Fried Plantains
This easy fried plantain recipe is made with only 3 ingredients and are a great addition to your family’s African and Latin meals. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and a great addition of flavor, color ,and texture to your family dinners.
Plantains are sliced, sprinkled with salt, and fried to perfection to create a lovely treat or savory sweet addition to many meals. These are kid friendly and amazing!
I love serving them with Cuban shredded beef bowls, jerk chicken, or jollof rice.
Plantains are a kind of bananas. However, they have more starch and less sugar in them than the kind of banana that we typically eat in the United States, and they are not usually eaten raw.
They can be eaten in a variety of ways – they are great boiled, fried, and dried. And they can be used in both sweet and savory ways.
Plantains make an appearance in the food of many cultures. From Southeast Asian to West and East African dishes to Latin America and the Caribbean, these fried plantains are a great addition to recipes from around the world..
They have great versatility and are a staple food in much of the world.
How to pick a plantain
Plantains can be used at all levels of ripeness – when they are green and when they are yellow and when they are almost black. The more ripe they are, the less starch they have and the sweeter they are. So you should pick a plantain based on how you want to use it.
- Green plantains are perfect for frying, or making tostones. I often serve them this way with just a sprinkle of salt alongside a meal.
- Deep yellow with spots or almost black plantains are very sweet and are perfect for dessert recipes. You can sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar after frying and serve them alongside a savory meal or just enjoy them as is. I like serving sweet versions with gallo pinto breakfast bowls.
No matter how ripe they are, you can’t go wrong!
Store your plantains at home at room temperature.
How to make fried plantains
This recipe is very simple to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it works. For the full set of directions and measurements, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Peel the plantains. Plantains have a thicker skin that a dessert banana, so it works bet to cut off the ends of the banana and then cut a slit into the side of the skin to help you peel it off. Then slice them into ½” coins.
- Sprinkle the sliced plantain with the salt and toss to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil.
- When the oil is hot, add an even layer of plantains in the oil, being careful not to splash yourself, and leaving plenty of space in between the plantains. Do not crowd the pan or it will make cooking the plantains uneven.
- Fry for about 2-3 minutes, then flip the plantain coins over with a pair of tongs. Allow them to cook for another 2-3 minutes. They should be lightly golden brown on both sides.
- Carefully remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain before eating.
- Enjoy.
*Recipe Note: Want a sweet version? Sprinkle cinnamon sugar onto the fried plantains immediately after removing them from the oil.
Timing of this recipe
This recipe only takes a few minutes to make. You will need about 5 minutes to peel and slice the plantains, and 5 minutes to fry them. They are ready in about 10 minutes!
Prepping ahead of time
Plantains are really best when served immediately.
You can store them in an airtight container for up to three days and reheat in an air fryer or toaster oven for a few minutes when serving them again, but they aren’t quite the same as when served fresh.
How to make this kid friendly
How we invite kids to be a part of our food is really important for how they experience it. Inviting kids to engage with food is a great way to help them be more open to trying new foods.
These fried plantains are a great kid friendly food, but try these dinner conversation starters and cooking steps with your kids.
Dinner conversations with kids
How we talk about food is important! Use these questions to help your kids start to think about plantains
- Try these plantains both sprinkled with salt and with cinnamon sugar. Ask your kids which they prefer and why. What else could we season them with?
- How are these different from bananas?
- What dips do you think would be good to dip these into?
- These are crispy on the outside and kind of creamy on the inside. What do you think would happen if we cut them into thinner pieces? What do you think would happen if we cut them into thicker pieces? Which do you think you would like more?
Read more about how to explore the sense of taste with your kids.
Kids in the kitchen: How your kids can help you cook
Inviting your kids into the kitchen is a great way to help them be more curious about the foods that you are serving. Here is how your kids can help you prepare these fried plantains.
- Kids aged 1-3 can help you pick out the plantain at the store, and season the plantain after cooking.
- Kids aged 4-6 can do everything above plus help you slice the plantains .
- Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above, plus help you fry the plantains (with supervision).
*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.
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Fried Plantains Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 plantains
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar optional
Instructions
- Peel the plantains. Plantains have a thicker skin that a dessert banana, so it works bet to cut off the ends of the banana and then cut a slit into the side of the skin to help you peel it off. Then slice them into ½” coins.
- Sprinkle the sliced plantain with the salt and toss to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil.
- When the oil is hot, add an even layer of plantains in the oil, being careful not to splash yourself, and leaving plenty of space in between the plantains. Do not crowd the pan or it will make cooking the plantains uneven.
- Fry for about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip the plantain coins over with a pair of tongs.
- Allow them to cook for another 2-3 minutes. They should be lightly golden brown on both sides.
- Carefully remove and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain before eating.
- If desired, you can sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet variation.
