Coconut Arepas are fried breads made with coconut milk and white flour. They have have an outer crispy golden crust with a soft dough inside. The Coconut Arepas can be served as a snack with a cup of Puerto Rican coffee or served as a side dish to accompany your main course. They can also be stuffed with your favorite filling (meat, fish or cheese with guava paste) since a pocket is created in the middle.
The arepas originated in South America and are prepared with corn-based flour. In Puerto Rico, we prepare the arepas with white flour. They can also be made with or without coconut milk.
Preparing the Dough for Coconut Arepas!
In a bowl, add the following dry ingredients: 2 cups of pre-sifted all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon lite (low sodium) salt, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Mix well, using a whisk.
Pour about ½ cup of coconut milk into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon to mix the ingredients. I used canned coconut milk, but click on this link for Homemade Coconut Milk.
NOTE: Depending on the consistency of the dough, I might just need ¾ cup of coconut milk. I started off with 1 cup of coconut milk.
After initially stirring with a spoon, mix dough with your hands.
Add more coconut milk. Mix dough with your hands until there is no longer any excess dough on the sides and bottom of mixing bowl.
The dough is formed. The dough should feel moist and smooth, but not too sticky or dry.
Kneading the Dough!
Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball with your hands and place in bowl. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
Rolling Out and Cutting the Dough for Coconut Arepas!
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness.
\
Cut the dough into 3 to 4-inch circles with a cookie cutter or use the rim of a drinking glass. Gently lift each circle of dough, and place on a cookie sheet or baking pan lined with parchment paper. Roll out any leftover dough and cut into 3 to 4-inch circles. We don’t want to waste any dough if possible.
This recipes yields at least 21 to 24 circles of dough, depending on the size of the arepas. I placed them on 2 separate baking pans.
Frying the Coconut Arepas!
In a skillet, heat 2 to 3 cups of cooking oil to 365°F. Add the coconut arepas into skillet and fry until they are golden on both sides.
Once the dough comes into contact with the heated oil, the dough will start to puff up and create air pockets.
NOTE: The air pockets will decrease in size when the coconut arepas are thoroughly cooked.
Turn them over to the other side and continue frying until golden.
After a total of 10 minutes of frying, the coconut arepas are done. Remove from skillet and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Repeat this process for the remaining coconut arepas.
Coconut Arepas!
The Coconut Arepas have a beautiful golden color.
This is the back side of the Coconut Arepas.
You can split the Coconut Arepas in half lengthwise since a pocket is created in the middle to stuff with your favorite filling. The dough is soft inside with an outer crispy crust.
The Coconut Arepas are served warm with a cup of coffee or as a side dish to accompany your main course. It can also be stuffed with your favorite meat, fish or cheese with guava paste.
Click on the button below to watch How to Prepare Coconut Arepas (Arepas de Coco)!
Recipe and Nutritional Facts!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. Please refer to our Nutritional Facts Disclaimer for more information.
Print
Coconut Arepas (Arepas de Coco)
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 21 Coconut Arepas 1x
Description
Coconut Arepas are fried breads made with coconut milk and white flour. They have have an outer crispy golden crust with a soft dough inside. The Coconut Arepas can be served as a snack with a cup of Puerto Rican coffee or served as a side dish to accompany your main course. They can also be stuffed with your favorite filling (meat, fish or cheese with guava paste) since a pocket is created in the middle.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of pre-sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lite salt
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 cup Coconut Milk*
Instructions
- In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Pour small amounts of coconut milk into dough mixture and stir with a spoon.
- With your hands, mix dough (add more coconut milk if necessary) until there is no longer any excess dough on the sides and bottom of mixing bowl.
- Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Shape into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough into ⅛-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3 to 4-inch circles.
- Place each circle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll out any leftover dough and cut into circles.
- In a skillet, heat 2 to 3 cups of cooking oil to 365°F. Add the coconut arepas and fry until golden on both sides, flipping them to the other side. Once the dough comes into contact with the heated oil, the dough will start to puff up and create air pockets.
- Place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excessive oil.
- Serve warm with a cup of coffee or as a side dish with your main course. They can also be split in half and stuffed with your favorite meat, fish, or cheese with guava paste.
Notes
Depending on the flour and room temperature, you might need ¾ cup to 1 cup of coconut milk.
The dough should be smooth and moist, but not too dry or sticky.
The prep time includes 30 minutes of rest time.
- Category: Breads
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
