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Delicious! I’m so glad this recipe came out after we fell in love with fried plantains on our honeymoon a few months ago. I’ve made these a few times and they are GREAT! They even reheat fairly well, but I love them fresh 🙂
Carolyn
Plantains, my sweet little loveys! ♡
Is this not the most perfect Friday food?
These golden brown, crispy, salty tostones are my favorite of all the favorites. French fries – yes. Onion rings – okay, twist my arm. But tostones – GIMME NOW. There is never a wrong time for tostones. So much good happens when you fry those little rounds of plantain, smash them into edgier, flatter chip-like pieces, and dip them into your favorite sauce (MAGIC GREEN SAUCE duh). They are everything crispy, salty, and wonderful that a Friday should be.
And homemade! In 20 minutes! Gluten free vegetarian vegan like everyone can eat these! You win! 🏆✨🏆✨🏆
I’m not even sorry to say that tostones kind of remind me of the potato oles that I used to eat back in the day when I grew up in a tiny little Minnesota town whose only Mexican restaurant was a Taco Johns. Anyone? I mean, as much as we want to be above it, we can’t lie to ourselves here: these little fried potato nuggets might be one of the tastiest types of fast food ever created. God bless those potato oles.
But surprise! I’m an adult – er, “adult” – now and I generally don’t eat potato oles anymore except when desperate times call for desperate measures but just, you know, no one needs to know about that. But I DO MAKE TOSTONES. And those homemade tostones are far superior to fast food fried potatoes *food snob nose in air* and more importantly: provide yet another per-fect way to consume that Magic Green Sauce.
Get ON it.
HOW TO MAKE OUR CRISPY TOSTONES (1.5 MIN):
So there are many ways to enjoy tostones, but this post is primarily dedicated to the original way which is plain, with a little of your fave dipping sauce.
Throwing it back, though 👇
I’ve made these tostones a few times – you can find them making a few variations here on the blog, like in this post for Garlic Tostones with rice and beans – the lovely recipe concept from my Puerto Rican friend Maureen – or just regular tostones tucked nicely in the Brazilian Burrito Bowls covered with that amazingly yummy creamy cilantro lime slaw. Dreamy.
But the real question: why have I not made more than two recipes featuring these crispy bites of heaven? There is no good answer.
You guys need to start holding me accountable here.
Make it happen. 👏
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Crispy Salted Tostones
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6–9 servings 1x
Description
Crispy Salted Tostones – super easy recipe for golden brown bites of perfection with just one ingredient: PLANTAINS! video demo in the post.
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains
- 1–2 cups vegetable oil
- sea salt to taste
- Magic Green Sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Peel the plantains by making a vertical cut through the skin and peeling it back with your hands or the edge of a spoon (see video).
- Cut the plantains into 1-inch thick pieces. Heat a layer of oil in a heavy bottomed pan (see video to eyeball the amount).
- Fry the plantains in batches. When the plantains are starting to turn light golden brown, remove from the oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Smash each piece with the back of a wooden spoon – this gives you a flatter shape with rougher edges. Return to the frying pan and fry for an additional 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer back to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately, dipped in some kind of yummy sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keywords: tostones, salted tostones, tostone recipe
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of easy appetizers. Check it out!
Uuugh why must you make me go to the grocery store on a Friday?! I mean because after that video I obviously have no choice
And the music…hahaha all I kept thinking about is
Fell in love with tostones in San Juan last spring, but haven’t attempted to make them myself. You make it look so easy, I’ll do it soon. Love the video – the music is great!
Next up – mofungo.
I love tostones! I always have a hard time finding plantains here but if I manage to track them down I am totally doing this.
Yum! I tried tostones for the first time when I was doing Whole30 recently and it was probably my favorite find over the course of the whole program! I will have to try your method for making them. Love the salt and I bet they would take wonderful with your green sauce.
Yum! These pictures are breathtaking. This truly is perfect Friday food! I’ve never had tostones, but I’m excited to try1!
xx Sydney
I love plantains! I haven’t tried making a salty-version of them; can’t wait to try it!
I used to work at Taco John’s when I was going to school. Love their potato oles!
Lindsay, you’ve ruined my healthy version! I make them in the oven, but here you go frying them- not once- but twice!!! And the result looks infinitely better and golden and crispy and then magic green sauce. How am I supposed to bake them now, after seeing this video? Thanks a lot.
Oh my gosh, Taco Johns…so many memories…haha!! Those potato oles are pretty delicious. My dad and I actually like to make tostones and then use them as croutons in salad – is that totally strange?!
I just found this website and it makes me extremely hungry. Please have a look at mine, I hope you will get hungry too 😀
Bianca
http://www.thegreencreator.com
I love ordering tostones, but I’ve never made them at home. You make it look so easy! I’ll have to try this 🙂
http://www.wholeheartkitchen.com
Love the fun video! I made these once before to go with a recipe from Half Baked Harvest and I really enjoyed them!
I love tostones! They are like french fries but a thousand times better.
Love fried plantains! I enjoyed them in abundance while studying abroad in Costa Rica! I must make these! Thanks for sharing this recipe 🙂
wooww woowow !! there is no limit to appreciate this recipe 😀 !! one of the best recipe
i basically consider you best chef who always provides clean eating recipes.
I love plantains! These look so tasty especially with that bright sauce!
Hi! loved your post! I am from Costa Rica, live half the time in Costa Rica and Panama (Central America) and we eat a lot of them here. We call them Patacones not Tostones (In Nicaragua they do call them that!)
We usually make them skinner, we even have special wooden smashers! 🙂 The secret is that they have to be green!!! Any ripe Plantain will not work or taste the same. The salt has to be put on with the oil hot if not it won’t stick as well 🙂
Love your blog and if you’re interested on Costa Rica o Panama food let me know and I will email you recipes!
Two thumbs up! And Ana, would love to learn about your recipes, too.
Haha, yes!! I have the same feelings about potato oles growing up in small Midwest towns will do that ! Looking forward to trying these!
I LOVE tostones, but I’m Puerto Rican so it’s a must I like them thinner though, thinner and crispy *drools* here in Puerto Rico you can even find them at Chinese restaurants. They make the best garlic tostones! I’m definitely making that cilantro lime sauce mmmmm!
This recipe is very much similar to the Raw banana chips we make in India, especially South India where we primarily use coconut oil to fry it, since the coconut oil gives a very nice flavor and you can’t just stop at one.
BTW loved your quick and easy recipe too, thanks for sharing. 🙂
Coming from a Latino, you did awesome.
How come I have never heard about these. I had to google what plantain is, so not known where I come from. I guess if I find some and make this it will be a major conversation starter. Despite the fact that I have no idea how these should taste, they look delicious.
Whoa! Smashing with a wooden spoon?! Love it. I grew up in Puerto Rico and we use a special gadget for smashing the plantains, but your technique is genius. Two thumbs up!