When you see the color and enjoy the taste of these veggie colored arepas, you will want to make them all the time. Their colorful look is provided by fresh carrots, beets, and cilantro.
The method to make these multicolored arepas is the same as that of the traditional Venezuelan arepas. Plus they are also super nutritious! Please keep reading: below I tell you how to make these colorful veggie arepas…
Veggie Colored Arepas: The Sky is the Limit
These veggie colored arepas are the ace every mom and dad should have in their sleeve. They are wonderful for picky eaters to eat super-nutritious vegetables while enjoying simply delicious arepas. But I got you covered: they will never, ever realize they are eating carrots or beets.
Although in this case, the green arepas are made with cilantro, the truth is that with spinach they are also a delight. I also love that carrot and beet arepas are kind of sweet.
I made my colored arepas plain. I mean, I only added the vegetable juice in substitution of the water. But the options for making even more nutritious arepas are endless. You can all kinds of ingredients to the dough. This includes chia seeds, flaxseed, oat flakes, and cooked or flaked quinoa, among others.
You can also flavor your arepa by adding spices such as cumin seeds, turmeric, paprika, and red pepper flakes. As the traditional arepa is neutral in taste, the sky is the limit when making these healthy arepas. Like all arepas you find in this blog, today’s ones are gluten-free.
How to Make Veggie Colored Arepas
I learned to make both beet arepas and carrot arepas, with my aunt Nanny. She also showed me how to make the spinach ones.
The last time she came to Miami with my cousin Adriana and her daughter Sophia, we spent a family weekend at Marco Island. I asked my aunt to make colored arepas et voilà!
My aunt Nanny is my grandmother Ligia’s daughter. While she was in good shape, my grandma made arepas every day of her life. So my auntie makes the real stuff. First, she cooks them in a skillet or budare (affiliate link). Then, she finishes them in the oven. I skip that last step.
To make these arepas you will need ingredients and kitchen utensils that can be purchased through my Amazon Affiliate Program, including:
- Grater
- Blender
- Measuring cups
- Mixin bowls
- Double griddle or even better: a budare
- Harina P.A.N.
Tips to Make the Perfect Veggie Colored Arepas
When making veggie colored arepas, keep in mind the following:
- When making plain arepas, the ratio between liquid and arepa flour is 1.25:1, which means 1 1/4 cups of water for 1 cup of flour.
- Beets and carrots are full of fiber, so is cilantro which is liquefied with steams included. For that reason, I increase the amount of liquid to 1 1/3 cups. In this way, the result is a malleable well-hydrated dough.
- To make beet and carrot juices, the ratio is 1.30:1, which means 1 1/3 cups of water for 1 cup of grated veggies.
- Beets and carrots are sweet, so you may want to add a little more salt to the dough.
- If you make these colored arepas at the same time and want to save them for later, it’s best to separate them with parchment paper so that the cilantro and carrot arepas don’t get stained with the beet ones.
- Keep in mind that while the arepa flour is pre-cooked, the veggies used in this recipe are raw. For the same reason, these arepas last less time in the refrigerator than plain arepas. You can, of course, freeze them.
- Please do not reheat these arepas in the microwave. They get mushy. To heat them you can put them in a pan with a lid over medium heat for a few minutes. You can also reheat them in the toaster.
These arepas can be filled with whatever you want. Personally, I love them with butter and white cheese. They all go wonderfully well with refried black beans with white cheese and avocado.
Beetroot, Carrot and Cilantro Arepas Recipe
Following is my veggie colored arepas recipe, inspired by the arepas made by my aunty Nanny and my cousin Adriana. Thank you for subscribing to my YouTube channel and for visiting my Amazon store.
Veggie Colored Arepas
Ingredients
For the cilantro arepas
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup arepa flour (Harina P.A.N.)
For the carrot arepas
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup carrots, grated
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup arepa flour (Harina P.A.N.)
For the beets arepas
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup beets, grated
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup arepa flour (Harina P.A.N.)
Instructions
For the cilantro arepas
- In the vase of a blender, put the water and cilantro, and blend until it has the consistency of a juice.
- In a bowl put the cilantro juice, add the salt and arepa flour, mix well so that there are no lumps. Knead with your hands until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Let stand for 5 minutes.
For the carrot arepas
- In the vase of a blender, put the water and carrots, and blend until it has the consistency of a thick juice.
- In a bowl put the carrot juice, add the salt and arepa flour, mix well so that there are no lumps. Knead with your hands until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Let stand for 5 minutes.
For the beet arepas
- In the vase of a blender, put the water and beets, and blend until it has the consistency of a thick juice.
- In a bowl put the beets juice, add the salt and arepa flour, mix well so that there are no lumps. Knead with your hands until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Let stand for 5 minutes.
To cook the arepas
- Preheat a pan, griddle or budare, over medium heat. Grease very lightly to prevent the arepas from sticking.
- Make 5 balls with every dough. With your hands shape the arepas in the form of a flat 2-inch circumference.
- With a spatula, flip the arepas and cook for another 4-5 minutes until they begin to rise.
- Serve hot with the filling of your choice.
Video
Nutrition
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @enrilemoine on Instagram and hashtag it #byenrilemoine. Thank you!
Hungry for more arepas? Check my other recipes out:
Arepas Enriched with Eggs and Cheese
