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My Colombian Recipes

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You are here: Home / Main Dishes / Arepas and Tamales / Arepas de Queso (Cheese Arepas)

Arepas de Queso (Cheese Arepas)

July 25, 2016 by Erica Dinho 68 Comments

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This post is also available in Spanish

Arepa de Queso Recipe

Arepa is a typical Colombian dish from the region Antioquia, my home state. We serve Arepas warm for breakfast, spread with butter and cheese on top, with a good cup of Colombian hot chocolate. These Arepas are an essential part of the Colombian daily diet.

Arepa Colombiana

You can serve Arepas as a main course or appetizer with any topping you like.

Arepas Colombianas

Print

Ingredients

(4 Arepas)

  • 1 cup pre-cooked white or yellow arepa flour or cornmeal
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup white or mozzarella cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • Pinch salt

Receta de Arepa Colombiana

Directions

  1. Combine the cornmeal, warm water, cheese, 1 tbsp butter and salt, mixing thoroughly. Let mixture stand for five minutes.
  2. Knead with your hands for about 3 minutes moistening your hands with water as you work.
  3. Form 4 small balls with the dough. Place each ball between 2 plastic bags and with a flat pot cover flatten to ¼ inch.
  4. Add the butter to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Place the arepas in the pan, and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until a crust forms or they are golden brown.

Related Posts

  • Recetas de Comida Colombiana Pandebono (Colombian Cheese bread)
  • Arepas de Yuca What are Arepas?
  • Cheese Stuffed Corn Cakes (Arepas Rellenas de Queso) |mycolombianrecipes.com Cheese Stuffed Corn Cakes (Arepas Rellenas de Queso)
  • Arepa Boyacense (Arepa from Boyacá) |mycolombianrecipes.com Arepa Boyacense (Arepa from Boyacá)

Filed Under: Arepas and Tamales, Breakfast and Brunch Tagged With: Arepas, My favorites, Traditional Colombian

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Comments

  1. kayatthekeyboard says

    April 8, 2009 at 3:06 PM

    What do you mean when you say “precooked” cornmeal? Cooked as in like polenta? That’s the only way I could figured to do it.

    Reply
  2. Erica says

    April 21, 2009 at 10:32 AM

    Precooked cornmeal is called masarepa,if you do not find this kind yo can use the one you use for polenta.

    Reply
  3. koshercamembert says

    April 27, 2009 at 10:01 PM

    Erica — Looking forward to getting your help with these the next time my sister visits so I can surprise her with these that she loved so much after her trip to Medellin. Thanks for the offer.

    Best, Zahavah

    Reply
  4. Diana says

    July 9, 2009 at 2:23 PM

    These look great. I’m going to give these a try. Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Diana

    Reply
  5. El Paramedico says

    January 1, 2010 at 4:59 PM

    Erica,
    I have done this with Grits ( I know no the same, but, the best I can do in my area)..I use less water so that the grits can be formed easier (trial and error as too how much water to use).. After the grits have cooled a little, I add mozzarella shredded, fold in the cheeze and grits.FYI-WET HANDS really does make it easier to handle… Form into balls and flatten..Then I bake them on a greased cookie sheet….I’m still trying to get the temp and timing down..but After trial and error I end up taking them out when they look like what my mom’s used to look like..They never taste the same as hers,but, I’m gettng closer!!! lol

    Reply
  6. Pedro says

    January 23, 2010 at 10:39 AM

    Erica:

    In the US, the best ingredient to make the paisa arepas is “White Hominy”. You can get it from Goya foods, but there are also other sources. It is very much like mazamorra. The label on the can also calls it “Mote Blanco” and “Pozole”. It is exactly like the cooked white corn we use for the arepas in Antioquia. It comes in slightly salted water, so I drain it, rinse it, and drain it well before grinding it (on a food processor) to the consistency of the arepa dough. The result is the real thing, perfects arepas. Like you, I am a paisa, married to a gringa. But I am not the cook. She makes the most delicious Colombian foods, and she was thrilled to find your website. Thank you for doing it.

    Reply
    • Erica says

      January 23, 2010 at 10:57 AM

      Pedro- thank you so much for the wonderful comment. I am going to try mote soon.

      Reply
      • ~ Suze says

        November 7, 2015 at 3:36 PM

        Masa harina also works fine, as it’s a corn flour that is very similar to masarepa.

        Reply
  7. Stacey Viera says

    February 27, 2010 at 9:17 AM

    Erica,

    Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try making arepa at home. We loved eating arepa and calentado when we visited Bogota. Colombia is a beautiful country; can’t wait to go for another visit!

    Buen provecho,
    Stacey

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    March 9, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    Wow, your website was such a find! I was born in Medellin and came to the US with my family when I was very young so I never learned how to cook our traditional dishes. Looking through your blog has brought a smile to my face! My gringo boyfriend and I want to try to make arepas this weekend, and he’s super excited to try some of your other recipes, especially that Colombian pizza! Mmmm!

    Reply
  9. Leah says

    April 19, 2010 at 7:46 PM

    Thank you so much for this website! I love cooking Colombian food for my Caleño husband, and these recipes are so authentic and easy to follow! He was delighted with the arepitas we had with dinner tonight!

    Reply
  10. Stephanie says

    April 21, 2010 at 3:29 PM

    The package directions state 2 cups of areapa flour to 1 cup of water. Is your masa real thin.

    Reply
  11. Marta S. says

    May 16, 2010 at 10:37 PM

    Hello Erica,
    I see everyone is as excited as I am about your blog. Great way for you to make new friends. You have a new one here in Houston, Tx. I am from Bta and my mother used to cook something that she called ‘entero’. do you have ‘entero’ in Medellin?

    Gracias pues, Erica!!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      May 16, 2010 at 11:15 PM

      Marta- What is entero? What kind of dish?

      Reply
  12. Mariel says

    August 25, 2010 at 1:27 PM

    Hi, I went to Colombia 2yrs ago with my friend to visit her family and absolutely loved the food. So recently I found your blog and started making many of these recipes….which turned out delicious! (especially arroz con coca-cola…so simple. The town I stayed at was Santa Marta, and I gotta say the chuzos were amazing too. but I have a question… On the chuzos, they were spreading some sauce over them…it was kind of greenish…I was wondering if you might now what sauce that is and how to make it. Well thanks for posting up all these recipes they are great…and keep doing what you do. Best wishes

    Reply
    • Erica says

      August 25, 2010 at 3:36 PM

      Mariel- Every city has different recipes. In Medellin it is popular to marinade the meat for 24 hours with herbs and beer and spread beer with oil when you are grilling the chuzos.Maybe one of my readers can help you.

      Reply
  13. joe says

    September 12, 2010 at 7:26 PM

    can anybody help me find frucos products in the usa? anyplace in ny or florida thanks

    Reply
  14. Diana says

    November 8, 2010 at 12:13 PM

    I also made these last weekend as a side dish to the Pollo Asado (found in the Main Dishes section) I made for my sister’s birthday. If I knew how EASY these were to make, I would have made arepas every day for breakfast, Medellín style. I only added a pinch of salt to the dough but that’s just how I like them. I will never, ever ask my mom to make arepas again just so I can satisfy my craving. I can now make them myself! THANKS Erica!

    Reply
  15. Rachel Joyce says

    March 9, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    I first tried arepas at a Cuban restaurant outside of Orlando and their style served was the Arepas Rellenos de Queso. I love all kinds of grilled cheese and this is no exception. Thanks for your recipe because I’m using it tonight for a Cheese & Corn Arepa stuffed with a Papaya and Habanero Chicken filling. Muchas Gracias!

    Reply
  16. Rocio del Pelar says

    August 3, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    Mariel
    on Aug 25th, 2010
    @ 1:27 PM:

    Answer: On the chuzos, they were spreading some sauce over them…it was kind of greenish…I was wondering if you might now what sauce that is and how to make it.

    Yes, the sause was “chimichurri” Its a typical Argentinian sause used with churrasco, but in Colombia it also used with other meats.l

    Reply
  17. Ana Maria says

    August 5, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    I made arepas today for breakfast and I loved them.

    Reply
  18. Susan Burkley says

    December 10, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    I just made these for lunch…YUMMY!! This is a great, quick recipe!

    Reply
  19. Olga says

    January 4, 2012 at 2:41 AM

    Hi Erica!
    As everyboby else I am very glad I found your blog. It has become my main cookbook 😉 Half of my family is from La Guajira where they make also a delicious type of arepa a bit smaller than the Paisa arepa but much thicker. It is usually stuffed with different types of fillings. I tried to bake them in the oven because it is much quicker but they turned out too dry. Do you have any recipe for baked arepas?
    Thank you so much for having this blog!
    Olga Lucia

    Reply
  20. sarita says

    April 17, 2012 at 6:36 PM

    Can you cook these on an arepa pan (the ones with the holes) or do they need to be cooked through in some way first? I am worried they will break up? We use PAM but my Colombian husband cooks them in the oven, they seem a bit hard (delicious but not like they are in Col.!) Do you have a recipe for hogao, can’t see it here. Thanks, great blog!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      April 17, 2012 at 7:50 PM

      Sarita- You can use a “parilla” and this is the recipe for hogao https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/colombian-tomato-and-onion-sauce-hogao

      Reply
  21. The Duo Dishes says

    May 11, 2012 at 12:10 AM

    So great to find your recipes! We’ll be experimenting with arepas this weekend. Would you mind emailing us to let us know what kind of cheese you could use instead of the traditional Colombian farmer’s cheese? We’re going to try to find it, but just in case…!

    Reply
    • Elena says

      March 13, 2015 at 11:48 PM

      I spent my childhood in Santa Marta, and arepas are one of the many, many things I miss desperately… along with the queso campesino/queso costeño that went both in and on them, and which I have not been able to find anywhere else. It’s a relatively hard cheese, kind of rubbery–almost squeaky–and definitely salty.

      While the real thing is probably only available in Colombia, I have found something that’s surprisingly close: white cheddar cheese curds, which is the sort of cheese that Canadians use for poutine. Grind it up in the food processor, and you can add it to the arepa mix. (I use a LOT more than this recipe calls for, though; about 2 cups ground cheese to 1 cup masarepa, then medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes per side, because it does make it a bit melty.)

      Since the white cheddar cheese curds are also a bit hard to find–I order mine online–another reasonably good substitute is anything being sold in the Hispanic food section as “frying cheese.” Often it may wind up being moister than what’s used for arepas in Colombia, but as long as you know that, you can tweak the amount of water you add to the recipe, and it’ll still turn out well. (We’re only talking maybe a teaspoon less water, if that, rather than a dramatic reduction.)

      Reply
  22. Jennifer says

    June 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM

    You can cook the areas in a George Foreman grill. Cooks evenly on both sides and butter is optional.

    Reply
  23. Jennifer says

    June 5, 2012 at 4:32 PM

    Arepas not areas lol oh corrective spelling why do you torture me!

    Reply
  24. Amanda says

    September 21, 2012 at 10:31 AM

    Hi Erica,

    Thank you for posting all these great recipes…

    Can you use masa harina to make arepas? Do you have to cook it beforehand?

    My boyfriend is Ecuadorean, not Colombian, but both countries eat arepas and I would love to surprise him with some…!

    thank you!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      September 21, 2012 at 3:36 PM

      Amanda, For Colombian arepas you have to use masarepa or pre-cooked cornmeal. They sell different brands Goya, Harina Pan…..You can find it online at amazon.com or at your local Latin market.

      Reply
  25. Chantal says

    November 26, 2012 at 12:46 AM

    I can’t wait to try some of these recipes for my boyfriend! His father was Colombian (passed away), and he grew up with his Canadian mother making him Colombian foods, supposedly she was excellent at it, but I’d love to learn from a real Colombian woman as well! He lived in Colombia every year for 3 months until he was 18. He always talks about Arepas, and I have never had them, but I really want to try them! This recipe looks pretty simple. Not sure what I would use here in Canada for the pre-cooked cornmeal, since we do not have many latin american food stores…. hopefully I can find a good substitute!
    Thanks Erica!

    Reply
  26. Susana says

    December 2, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    Dios mio, estas arepas salieron deliciosas!! gracias por la receta, la hice ayer y nos encanto. Me encanto que la masa quedo siempre suavecita y no se seco!!

    Una pregunta, usted ha echo alguna receta de carne en palito? me recuerdo que en las called de Maicao – La Guajira, vendian carne en palito con papitas chiquitas. Super deliciosas!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      December 2, 2012 at 7:38 AM

      Hi Susana, mira esta receta : https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/beef-skewers-chuzos-de-res

      Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    December 19, 2012 at 11:58 PM

    What is polenta?

    Reply
  28. JW says

    February 23, 2013 at 5:40 PM

    Hi!

    I tried making these this morning and I thought they were delicious! However my boyfriend pointed out that in Colombia the arepas tend to be a little bit more “hard.” The ones I made were pretty soft..they folded easily and there wasn’t much “resistance” to them when you bit into them. I thought I followed the recipe to the letter – do you have any idea what I might have done wrong?

    I used fresh mozzarella – could that be the issue? Or did I just not cook them long enough?

    Reply
    • Erica says

      February 23, 2013 at 9:48 PM

      Next time…don’t use fresh mozzarella and cook them longer. Arepas made with masarepa are softer the arepas made with corn.

      Reply
  29. Becki says

    March 24, 2013 at 7:25 AM

    Hi Erica, can these be frozen? I would like to make bulk and freeze if possible

    Reply
    • Erica says

      March 24, 2013 at 10:11 AM

      Yes.

      Reply
  30. Rochelle says

    April 6, 2013 at 1:27 PM

    Going grocery shopping later and I plan on trying to make arepas. Possibly another Colombian recipe

    Reply
  31. Dan Flynn says

    May 7, 2013 at 11:43 AM

    I’m going on holiday to Switzerland soon and I’d like to know if you can make these with Swiss cheese too?

    Reply
    • Erica Dinho says

      May 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM

      You can try it!!!

      Reply
  32. Wendy says

    July 30, 2013 at 1:12 AM

    Hi Erica,
    I would like to know what is the procedure of freezing the arepas? Do you freeze them raw or cooked? How can you heat them up after?

    Reply
  33. Dan says

    October 21, 2013 at 11:01 AM

    Greetings. I know this is an older post, but I had to add my ‘thank you’. Made these this past week end for the first time. Delicious. Especially with sausage gravy!

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    November 3, 2013 at 5:28 PM

    I tried them this week for the first time, with the Pork, Mushrooms and Avocado Sauce on this wonderful site. So easy to make and the taste was awesome. I was lucky enough to find arepa flour at my local Safeway. I look forward to trying some of your other dishes that are served with them.
    Thank you Erica for sharing your wonderful food with us.

    Reply
  35. Requiem_11 says

    April 13, 2014 at 1:50 AM

    If you are in Australia I found this South African product which works just as well; Protea maize meal. I found it at a particular woolies, but check South African specialty stores too. If you are in Brisbane, go to penissi in the gaba to get PAN and lots of other Colombian items like triguisar and panela.

    Reply
  36. Maria Khan says

    June 13, 2014 at 3:31 PM

    Quiero hacer bastantes arepas y congelarlas pero no se si las congelo crudas o asadas. Gracias

    Reply
    • Erica Dinho says

      June 14, 2014 at 8:47 AM

      Maria, las puedes medio cocinar (no totalmente) y luego las pones en una bolsa con cierre y las puedes poner en el congelador.

      Reply
  37. Kristen says

    June 25, 2015 at 3:02 PM

    Erica, my husband and I have fallen in love with arepas, thanks to your recipe! I have especially found it helpful because I am gluten-intolerant, but corn is A-OK, so this is a great bread sub for me. Do you have any tips or tricks for prepping in advance or speeding up the process, or do you just make them fresh from square one every time.

    By the way, would you happen to know how to make ceviche?

    Reply
    • Kristen says

      June 25, 2015 at 3:04 PM

      Lo que le explico arriba a Maria, seria eso lo que hace Ud. para facilitar el proceso?

      Reply
    • Erica Dinho says

      June 25, 2015 at 6:17 PM

      I usually make a large batch and cook them for about 60 seconds on each side. Let them cool and place them in the freezer in zip lock bags.Every time you want one, just take it out of the freezer and cook it until is done.

      Reply
  38. Marie says

    July 28, 2015 at 1:36 PM

    I love Colombian food and your recipes are so amazing! Great job writing this blog!

    Reply
  39. Antonio says

    August 13, 2015 at 1:02 PM

    These arepas de queso are very simple to make . I make them every day.

    Reply
  40. monica says

    November 19, 2015 at 11:09 PM

    I finally made arepas for the first time. I am, um, in my 40s! Mi mama will be so proud of me! Multi-cultural day (at kid’s grammer school) here we come! Thank you for the recipe. Easy and delicioso!

    Reply
  41. Laura says

    February 23, 2016 at 2:33 PM

    I was referred by a friend to your site. Love your recipes! I just now subscribed via email.

    Reply
  42. Rhonda says

    May 19, 2016 at 6:39 AM

    Help. What did I do wrong? My arepas came out very tough and not “airy” in the middle. The only thing I did different was I had to walk away from my dough for about 15 minutes.

    Reply
  43. Donna says

    September 11, 2016 at 12:33 PM

    I just met the nicest Colombian man at church and I look forward to trying this recipe so next week at Mass I can bring him a surprise! I am hoping the way to mans heart is thru his stomach so I want to make sure I make Oscar something I know he will like! Your site has been amazing for me! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  44. Jade says

    December 27, 2016 at 4:38 PM

    I’m curious what I’ve done wrong. This is my first time making arepas, or any kind of Columbian food. It seems so simple, but as I am cooking them they are just falling apart. The dough sticks well enough to itself, but once it begins to cook and I have to go to flip them they just crumble into a mess. Still delicious, but not arepas.

    Reply
    • Tom says

      December 2, 2017 at 10:51 AM

      No “U” por favor lol “COLOMBIAN..
      Just sayin….

      Reply
      • Tom says

        December 2, 2017 at 10:55 AM

        Common mistake …. sounds like either too much water … type of cheese maybe to fresh. Love this Blog… for 14 yrs spent about a 1-2 months per year in Cali. Fell in love with the people and Culture .
        El barrio Alphonso Lopes

        Reply
        • Tom says

          December 2, 2017 at 10:56 AM

          Ugh!!! LOPEZ …lol see what I mean!!!

          Reply
  45. Jose Alonso says

    May 20, 2017 at 9:20 PM

    Hockey Pucks from Antioquia? no thanks; get the Real Arepas The Size of a dinner plate from the region of the state of Cesar and Norte de Santander,Colombia: Please!!!!!

    Reply

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