. Then we put some shredded cheese while hot to melt it. I love the golden brown of your arepas, you did a great job!

Growing up in a Colombian 🇨🇴 household, this recipe brought up so many memories of my Abuelita teaching me how to make arepas con queso y mantequilla and a hot cocoa drink .

My grandmother was from Atlanta, GA. She called it hot water corn bread. Or corn pone. I used to make it a lot growing up. We always ate it plain with collard greens. I never thought to add fillings. Looks delicious.

After viewing this video about 6 times, I finally made arepas. I could only find white corn by PAN. I loaded two pieces up with sliced avocado with a sprinkle of pink salt, a generous heap of cilantro and a crumble of fresh white cheese. Oh, my word! So delicious! Thank you!

I’m Colombian also and I add lots of mozzarella and butter to the cornmeal itself. Since it has butter, you can just cook them on a electric griddle. They turn out delicious. Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. You can also put grated mozzarella on top right before they are done and let the cheese melt.

I'm almost cried when I see the title of this video. Thank you for teach people how to make arepas. So many stories about venezuelans arepas and what represent for every family.

I love Arepas 🫓 my husband is Venezuelan and we eat them weekly. Just a little tip: Only open half of the Arepa 🫓 don’t let the heat come out so it melts the cheese better and things don’t fall out. It’s more like a packet 🥰

I have been following you for a while, and I’m so happy and excited to watch you making Arepas from my home country Venezuela 🇻🇪 I’m so impressed because you made it very well!! Congrats 👏

I’m Puerto Rican and I remember my grandmother making them for the whole family. She would make them as a small round disc and she would fried them as a side dish with soup. Her arepas were a bit sweet and delicious (she used milk instead of water). The last time I went to Puerto Rico I had to ask one of aunts to make the masa for me because I didn’t know how my grandma made it (my grandma taught her how to cook).

What an explendid coincidence! I felt in love for arepas in US last summer, and just this week I found the right corn flour to make them here in Norway! PS: I'm Brazilian. Traveling the world of good food! How lovely! Thank you very much for your tips!

I was recently given two bags of precooked cornmeal and wondered what I would do with it. I’m so grateful for this recipe! Thank you!

The best arepa sandwich I ever had was at a restaurant in Senoia, GA, owned by Zac Brown. It was an arepa, with a layer of pimento cheese, smoked pulled pork, collard greens, thin slices of sweet potato, with an Asian sauce and served with a spicy cold slaw. It was the best sandwich I had ever eaten. The place closed and I was sooooooo sad.

I'm so happy I found your channel! My boyfriend is Venezuelan and I've been wanting to try making arepas for him since they're one of his favorite dishes that remind him of home. I've been a bit intimidated, though, as I didn't want to completely mess them up, and for them to not even compare. I really appreciated how thorough you were in each step of this video, in describing exactly how the texture should be, the right proportions for the ingredients, how to perfectly cook them, and just how thoughtfully you explained the process from start to finish. (As a fellow virgo, my virgo feelings are validated!) I feel a lot less intimidated now and am excited to make these for him. 😊 He's really been missing his family back in VE, I hope that these make him feel a little bit closer to them.

This is also known as “hot water” cornbread in the black community, very similar in taste, without the cheese. The first time I tasted arepas from my Columbian friend, I knew that our cultures connected through food!

Thanks for making these, wow! Arepas are a big part of my culture and I grew up with my mom making these for me 🇨🇴🇨🇴

My daughter and her Venezuelan boyfriend introduced me to arepas when I visited their home recently. I have celiac and I was beyond happy to enjoy these amazing wonders. They sent me home with a bag of Pan brand flour.

I'm Colombian, and I grew up with my mom making them on the weekends. She still does. She cooks hers on the grill. I love arepa with butter and cheese on top or dip it in my beans when I am eating a meal. Personal favorite though is an arepa de chocolo (a sweeter corn) with cheese inside that is nice and melted while you eat it! Making myself hungry 🤤

Yo soy de Venezuela y la Arepa es lo mas importante en la cocina Venezolana. Es una 😋 delicia 😋

The owner of my favorite brunch restaurant made Eggs Benedicts with cheese-filled arepas instead of English muffins. She also had sauteed spinach and a chipotle hollandaise. It was to die for. Sadly, she passed away and the restaurant closed. I am so excited to try this recipe in hopes of recreating that special breakfast treat!

I Love watching your cooking show, you have a great sense of humor. It's like a spa day in the kitchen.

You are so spot on and so diversified,I love watching you. You are an inspiration for new time cooking skills. I was a head chef at a country club in the early 70'S,and many things have changed. I love your approach to doing simple everyday food. Too many people don't realize what you are trying to do for them. You'll make life easy for them. I'm impressed with everything you do.

My sister in law is from Venezuela and she invited me to eat arepas My favorite arepas are filled with chicken, mayonnaise, chopped onion and avocado! Simply delicious 🤤

Omg thank you! As a Canadian with Colombian parents, this video just hits different ☺️☺️👍🏽👍🏽❤️❤️ they look delicious

OMG! I've seen everything. I love it! I came to the US about 30 years ago from Venezuela, and when I told Americans we ate Arepas for breakfast, they looked at me as if I had three heads. They thought they were not only tasteless but also a strange breakfast. In other words, they did not like them at all. So thank you, I feel the world has gotten smaller and much more adventurous! 😋

In my culture, they are called hot water cornbread. Love them. We are really connected as a people.

I love how you educated yourself on the history of the food so that you could respect it’s origins and create a recipe true to it’s cultural value!

I'm gluten sensitive so we make these a lot! They are great for breakfast with scrambled eggs, cheese, and some salsa. Yumm. We also do bacon, eggs, and cheese. We put pulled pork or pulled chicken and cheese in them for a lunch time sandwich. So good!

Thank you chef I am Venezuelan and it makes me feel very proud you sharing this recipe. I also make it with cheese and then mix. My mom will put one egg when mixing the Arina pan one of my favorite one is la llanera(steak with cheese and avocado) or reina pepiada

Hello John ,I like your recipes ...I also tried some of them .. they were amazing... specially the Brookes one... This cornmeal bread or Arapes are also made in Pakistan..(I am from Pakistan)but in a different way...it is done mostly in winters ...we make it like flat bread (called roti or chapati in our region)... We knead a dough with lukewarm water but don't give it rest.. just roll and cook on griddle on medium - low flame.you can use some oil or butter but mostly cooked without it.. but you can spread some butter on it after cooking...it's bigger in size than arepas but thicker than usual chapati..... It's mostly served with a special winter dish called saag(it's green leafy vegetables just like spinach but taste different alot. Very very special,spicy and takes alot of time to cook saag...this cornmeal bread is served with saag...and it tastes heavenly... The other way to use cornmeal bread is make choori.. it's like after cooking bread you put alot of butter and crush the bread in it while it is still hot and add brown sugar to it... Both ways I just love to eat it.... The 3rd way of using it I have seen to make pieces of cornmeal bread and dip in yogurt with some Suger or brown sugar and enjoy...

John, the price of crackers in the store is outrageous. Would love to see you do a couple of homemade cracker recipes. Maybe even some corn chips.

Has someone elses kids been binging Encanto!? Because my girls have seen it a million times by now! I've been super curious about arepas so I am super excited to try these out :)

My girlfriend's mother who is Venezuelan just gave me a bag of Harina Pan since I really loved the arepas they made at their house. I will use this recipe to try making them on my own! I want to make some for their family someday :)

I’m from North Carolina. We’ve been eating this all our lives. For generations. And nobody cared. Now, it’s “Arepas!” Great accompaniment for simmered and seasoned (with any smoked and spicy pork, I.e., andouille, Tasso, “chorizo ”) greens (collards, turnip or mustard), cabbage, and any variety of beans. Soul food is soul food across all cultures. Love your channel.

Your arepas looked perfectly made. I make them every week on Sunday for breakfast and then enjoy the leftovers during the week. I stuff them with whatever leftover meats I have, chicken, pork, steak, fish or just cheese.

Me encantan tus recetas y hoy me siento especialmente agradecida por compartir con tus seguidores la receta de nuestra arepa 🫓. De Venezuela 🇻🇪 para el mundo

My mom is from Colombia and arepas are my comfort food. We do it a little differently, making the disks a little larger and flatter, like a pancakes. My mom uses a wire grill she puts over a burner and lets it sit until browned then flips over. We never stuffed them but ALWAYS eat with butter and salt. So yummy! My favorite thing to eat with them is with white Colombian queso and chorizo. The best! In fact that’s what I had for lunch today.

Thanks for making these! I lived in Venezuela and always wanted to know how to make them. Memories for my boys.

We have a basic "corn fritter" that's very similar here in the south. Pretty much the exact same ingredients only patted down to be a bit thinner and typically served with collards and other greens. My grandmother would fry them in bacon fat if no vegetarians were at the meal. My mom pretty much does the same thing.

yessss as a colombian american i love that you made this recipe! my fav arepas are the slightly sweeter ones that are called arepas de choclo (to my understanding choclo is not a sweet corn but the arepas are sweet-ish lol) and i love them with cheese for breakfast!

You are right about the versatility of the arepa you can pretty much have it with anything at anytime. I love watching your videos, they are entertaining and your personality is the best. You just made this Colombiana very happy. 😊💕

We do them with finely diced jalapenos, onions and pepper jack cheese, made in a Belgian Waffle maker until golden brown and delicious. That's how we roll.

You have such a way of explaining things and making it seem less intimidating ! I’ll have to hunt down some corn meal and give these a try.

Thank you so much for this recipe!! I've never had these before, and they came out spectacularly well and we've added them to the dinner playlist! I'm very impressed how well they reheat as well!

Love this recipe I’m Colombian and these are a staple is Colombian cuisine. ❤️🇨🇴

I am from Venezuela and Venezuelan arepas are the BEST 👊🏻 my husband who is not from Venezuela LOVE them I always have to cook them at home ❤️❤️❤️

Hi, my favorite filling for arepa is meat and cheese, líder cheddar or gouda, in Venezuela we call it " pelua " means hairy 😆 the most popular one is " Reina pepiada" this is arepa with shredded chicken, avocado, that is really good

I'm Mexican and grew up eating these! We call them, "gorditas". Little fatties 🤭. Although we don't cut them all the way through. So we can fill it like a pocket! In my family we loved chicken gorditas best. Shredded chicken, shredded lettuce, tomato, guac, and sour cream and queso fresco or crema. We serve it with traditional Mexican rice and beans. You can also make, "puffy tacos" using this recipe. But they must be thinner and as it fries you will push down in the middle to create the taco or boat for the filling. Then fill like a taco with anything you want!

Preppy Kitchen, thank you for sharing this South American recipe to the world! I am Colombian and I can say there are a lot of different kinds of arepas in the land of coffee: arepa e’huevo, arepa santandereana, arepa boyacense, arepa paisa, arepa de choclo, and more. There is nothing like an arepa filled with cheese with a cup of hot cocoa, and more cheese.

Thank you for this recipe!!!! Arepas are my all time favorite comfort food, and they turned out amazing for me! I've been watching your channel for a while now, and I love how I keep finding new videos of yours that get me excited all over again to cook! THANK YOU!!!!

That looks so good. I will make this one day. I have a Mexican father that taught me how to cook as a child. We never cooked anything traditional though so thank you for sharing John. You’re so funny yet precise and easy to understand. I almost feel like family in your kitchen. I enjoy all your videos…. Looking forward to your book…🙏🏽🙋🏻‍♀️👍🏽Mia

Perfecto! Congrats! In Venezuela the ultimate filling for many generations of kids was, and still is, "Diablitos", a deviled ham spread. This is what you always desperately long for while living abroad :)

I am a huge pita bread lover and it is my 'go to' when I serve pita pocket sandwiches. Now that I have seen your arepa recipe, I will probably be using these delicious little 'buns' on a regular basis AND they are so easy to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

I love this guy. He is great and keeps it simple with a great personality that is genuine. Thanks for sharing 😁👍

YAYYY I LOVE AREPAS AND AM COLOMBIAN!!!

Arepa, Reina pepiada is so delicious.

I was born in Vzla. And it made me so happy to watch you make arepas so beautifully and that you know the story. Also, my favorite is the cheese, avocado and black beans filling with some cilantro. 🤗 And yes, you can put anything you like on them.😋😋😋

Your recipe for arepas just answered my prayers, thank you! ♥️ For some reason the arepas around St Augustine have sugar in them, so I’ve wanted to make them at home - this recipe is just perfect, thanks! 😊

omg I’m so happy you made these!! Arepas are EVERYTHING in my country 🇻🇪

I am from Venezuela, and we add some butter to the dough. If we fry them we do not bake them. We just sear them a little bit in a griddle as we called in Venezuela budare with an oil brushed in the pan and then cook them in the oven for 20 min.

I learned on another vid that after patting them into shape, fix the cracks on the outer edge with damp fingers smoothing the edges. And as another viewer's comments mentioned using the cornmeal product called PAN. Thank you!

Looks good! I like to fill mine with an avocado cilantro chicken salad. Very nice in summer.

Hello John, thank you for all you’re amazing recipes. I e tried many and they are all delicious and so easy to make. I love that your food is so diversified, and I wanted to challenge you to make Pupusas! Pupusas are a Salvadoran traditional dish; basically a stuffed corn tortilla. If you need help, I’d be more than happy to help, and maybe share my moms secret recipe. I hope you try it!

Wow 😮 couldn’t believe when I saw the title of this video! I am Colombian 🇨🇴 and arepas are a big part of my culture and we have a lot of different types of arepas (all of them are delicious). My husband is English and he learned how to make arepas 😊

Arepas were a treat for me as a child! My friend's mom would make them for us from time to time, and we had some in Spanish class when we would bring Latin American food.

These look so easy to make, you look like your having so much Fun making these arepas

Thanks!! Arepas are one the more representative dish from my country! 🇻🇪

I just want you to know that "it was bothering my Virgo feelings" might be the single most relatable phrase I've ever heard in a cooking video, & has been officially added to my personal vocabulary. So thank you for that. Sincerely, a fellow Virgo. 😂

"I love you, your my new family member! I love the fact your able to cook good & bake good! GOD bless you for sharing your video's & recipe's!"

I hope I can find precooked cornmeal here in South Africa. Looks delicious! Looked it up, it is called Polenta this side of ocean :)

Arepas are a gluten-free Venezuelan 🇻🇪 and Colombian 🇨🇴 marvel! Our indigenous people lived in both areas, that's why it is hard to know where they first originated (I mean, arepas). I am from Venezuela and quite excited to see our food take the world! Nice video.👏👏👏

My girlfriend is Colombian, and she's made arepas for me a couple times. Usually, the filling is as simple as just canned tuna and cheese, but it's always so good. She likes hers drizzled with butter, too

I like the white corn version of the arepas. Excellent.

I love your recipe and demonstration, very accurate! I appreciate your mention about its origin, pre-Columbian era, I was born in Colombia, in my city, Barranquilla, is very popular the arepa e huevo (egg arepa), it is a deep fried arepa with a whole (or scramble egg(s) in the inside), it is very popular street food mainly for breakfast, I confess I DO NOT KNOW how to make it, but... I make my arepas grilled, with mozzarella inside, my kids half mexican half colombian love them! I use harina pan flour. My sister make her arepas with sheered cheese mixed with the flour, I have to say the most delicious arepa I've ever tried was the santandereana, from Santander Colombia Oh my....They make arepas in a very strange way, very complicated to me, but the outcome it is worth the effort, those arepas are made with homemade chicharron, with real corn, I think they have to be fermented before, I'm not 100% sure about it, and cooked or washed on the ashes...I watched the video in my language and I couldn't understand the process, if you got the opportunity to try, do it!. Thank you! by the way, I just made the pecan pie using your recipe...best pecan pie ever!

What an education I get from your channel! I'd never even heard of arepas before this popped up on my cell phone! Looks simple and delicious! Also, I'd never heard of pre-cooked cornmeal... 😺💕🐾

wao, first time I watch someone that is not from South America preping arepas, and what a wonder that is you!! and tank you so much for naming first my birth place country Venezuela!!

I must try these, thank you for showing me your way, simple and I can add whatever I love to the middle, cheese and maybe a jalapeño slice,❤ love your videos,

I can't wait to try this recipe. I love how everyone in the comments adds different things to them. Seems like you can't go wrong with these no matter what you add. I know its not the same taste but the size and color of them look like English Muffins. Oh boy, I just noticed a thumbnail of your Churros recipe lol Maybe I'll make both and make only one mess lol I'll let you know how it goes. I watch you all the time, you're amazing! Thanks for so many great recipes.

And they are gluten free! Thank you Preppy Kitchen! ♥

I'm Venezuelan, and you are a professional, super very well explained ❤

I'm a Spaniard, but a large part of my mum's family emigrated to Venezuela back in the 50's. They used to bring us large tins of coffee and precooked cornmeal, back when it was hard to find here in Spain. That's how my mum learned how to make arepas and I learned the recipe from her. I can confirm they are great with every kind of filling. My kids love them with chorizo or serrano ham and with Galician "tetilla" or San Simón cheese. They are actually very popular on the Canary Islands as well.

I have never tried these..now I m inspired 💕💕

keep bein an inspiration john! you’ve been the reason why im always so passionate about cooking :))

Arepas is the kind of food that's wonderful because it makes you feel capable (of cooking) !

I am from Panama, we don't do arepas, we do TORTILLAS the preparation process is the same but we don't put any fillings in it, instead we fried them in A LOT of oil to make it super crispy and put cheese on top to melt. Now we have a lot of Colombians and Venezuelans in our country and for the passed 15 years we can find arepas food trucks/restaurants everywhere and we love them. My favourite ones are Colombian arepas, they have filling plus they make amazing sauces to put in them, the flavours are from another world. Now I am hungry just for writing this 😊

Wow. These arepas look great John! 😋

Thanks, Jon. I purchased the cornmeal but made the mistake of cooking them on an electric griddle without any oil. Your tips and tricks are always spot on! Will try again tomorrow using your methods.

I’m Mexican but love 💕 Arepas 🇲🇽thanks for sharing

This is what I had for breakfast today. Although it's the same process to make them arepas are so called in Colombia and Venezuela, in Panamá wey called them tortillas (not tortilas but sounds more like tortiyas), I usually make one big 8 inch tortilla or arepa, I cook them on a pan with little oil, for about 8 minutes pero side and lid covered, on low heat. Pour some butter on and one slice of cheese, along with a fried egg. Didn't know you had to oven them as part of the process.

In America, these are called: "Hot Water Cornbread" My family has been making them for generations. Thanks for reminding me John.

This looks just like hot water corn bread except that cornbread has a little bit of flour. My grandma use to make this all the time to go with greens.

I ♥️ arepas! Whenever my friend’s mom comes from Colombia, I indulge! Yum yum. Best with queso blanco. I’ve not had them as a sandwich. The ones I know have the filing inside as part of the masa so it’s one solid disk.

A very simple recipe, but the end results look so delicious. I’m definitely going to make these.

As a venezuelan I can say your arepas are great!! And thanks for explaining a little bit of the history 😊😊