Skip to main content

Arepa Calories: From Plain to Reina Pepiada

A plain 3.5 oz arepa has about 215 calories according to USDA, about 65 more than two slices of white bread. The filling decides the rest: about 300 with white cheese, 460 as a reina pepiada and 600 stuffed pabellón style.

By Khanh Phan

Is an arepa closer to a slice of bread or to a full meal? Both, depending on what goes inside. The corn cake itself has a modest, steady count; the filling is where an arepa can double or triple.

Three numbers to know:

  1. About 215 calories in a plain restaurant arepa (3.5 oz), according to USDA.

  2. About 300 to 335 once you add a slice of white cheese, with or without butter.

  3. About 460 to 600 for the big fillings: reina pepiada (chicken and avocado), shredded beef with cheese, or a pabellón-style arepa with beef, beans, cheese and fried plantain.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and FNDDS); filled totals worked out from the values for each item.

Calories in a plain arepa

USDA's arepa figures come from arepas bought at Latino restaurants. One plain arepa weighed 3.5 oz and carried:

  • Calories: 215

  • Carbohydrates: 36.4 g, with 2.5 g fiber

  • Protein: 5.4 g

  • Fat: 5.3 g, of which 2.8 g saturated

  • Sodium: 265 mg, about 12% of the Daily Value

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy); FDA Daily Values.

Most of the calories come from carbohydrate, with little fat and a modest amount of protein. On its own, a plain arepa sits in the same range as other breads and flatbreads; what goes inside decides whether it stays a side or becomes a meal.

Packaged arepas

Frozen and shelf arepas in USDA's branded database vary more. Plain corn arepas of 3.2 to 4 oz list about 130 to 240 calories each, and cheese-filled ones of 3.1 to 4.7 oz about 160 to 210. The large sweet-corn arepas with mozzarella, at about 7 oz each, list around 420. Check the weight on the label: it changes from brand to brand.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (Branded Foods); brand names not used.

What each filling adds

The fillings below follow the classic Venezuelan combinations described by the Spanish food site Directo al Paladar. The portions are ours, sized for one 3.5 oz arepa, and every value comes from USDA:

Arepa with

Filling adds

Arepa total

Protein

Sodium

Butter, 1 tsp

35

250

5.4 g

289 mg

White cheese, 1 oz

84

299

10.8 g

442 mg

Butter and white cheese

119

334

10.8 g

467 mg

Ham and mozzarella, 1 oz each

112

327

16.8 g

712 mg

Perico: 1 egg scrambled in butter

100

315

11.8 g

409 mg

Dominó: 1/4 cup black beans, 1 oz white cheese

145

359

14.8 g

599 mg

Reina pepiada: 2 oz chicken, 1/4 avocado, 1 tbsp mayonnaise

245

460

23.4 g

559 mg

Pelúa: 2 oz shredded beef, 1 oz cheddar

258

473

28.1 g

660 mg

Pabellón style: 2 oz shredded beef, 1/4 cup black beans, 1 oz white cheese, 1/4 cup fried ripe plantain

387

601

31.5 g

811 mg

Sources: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and FNDDS: restaurant arepa, butter, queso fresco, mozzarella, ham, scrambled egg, black beans, chicken breast, avocado, mayonnaise, pot roast for shredded beef, cheddar, fried yellow plantain); Directo al Paladar, "Los rellenos de arepas más populares en Venezuela". Totals worked out from the values for each item.

Arepa Calories by Filling

Protein climbs fastest with meat: reina pepiada and pelúa reach 23 to 28 g, against about 11 g for a cheese arepa. Dominó brings the most fiber of the simpler fillings, about 7 g, thanks to the black beans. The tablespoon of mayonnaise in a reina pepiada adds about 94 calories on its own, more than the avocado (60).

The pabellón style is the heaviest here because it stacks four fillings, including fried plantain; our guide to whether plantains are healthy shows what frying does to them.

Arepa vs bread and tortillas

Ounce for ounce, an arepa is one of the lighter breads. Per 3.5 oz, USDA lists:

  • Corn tortillas: 218 calories

  • Arepa: 219 calories

  • English muffin: 227 calories

  • White bread: 267 calories

  • Flour tortillas: 306 calories

The catch is the size of one serving. A whole arepa is 3.5 oz, while the usual portions of the others weigh less:

  • 2 slices of white bread (2 oz): about 150 calories

  • 1 hamburger bun (1.8 oz): about 139 calories

  • 1 English muffin (2 oz): about 132 calories

  • 2 medium corn tortillas (2 oz): about 122 calories

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and FNDDS).

Arepa Vs Bread Calories

So an arepa sandwich starts about 65 to 95 calories above most bread-based ones, before anything goes inside. Splitting a large arepa, or choosing a smaller one, closes that gap.

Griddled or fried

USDA's restaurant value does not say how the arepas were cooked, and USDA has no separate entry for fried arepas, such as the fried, unfilled arepa that Directo al Paladar lists in its cabimera style. Any oil the dough takes up adds about 126 calories per tablespoon. For a pastry-wrapped cousin, see our breakdown of empanada calories.

Sources: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS: vegetable oil); Directo al Paladar.

Building a lighter arepa

Small swaps inside the arepa do most of the work, per arepa:

  • Reina pepiada without the mayonnaise: about 366 calories instead of 460, letting the avocado make it creamy.

  • White cheese without the butter: about 299 instead of 334.

  • Dominó instead of pabellón style: about 359 instead of 601, still with 15 g protein and 7 g fiber.

  • Shredded chicken instead of shredded beef with cheddar: about 422 instead of 473, the combination Directo al Paladar calls catira.

  • Fried plantain on the side, not inside: a quarter cup adds about 100 calories wherever it sits, so it is the easiest layer to share.

Source: USDA FoodData Central; totals worked out from the values for each item.

To see where a 300- or 460-calorie arepa fits your own day, our daily calorie needs calculator estimates a target from your height, weight and activity.

If you log meals in a food diary app such as Dietfit, enter the arepa and each filling as separate items: the corn cake is the same 215 calories every time, and the filling is what changes.

For more Latin American dishes on the lighter side, see our guide to healthy Latin food.

FAQ

How many calories are in an arepa?

A plain restaurant arepa (3.5 oz) has about 215 calories, according to USDA. Packaged plain corn arepas list about 130 to 240 calories each, depending on their weight.

How many calories are in an arepa with cheese?

About 299 with 1 oz of white cheese, and about 334 with a teaspoon of butter as well.

How many calories are in a reina pepiada?

About 460 for an arepa filled with 2 oz of chicken, a quarter avocado and a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Without the mayonnaise, about 366.

Are arepas healthy?

A plain arepa is a moderate starch: about 215 calories, 5.3 g of fat and 2.5 g of fiber. Fillings with beans, chicken, avocado or a little cheese keep it in the 300 to 460 range with more protein; layered fillings with cheese and fried plantain push it past 600.

Is an arepa healthier than bread?

Per 3.5 oz, an arepa has fewer calories than white bread (219 against 267) and less sodium. But one arepa weighs about as much as three and a half slices of bread, so a whole arepa still has more calories than a two-slice sandwich base.

Are arepas good for weight loss?

They can fit. Choose one arepa with a protein filling, such as chicken or beans with a little cheese, and keep the butter, mayonnaise and fried sides small.

References

Blog

More posts

View all posts

Rice and Beans Nutrition: Calories, Protein and Fiber per Cup

A cup of black beans and white rice has about 272 calories, 10 g of protein and 8.5 g of fiber, according to USDA. Here is how the bean, the rice, the restaurant and the box change those numbers, and what the pairing really does for protein.

By Ngoc Hoang

Pupusa Calories: Cheese, Bean, Pork and Revuelta

A cheese pupusa has about 256 calories according to USDA, and a bean pupusa about 298 but with less than half the saturated fat. Here is every filling, what curtido and salsa add, and how pupusas compare with arepas and empanadas.

By Phu Le

Empanada Calories: Small vs Large, Beef to Veggie

A large beef empanada has about 433 calories according to USDA, and a small one about 117. About 60% of those calories come from the pastry. Compare fillings, sizes, store-bought empanadas and dips, plus ways to make them lighter.

By Phat Nguyen
dietfit

Your next meal,
a little better understood.

Get the app