These simple arepitas are filled with scrambled eggs and cheese. You can eat them with your hands like a hot pocket, or served on a plate with guacamole and pico de gallo salsa.
I love food that I can eat with my hands, especially when said food is filled with warm, melty cheese that oozes out of pan-fried dough. And that’s exactly what these arepitas are. Masa harina dough filled with cheesy scrambled eggs plus more cheese, then fried in a bit of olive oil until golden. They are so easy, so good, and super satisfying! I like to eat them warm from the pan, or served with homemade guacamole and a quick pico de gallo salsa on the side.
Are these Arepas?
These are not arepas because they are not made the way arepas would be made in Venezuela or Colombia. Instead, they are something my grandmother used to make that is essentially a combination of arepas (made with masarepa) and gorditas (made with masa harina).
What’s the difference? Masarepa is a kind of ground corn flour used in Venezuela or Columbia. Masa harina is a Mexican ingredient made by taking masa (ground nixtamalized corn kernels) and then grinding it again into a fine flour. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina (affiliate link).
Usually arepas – which are essentially corn griddle cakes – are made with masarepa. They can be split in half and stuffed with things like cheese or meat. Arepas made an appearance in Disney’s recent movie, Encanto, which takes place in Colombia.
Goriditas hail from Mexico and are also a kind of griddle cake. They are deep-fried until golden and they have puffed up a bit, similar to pita bread, then they are split open and stuffed with things like cheese or meat. As you can see, they are similar to arepas!
Since these “arepas” are made with “gordita” ingredients, my Nana just called them “arepitas.” She also liked to stuff things inside them because, why not? So while these may not be “authentic” anything, they are definitely scrumptious!
What Do These Taste Like?
Ok so how to describe these. Essentially these are griddle cakes that have a crispy outside, a tender interior, and a melty middle filled with scrambled eggs and gooey cheddar cheese. One arepita is usually enough to fill your belly – they are hearty, filling, and satisfying.
Can I Fill Them With Something Else?
For sure! The arepitas shown here are filled with one serving of my cheesy scrambled eggs (which uses 2 eggs) plus cheddar cheese. But you could also use Monterey Jack cheese or even mozzarella. I recommend using cubes of cheese vs. shredded cheese because it’s important to get a good seal when shaping your arepitas and I find that shredded cheese can make that difficult to do. (It gets all over the place.)
Other filling ideas would be birria meat, pork carnitas, refried beans, or even leftover taco meat. I’ve even been known to use extra venison from these meat pies to make arepitas. In all these variations, I always add cheese. Always. Because I like biting into an arepita and getting a taste of melty cheese.
Shaping the Arepitas
While making these is very easy, there is a bit of a trick to getting a good seal so I took some pictures and will outline the step-by-step below.
Make the dough and cook the scrambled eggs as outlined in the recipe card below. Now to shape your arepitas!
Divide the dough into 8 portions about the size of a golf ball. I usually just cut the dough once horizontally across the middle, then cut it perpendicular to myself to form 8 equal portions. Roll each portion of dough into a ball.
Add the filling. Using your hands, flatten each ball into a disc about the size of your palm. Place 1/4 of the scrambled eggs and a couple of cubes of cheddar cheese on top of 4 of the discs. Leave a bit of a margin around the edges.
Place the remaining discs on top of the discs with filling. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal them. Make sure you don’t get any cheese or scrambled eggs poking out, you want the dough to form a good seal around the filling. Usually, once I have pinched the edges together, I also gently shape the arepita with my hands to make all the filling is well tucked inside.
Cook them up! Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the masa cakes and cook until golden on the outside, about 5 minutes per side.
Serving Suggestions
You can eat these straight from the pan while walking around your house if you want! Or, you can serve them all proper like on a plate with your desired fixings. 🙂 I recommend serving these with guacamole, your favorite salsa, and perhaps another sprinkle of cheese on top.
Arepitas don’t reheat well so I recommend eating them all when you make them!
PrintScrambled Egg and Cheese Arepitas
These simple areptias are filled with scrambled eggs and cheese. You can eat them with your hands like a hot pocket, or served on a plate with guacamole and pico de gallo salsa.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 arepitas
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups masa harina (I use Bobs Redmill Masa Harina)
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- About 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
- Scrambled eggs (1 serving)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, for frying
Instructions
Make the dough. In a medium bowl combine the masa harina, water, salt and butter. Mix with a spoon until a soft dough forms. With your hands briefly knead the dough and form it into a ball. Set aside to rest.
Make your scrambled eggs. While the dough is resting make the scrambled eggs as directed here. You will need 1 serving of scrambled eggs.
Divide the dough into 8 portions about the size of a golf ball. I usually just cut the dough once horizontally across the middle, then cut it perpendicular to myself to form 8 equal portions. Roll each portion of dough into a ball.
Shape the arepitas. Using your hands, flatten each ball into a disc about the size of your palm. Place 1/4 of the scrambled eggs and a couple of cubes of cheddar cheese on top of 4 of the discs. Leave a bit of a margin around the edges.
Place the remaining discs on top of the discs with filling. Pinch the edges of the dough to seal them. Make sure you don’t get any cheese or scrambled eggs poking out, you want the dough to form a good seal around the filling.
Cook. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the masa cakes and cook until golden on the outside, about 5 minutes per side.
Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa. Sprinkle more cheese on top if desired.
Last Step:
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