Can I use polenta to make arepas?

No. Polenta is raw corn and needs cooking; with cold water it does not bind and the dough stays gritty and falls apart. It has to be precooked flour.

Are Harina P.A.N. and precooked corn flour the same thing?

Yes. P.A.N. is a Venezuelan brand that became the generic name, as happens with others. Any precooked corn flour works — in Colombia it is often labelled masarepa.

How much water does it take?

About one and a quarter parts warm water to one part flour, but add it gradually: the dough is ready when it does not stick to your hands and the edges do not crack as you flatten it.

What is precooked corn flour?

Hands shaping a disc of white corn dough on a wooden table, next to two bowls of precooked corn flour and golden arepas

Precooked corn flour is corn that has already been cooked, dried and reground. That precooking is everything: because of it the flour absorbs cold water and forms a workable dough in minutes, with no heat. It is the base of Venezuelan and Colombian arepas, and the most widespread brand — P.A.N. — ended up giving it its generic name across much of Latin America. In Colombia it is also called masarepa.

Polenta, cornstarch and corn flour are not interchangeable

All three are corn and none replaces another. Polenta (cornmeal) is raw ground corn: it needs to boil to cook, and with cold water it does not bind — it stays gritty.

Cornstarch (cornflour in British English, which is its own source of confusion) is the isolated starch of the grain, with no protein: it thickens hot liquids but forms no dough.

The precooked one is the only one already cooked, and so the only one that makes a dough you can flatten between your palms as soon as it is hydrated.

White or yellow

It comes in both, and they are not interchangeable in use: white is the arepa one and the more neutral; yellow has a stronger corn flavour and is used more in cachapas and sweet preparations.

The recipe will say which. If it does not say and it is Venezuelan, it is almost always white.

Which one to buy

Look for it in Latin American grocers, in the international aisle of larger supermarkets, or online. The usual labels are masarepa, masa al instante or simply the P.A.N. brand.

⚠️ Do not buy masa harina, which sits nearby and is the tortilla flour: it is nixtamalised — treated with lime — and tastes and behaves differently. And plain corn flour on the same shelf is polenta, which does not work at all.

The recipes

Frequently asked questions

Can I use polenta to make arepas?: No. Polenta is raw corn and needs cooking; with cold water it does not bind and the dough stays gritty and falls apart. It has to be precooked flour.
Are Harina P.A.N. and precooked corn flour the same thing?: Yes. P.A.N. is a Venezuelan brand that became the generic name, as happens with others. Any precooked corn flour works — in Colombia it is often labelled masarepa.
How much water does it take?: About one and a quarter parts warm water to one part flour, but add it gradually: the dough is ready when it does not stick to your hands and the edges do not crack as you flatten it.

Updated on 2026-08-08