How many calories in an arepa? Plain, cheese and filled
Calories in a plain Venezuelan arepa, with cheese, dominó and reina pepiada, plus the Colombian cheese arepa, from Kalo's standard recipes.
A plain arepa has about 230 kcal, but hardly anyone eats it plain. The filling is what changes the number. These are the estimates Kalo uses in its dish database.
The standard recipe
They all start from a pre-cooked cornmeal dough. The plain Venezuelan arepa uses 60 g flour, 75 g water and 2 g oil, and weighs about 125 g once cooked, at around 187 kcal per 100 g. Everything else is what you put inside.
Calories by type
| Arepa | What’s in it | Weight | Approx. calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Venezuelan | Griddled dough | 125 g | 230 kcal |
| Venezuelan cheese | + 50 g fresh cheese | 175 g | 380 kcal |
| Dominó | Black beans and cheese | 210 g | 420 kcal |
| Reina pepiada | Chicken, avocado and mayonnaise | 240 g | 520 kcal |
| Colombian cheese | 45 g flour, 30 g cheese, 5 g butter | 125 g | 290 kcal |
Note the difference: adding 50 g of cheese adds about 150 kcal. The reina pepiada, with avocado and mayonnaise, climbs the highest.
Why it’s a range and not a single number
The size of an arepa varies a lot from one kitchen to the next, as does the amount of filling and the butter or oil used to cook it. That’s why Kalo’s database gives these dishes a variability of 15% to 20%.
Kalo doesn’t give you one fixed figure but a range, and lets you adjust the portion before you save.
How to log it
- By text: type “a cheese arepa” or “reina pepiada arepa” and Kalo works it out, free and offline.
- By exploring: search “arepa” in the dish database and compare the versions with their recipes.
- By photo: Kalo suggests the dish and you adjust the filling.
The figures are estimates based on a standard recipe, not measurements of your plate. They don’t replace advice from a health professional; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or have questions about your diet, ask one.