Description
These are the best corn and cheese arepas featuring a soft, cheesy cornmeal dough infused with fresh corn, scallions, cilantro, and jalapeno. Cooked on the stovetop until golden and crispy, they’re perfect served warm with butter, sour cream, or stuffed with your favorite fillings for a versatile and delicious snack or meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp canola oil
Mix-ins
- 1/2 cup fresh sweet corn kernels (or frozen kernels, thawed)
- 1/4 cup chopped scallion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
Optional Toppings
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Salsa
- Black beans
- Shredded chicken or pork
- Guacamole
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, add cornmeal, salt, and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir these together until well combined, then set the mixture aside.
- Heat Milk and Butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until steam begins to rise. Add the butter and stir until it is completely melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Form the Batter: Pour the warm milk and butter mixture into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture. Stir thoroughly until a thick batter is formed.
- Add Fresh Ingredients: Fold in the fresh or thawed corn kernels, chopped scallions, cilantro, and minced jalapeno into the batter, ensuring even distribution.
- Rest the Batter: Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. During this time, it will thicken further and form a soft dough.
- Shape the Arepas: Gently form the dough into balls about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Flatten each ball into a disc shape with your hands. Cover the discs and refrigerate for a few hours to firm up.
- Cook Arepas: Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, place the arepas in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on one side until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side until golden and cooked through.
- Drain and Serve: Remove the cooked arepas from the skillet and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Serve warm topped with butter or sour cream.
- Optional Serving Tips: Slice the arepas in half horizontally and fill with options like shredded meat, black beans, guacamole, salsa, or additional cilantro to customize your meal.
Notes
- For best texture, use finely ground yellow cornmeal suitable for arepas or polenta.
- Letting the dough rest and refrigerate helps the arepas hold their shape during cooking.
- If desired, substitute cheddar cheese with other melty cheeses like mozzarella or queso fresco.
- Adjust the jalapeno amount according to your spice preference.
- Can be made ahead and reheated on a skillet or oven before serving.
- Use fresh corn for a sweeter, juicier bite, or thaw frozen corn if fresh is unavailable.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Latin American
Keywords: corn arepas, cheese arepas, Latin American recipe, cornmeal arepas, cheesy arepas, arepas recipe, fried arepas, gluten free snacks
