Venezuelan-Style Arepas With Secret Sauce

While living on the East Coast a decade ago, we became obsessed with the stuffed cornmeal cakes, known as arepas, from NYC's Caracas Arepas Bar. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, stuffed with creamy beans, doused with a punchy sauce, and completely affordable, what more could 20-something-year-olds want? We still dream about the restaurant's signature tangy, bright sauce that is nothing short of addicting. The owner, Maribel Araujo, keeps the ingredients a closely guarded secret, but luckily there is enough chatter online to develop a recipe that's close! Loaded with herbs, sweet peppers, and mango, and just the right amount of heat and vinegar, you'll want to make the full batch: it goes great with beans and rice, roasted potatoes, tortilla chips, fish, chicken, and just about anything else. –Lesley & Renee

What Are Arepas?

Arepas are cornmeal cakes popular throughout Venezuela and Colombia, with each country having its own style. Venezuelan arepas are typically thicker and split open to be stuffed with various fillings, beans, cheese, meat, avocado, plantains, creating a complete meal in a handheld package.

As Lesley and Renee describe them: "Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, stuffed with creamy beans, doused with a punchy sauce, and completely affordable", the perfect street food and comfort food combination.

The Caracas Arepas Bar Obsession

The recipe is born from a decade-old obsession with Caracas Arepas Bar, a beloved NYC Venezuelan restaurant. That kind of lasting food memory, "we still dream about the restaurant's signature tangy, bright sauce", is what inspired this recreation.

The owner, Maribel Araujo, keeps her sauce recipe secret, but as Lesley and Renee note, "there is enough chatter online to develop a recipe that's close!" This collaborative detective work by devoted fans has cracked the code.

The Star: Chaparro Beans

Let's talk about Chaparro beans (also called Negro beans) and why they're perfect for arepas. These small black beans have a rich, earthy flavor and creamy texture that makes them ideal for Venezuelan cooking.

What makes Chaparro beans perfect for arepa filling is their creamy texture that spreads easily inside the arepa pocket, their rich, earthy flavor that stands up to the bright sauce and sweet plantains, and their traditional use in Venezuelan cuisine.

When cooked with a sofrito of onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, and cilantro, these beans become a flavorful, substantial filling that's essential to great arepas.

The Bean Sofrito

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chopped onion, finely chopped red bell pepper, and a pinch of salt until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add minced garlic and cumin, cooking for 2 minutes to bloom the spices.

Stir in chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and remove from heat. This sofrito is the aromatic base that transforms plain cooked beans into something distinctly Venezuelan.

Once the beans are cooked and drained, stir them into the sofrito and simmer for 15 minutes or longer to meld the flavors. Season with salt to taste. The longer they simmer, the more the beans absorb the sofrito flavors.

The Secret Sauce

This is what makes these arepas special, the "tangy, bright sauce that is nothing short of addicting." The sauce combines:

• Cilantro and parsley (fresh, herby)
• White vinegar (tangy, sharp)
• Yellow bell peppers (sweet, mild)
• Jalapeño with seeds (heat)
• Mango, preferably Ataulfo (sweet, fruity)
• Garlic (pungent)
• Cumin (warm, earthy)
• Dried oregano (herbaceous)
• Mayo (creamy, emulsifying)
• Olive oil (richness)

Blend everything except the olive oil in a high-powered blender or food processor. Once puréed, with the motor running, gradually drizzle in olive oil until the sauce is "creamy and smooth." Season with salt to taste.

The result is complex, sweet from mango and peppers, tangy from vinegar, herby from cilantro and parsley, slightly spicy from jalapeño, with the richness of oil and mayo creating a creamy texture.

The Versatility

Lesley and Renee note you'll "want to make the full batch: it goes great with beans and rice, roasted potatoes, tortilla chips, fish, chicken, and just about anything else." This sauce is genuinely versatile, use it as a condiment, dipping sauce, salad dressing, or marinade.

Make extra and keep it in the fridge for adding to everything.

The Maduros

Maduros are fried sweet plantains, an essential component of Venezuelan arepas. Use very ripe plantains that are black (not yellow or green). Slice diagonally into 1-inch pieces.

Heat about an eighth inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. When shimmering, fry plantains in batches until golden brown, turning once, 2-3 minutes per side.

The plantains should be "caramelized and slightly crisp at the edges but still tender in the middle." Transfer to paper towels to drain.

The sweetness of maduros contrasts beautifully with savory beans and tangy sauce.

Making the Arepas

The arepa dough is simple but requires the right flour, yellow or white arepa corn flour like Areparina or Masarepa, NOT regular cornmeal or masa harina. These are pre-cooked corn flours specifically for arepas, found in Latin markets or online.

Mix warm water and salt in a bowl. Add the arepa flour gradually, mixing with your hands. Stop when you have dough that "doesn't easily stick to your hands and is moldable, yet still moist." Cover with a towel for 5 minutes to hydrate.

Divide the dough, rolling each piece into a ball, then pressing into a half-inch thick disk with your palms. If the dough cracks, add a little more water.

The Two-Step Cooking

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook arepas in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until deep golden brown. This creates the crispy exterior.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes until slightly puffed. This second step cooks the interior, creating that tender, fluffy inside while maintaining the crispy exterior.

Let them cool slightly before stuffing, they need to be cool enough to handle but still warm.

The Assembly

Cut each arepa three-quarters of the way around, leaving a seam so you can stuff it like a pita. This technique keeps the arepa intact while creating a pocket for fillings.

Stuff with beans, maduros, and other fillings (avocado, queso fresco). Drizzle generously with the secret sauce.

The combination is perfect, crispy arepa, creamy beans, sweet plantains, tangy sauce, with optional fresh cheese and avocado adding richness.

The Additional Fillings

The recipe suggests fresh cheese (queso fresco) and avocado slices as additional fillings. These add:

• Queso fresco: Salty, milky, crumbly texture
• Avocado: Creamy richness and healthy fats

Both are traditional arepa fillings that complement the beans and plantains beautifully.

What 20-Something-Year-Olds Want

Lesley and Renee's rhetorical question, "what more could 20-something-year-olds want?", captures arepa appeal perfectly. They're affordable, filling, handheld, delicious, and available late-night. They're comfort food and street food in one package.

But arepas aren't just for 20-somethings, they're for anyone who appreciates good food that's both substantial and exciting.

The Food Memory

This recipe demonstrates how powerful food memories can be. A decade after living on the East Coast, Lesley and Renee still dream about these arepas enough to recreate them. That lasting impression is what great food creates, memories that persist and inspire us to recreate flavors we love.

The Collaborative Recipe Development

The note about using "enough chatter online to develop a recipe that's close" reflects how food enthusiasts work together to crack secret recipes. When restaurants won't share their formulas, devoted fans compare notes, test theories, and eventually develop approximations that capture the essential character.

This recipe represents that collaborative effort, multiple people tasting, discussing, and experimenting until they figured out what makes that sauce so addictive.

A Complete Meal

Arepas as described here are a complete meal, carbs (arepa), protein (beans), vegetables (peppers in sofrito), fruit (plantains), healthy fats (avocado), and that incredible sauce tying everything together.

Serve them for dinner, lunch, or even breakfast (arepas are eaten at all meals in Venezuela).

The Technique Acknowledgments

The recipe credits Minimalist Baker and Serious Eats for arepa technique inspiration, and Caracas Arepas Bar for fillings and sauce inspiration. This proper attribution shows respect for sources while creating something new.

Venezuelan-Style Arepas With Secret Sauce

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Category

Main Course

Cuisine

Venezuelan

While living on the East Coast a decade ago, we became obsessed with the stuffed cornmeal cakes, known as arepas, from NYC's Caracas Arepas Bar. We still dream about the restaurant's signature tangy, bright sauce that is nothing short of addicting. Loaded with herbs, sweet peppers, and mango, and just the right amount of heat and vinegar, you'll want to make the full batch: it goes great with beans and rice, roasted potatoes, tortilla chips, fish, chicken, and just about anything else. –Lesley & Renee

Featured bean: Chaparro 

Other beans to try: Sangre de Toro, Ayocote Morado

Ingredients

The beans

• 1 lb Chaparro beans (makes extra)

• 2 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

• Salt to taste

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1½ tsp cumin

• ½ cup cilantro (leaves and tender stems), chopped

Secret sauce

• ½ cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems

• ½ cup parsley, leaves and tender stems

• ½ cup white vinegar

• 1½ cups coarsely chopped yellow bell peppers

• ½ jalapeño (flesh and seeds)

• 1 juicy mango (preferably Ataulfo), peeled and cut

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ tsp pepper

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp mayo

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• Salt to taste

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Maduros

• 2 large very ripe plantains (should be black), sliced diagonally into 1" pieces

• Neutral oil (for frying)

Arepas

• 2 cups warm water

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 2 cups yellow or white arepa corn flour, such as areparina or masarepa (not cornmeal or masa harina)

• 1 tbsp neutral oil

The rest

• Fresh cheese such as queso fresco

• Avocado slices

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Directions

1. Prepare the beans: Cook beans according to our guide in the cooking vessel of your choice. Once cooked, strain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, make the sofrito: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and a pinch of salt. Cook until vegetables are soft and fragrant. Stir in garlic and cumin, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat. Once beans are done cooking, stir them in the sofrito and bring to a simmer. Cook on low for 15 minutes or longer to meld the flavors. Season with salt to taste and set aside.

2. Make the sauce: Add all ingredients except olive oil in a high-powered blender or food processor. Add ½ tsp salt. Once pureed, with the motor running, gradually drizzle in olive oil until creamy and smooth. Add more salt to taste.

3. Prepare the maduros: In a large skillet, heat about ⅛ inch vegetable oil over medium-high. When the oil shimmers, working in batches fry plantains until golden brown, turning once, 2-3 minutes per side. The plantains should be caramelized and slightly crisp at the edges but still tender in the middle. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

4. Make the arepas: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together water and salt and add the areparina or masarepa a little at a time, mixing with your hands. Stop adding when you have a dough that doesn't easily stick to your hands and is moldable, yet still moist. Cover with a towel for 5 minutes. Divide dough into pieces, rolling each into a ball and then pressing into a ½-inch thick disk with your palms. If cracking becomes a problem, add a little more water to the dough. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add arepas in batches, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side until deep golden brown. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until slightly puffed. Let cool slightly.

5. Assemble: Cut the arepa ¾ of the way around, leaving a seam so you can stuff it like a pita. Stuff with the beans, maduros, and other fillings and enjoy with plenty of sauce.

Recipe Note

Servings: 6 arepas

Time: 1 hour

Cookware: large skillet, high-powered blender or food processor, bean cooking vessel of your choice, medium mixing bowl