Coconut Arepas Recipe

Coconut or domplin arepas are an exquisite fried bread originally from Puerto Rico. Their crunchy exterior texture, accompanied by the softness inside, have made them one of the most popular recipes in the kiosks that are distributed throughout the island.

In this article, we bring you this exquisite recipe that you can prepare with few ingredients, easy to make and also very rich and versatile, since you can substitute, add and fill with whatever you like the most. Stay with us and discover how to make traditional coconut arepas.

Ingredients to make Coconut Arepas:

• 2 cups of wheat flour (280 grams)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• 1 cup of coconut milk

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

• 1 cup of grated coconut (100 grams)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Oil for frying

How to make Coconut Arepas:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large enough container and then knead. Add the butter and continue mixing very well.

Add the coconut milk little by little while mixing and kneading well so that there are no lumps.

Tip: If you want to make sweet coconut arepas, add 4 tablespoons of sugar to the dough.

Mix until you get a dough that does not stick to your fingers so you can shape it with your hands. Separate the dough into several balls and flatten them to make the arepas. You can also use a rolling pin and a round mold to shape them.

Tip: Do not make the arepas too thick, maximum 1 cm thick, as they will puff up when you cook them.

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the arepas over medium heat for approximately 1 minute on each side. They should be golden like in the picture.

Serve them alone as a side dish for meats or soups or fill them with whatever you like and enjoy your coconut arepas from Puerto Rico. If you want to make them healthier, you can prepare baked coconut arepas.

The best-known arepa recipes are usually the Venezuelan and Colombian ones, made with corn flour. The coconut arepas from Puerto Rico, however, are a very traditional recipe that cannot be missed on the coasts of the island, a preparation that you cannot miss. But are there Venezuelan coconut arepas? Well, the truth is that yes, although they are made a little differently, because they are roasted coconut arepas.

These coconut arepas are native to the state of Zulia. Its shell is hard and its interior is very soft, this is achieved by wrapping the dough in a banana leaf and grilling or grilling. You can fry them with coconut oil to intensify the different presentations of the coconut. These are the ingredients you will need to prepare this alternative:

• 2 ½ cups precooked cornmeal

• 3 ½ cups of water

• 5 cloves

• 250 g of grated paper

• 2 ½ cups grated dried coconut

• 1 teaspoon salt

• Banana leaves

With the cloves and the brown paper you will have to make a syrup with hot water and mix it with the mass of the coconut arepas.