These Vegan Arepas recipe will immediately gain a place in your heart and kitchen. Easy to make and filled with Marinated Grilled Tofu, Caramelized Onions, and Creamy Vegan Sauce.
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🧐 Arepas in Latin America
Maize tortillas constitute a staple of our Latin American cuisine. You can find tortillas in different shapes, colors, and flavors, as there are more than twelve thousand types of corn.
These Vegetarian Arepas are soft on the inside, crispy on the inside, and filled with the rewarding filling of Marinated Grilled Tofu and a Creamy Pesto-Like sauce that you cannot miss. We even offer professional wine pairing recommendations at the end!
In the South (Colombia and Venezuela), people call these corn shapes Arepas. From Panama and up to Mexico, we call them tortillas. Venezuelan Arepas are the sandwiches of South America, as you can eat them with whatever filling you think makes a great combination.
We both share a love for Arepas. Joaquin tried them for the first time, thanks to his Colombian roommates back in Buenos Aires.
I am from Panama, where we have our version made out of yellow corn (called Tortillas de Maiz). Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela are neighboring countries.
Subsequently, we eat Venezuelan and Colombian arepas quite regularly.
This recipe is the Venezuelan version which works better for filling them with whatever you can think of.
The Colombian and Panamanian versions are thinner and work better to have a bite as you munch them with something else, like french fries.
🧾 Arepa ingredients
- White maize flour
- Water
- Salt
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
Arepa filling ideas
We always try adding some protein, something fresh, like a tabbouleh salad, and something to round things up, something creamy, like cheese or caramelized onions.
Our favorite arepa fillings are
- Marinated Tofu (recipe) and the air fryer tofu nuggets
- Creamy vegan sauce (recipe), alternatively use a carrot greens chimichurri
- Caramelized Onions
- Fresh arugula
- Lemon to top
But you can think of anything you would put in a sandwich because arepas are simply white corn sandwiches.
More great arepas filling options are vegan cheddar cheese, vegan ricotta cheese, gouda cheese, grilled asparagus, roasted butternut squash, roasted vegetables, falafels, chickpea hamburgers, roasted peppers hummus, or vegan tuna salad.
Get crazy with pesto sauce; there are many options like mint pesto, basil pesto, arugula pesto, kale pesto, red tomato pesto, and even pistachio pesto.
🔪 Instructions
Arepas are versatile, naturally vegan, and welcome every stuffing you can imagine. We have tried a myriad of combinations.
In this vegan arepas recipe, we suggest you have arepas with this Marinated Grilled Tofu and this 5-minute Creamy Vegan Sauce, similar to a pesto. Optionally, add some arugula and caramelized onions for an extra flavor kick.
Your Must-Have + Optional Ingredients for the Vegan Arepas
You can make everything in minutes and feed your whole family with quickly adjustable measures.
Make the 5-minute Creamy Vegan Sauce.
Grill the Marinated Grilled Tofu.
Mix the pre-cooked cornmeal, water, and salt, in a bowl. Knead for 2 minutes and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
Divide the dough into four balls and flatten them with your hands until you get discs of about three inches. Shape the discs to resemble a flying saucer, pressing more on the edges and less on your palm’s souls.
Cook them on a grill on medium heat for five minutes on each side.
Optionally Caramelise some onions with the Same Tofu Marinade.
Once you've got the Vegan Arepas Grilled and Ready, you just cut them halfway and start filling them with some arugula, the grilled tofu, and the creamy vegan sauce.
This combination is magnificent!
🌽 White Corn or Maize as a Nutrient
Corn is a good source of many vitamins and minerals, and it is an excellent carbohydrate option for people with gluten intolerance.
🍷 Wine pairing
- Spain - Dry White - Albariño (Rías Baixas)
- Portugal - Fortified Dry or Semi-Dry - "Rainwater" Madeira
📚 More Latin American Recipes
🥪 More vegan sandwiches
- Try our vegan tuna salad sandwich, a classic.
- Make a delicious falafel wrap with our crispy falafel recipe
- Vegan Egg salad sandwich made with protein-rich tofu and cauliflower.
- See how to make the most fantastic chickpea vegan burger, a great recipe for meal prepping.
Let us know if you try this recipe and the suggested area fillings! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Vegan Arepas + Delicious Arepa Fillings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups white maize flour corn meal, pre-cooked
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
To serve:
- Creamy Vegan Sauce
- Marinated Grilled Tofu
Optional:
- 1 bunch arugula
- ½ red onion sautéed
- 1 pinch red chilly if you like to make it spicy
Directions
- Make the Marinated Grilled Tofu Recipe.
- Make the 5-Minutes Creamy Sauce for Everything in the Notes.
- Mix the pre-cooked cornmeal, water, and salt. in a bowl Knead for 2 minutes and let it rest for another 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into four balls and flatten them with your hands until you get discs of about three inches. Shape the discs, so they resemble a flying saucer, pressing more on the edges and less on your palm’s souls.
- Cook them on a grill on medium heat for five minutes on each side.
- Meanwhile cut the red onions and sauté with one teaspoon of cooking oil and optionally adding the remaining juice of the grilled tofu marinade (should have some ginger, garlic, and soy sauce).
- When the arepas are ready, cut them carefully on one side, without cutting them all the way through, and stuff the arepas with the sauce, the sautéed onions, arugula, and tofu chunks.
Video
Notes
- Spain - Dry White - Albariño (Rías Baixas)
- Portugal - Fortified Dry or Semi-Dry - "Rainwater" Madeira
Nutrition Facts
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Nutritional Disclaimer
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
confused says
Sucks that you put all of this work into the recipe, food photography, and blog post only to have burnt the arepas. Why not make another batch that will do your time and effort justice? Laziness? Lack of care for your readers? hmmmm.
Gus says
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We genuinely apologize if our slightly burnt arepas left you with negative feelings. However, it's important to note that the smoky flavor is intentional and preferred by our team. This is how we prepare and enjoy our arepas at home, just like our grannies used to make them.
We understand that personal taste preferences vary, and we encourage you to adjust the cooking time to suit your desired level of doneness. We appreciate your suggestion and will take it into consideration.
We assure you that we genuinely care about our readers and put considerable effort into our recipes, food photography, and blog posts. We strive to provide clear directions and visuals to help everyone recreate our dishes successfully. If you browse through our extensive collection of over 350 recipes, you'll see the attention to detail and care we put into each one.
Once again, we appreciate your feedback, as it allows us to continually improve our content and address the preferences of our readers. If you have any further suggestions or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Jessica Stroup says
So pretty and yummy! We loved these!
Gus says
That's great Jessica! Thanks for you review!
Teodora says
Looks amazing! I am making it this weekend, and I can't wait!
Michelle says
These arepas were super delicious! Thanks for sharing your version 🙂
Gus says
Yes, they are! You are welcome!
Wanda says
I've only ever tried the meat arepas here. I can't wait to try them with marinated tofu!
Stacey says
So delicious! Your homemade creamy, vegan sauce really takes everything to the next level. Love mixing it up and having something so unique for dinner - thanks for sharing!
Gus says
I am glad you and your family enjoyed the arepas, we really looove that sauce, we use it literally for everything!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I'm drooling here! Pass me one will you?
Gus says
Hehe! They are really easy to make Get a Masa Harina! 🙂