RECIPE: How to Make Arepas from Disney's 'Encanto' at Home

Julieta Madrigal, Mirabel’s magical mother from Disney’s Encanto, has decided to share her famous arepas con queso recipe with us, and we couldn’t be more excited!

These arepas from the 2022 Flower and Garden Festival are topped with melted queso fresco. Yum!

We’ve seen some arepas in the Disney parks, like the melted queso fresco version available in EPCOT during the 2022 Flower and Garden Festival, but now you can enjoy this comfort food at home whenever you want. While you probably won’t be able to heal injuries with your food like Julieta does, Disney says that these are so delicious you might just have people lining up for them anyways!

If you’ve seen Encanto, you will probably remember it’s Julieta’s gift that allowed her to cure others’ ailments with her food (if only we could do that in real life!). One of the dishes we see her feeding Mirabel to heal a cut on her hand is these arepas con queso, a savory cake made with a corn-based dough that is combined with cheese and then all fried together. Fried bread mixed with cheese? Yep, that sounds like our kind of snack!

Okay, raise your hand if you saw these in the movie and IMMEDIATELY wanted to have on! © Encanto, Disney

Disney shared the recipe for these arepas on their Twitter account, and it only requires 7 ingredients. The steps are fairly simple too, so even if you are a novice chef, don’t be afraid to try it out! The recipe makes roughly 7 arepas, and we think they would make an excellent side dish for a larger group. If the weather where you live is starting to get colder around this time of year, a nice warm plate of cheesy arepas is just the thing for a chilly fall night!

We can’t wait to try these! © Disney

To make your own arepas con queso, gather these ingredients and follow the steps below:

Ingredients:

9 ounces of white cornmeal
2 tablespoons of warm butter
3 pinches of salt
Olive oil
4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
10 ounces of warm water
Optional: Thin slices of queso fresco

Recipe:

First, add your cornmeal to a mixing bowl. Then, slowly add your butter, salt, and water, mixing with your hands until the dough becomes sticky. If your dough becomes dry and crumbly, add more water. If it’s too sticky or watery, add more cornmeal.
Once your dough reaches an even texture, add the shredded mozzarella cheese and incorporate it all into the dough with your hands.
Next, scoop out clumps of the dough — these should be a little smaller than the size of your fist.
Roll each clump into a ball, then press gently between your palms to flatten it into a circle. They should be about half an inch thick. Place each uncooked arepa on parchment paper so they have a place to rest before cooking.
After they are all formed drizzle your olive oil into a saucepan or skillet and heat to medium. Once the oil is hot, add enough arepas into the pan so they still have space in between and aren’t touching. Let each side cook until golden, which should take approximately 7 minutes per side.
Once each arepa is evenly cooked, transfer to a plate and let cool for a moment before digging in! If you wish, you can add toppings like queso fresco or more butter. Share and enjoy! (Or keep them all to yourself because you worked hard and deserve it!)

Try out this recipe and see what you think — it just might become your new favorite home-cooked meal!

Mirabel in a surprise parade in Disney World

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