Fried Plantains Recipe (How To Fry Plantain)

This fried plantains recipe will show you how to fry plantain in easy, quick steps. The sweet plantains are perfect with a golden brown outer and tender inside. Serve as a snack, as a main or side dish with Jollof rice, scrambled eggs, beans, or any other food of choice.

What is Plantain

Plantain is a vegetable/fruit and is also sometimes referred to as cooking bananas. It is popular in West Africa, East Africa, Southern America, and Caribbean cuisines and grown in tropical regions around the world.

It can be eaten ripe or unripe and methods of cooking plantains include boiling, frying, and roasting.

Fried plantain is called dodo in (Yoruba language) Nigeria and Kelewele in Ghana, and roasted plantain is called Boli.

In the UK, US, and the diaspora, it can be found sold in Afro Caribbean food stores.

Fried Plantains Recipe (How To Fry Plantain)

This fried plantain recipe is simple, easy, quick, and requires minimal preparation.

Guess what? It's a two-ingredient recipe - the plantains 'of course' and vegetable oil for frying. No seasoning and not even salt is needed as plantains are naturally sweet however, some people still prefer to add salt.

Fried sweet plantains go with any food including rice, beans, chicken, noodles, yam, steak, and vegetables.

You can deep fry, air fry, or pan fry plantain, and in this post, I will show you how to fry plantains in 2 ways - deep fried, and pan fried.

With this fried plantains recipe, once you learn how to make fried plantains the first time, you can do it next time easy peasy.

Ingredients

Ripe plantain - Firm to touch.

Salt - (optional) I personally don't add salt to fry plantains.

Deep Fried Plantains

Although deep frying plantains uses more oil, it is the easiest way of frying plantain. Once added to the oil, no need to turn them to get all the sides browned.

Pour oil in a deep pot (enuff to cover the plantains by at least half an inch) then put on medium heat.

Add the cut plantains into the hot oil.

Fry plantain till they are golden brown and crisp outer, and inside tender (about 6-8 minutes).

Take out the plantains with a slotted spoon.

Transfer them to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.

Serve and enjoy.

Pan Fried Plantain

Peel and cut the plantain into the desired shape.

Place a nonstick pan on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil, then arrange the cut plantains.

Pan fry for about 3 minutes or until brown then turn and pan-fry the other side.

Take out the plantain from the pan.

Serve and enjoy.

What To Serve With Fried Plantains

Rice- It goes well with rice dishes like jollof rice, fried rice, spicy rice, rice and peas.

Scrambled eggs, omelettes, fried eggs.

Black-eyed beans, kidney beans, pinto beans.

Spaghetti

Yam

Fried potatoes

Fish

Instant pot steak

pan fried chicken drumsticks, pan seared chicken breasts

How To Store

It's best to consume on the day made, however, if you have to store it, store it in the refrigerator.

Pack them in a sealable container or Ziploc, and store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

If you are unlikely to consume it within 2 days and require to store it for longer, then store it in the freezer from the get-go. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3months. 

Reheating: Fried sweet plantains can be reheated either in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

You can use leftovers in omeletes, frittatas, casseroles.

Tips On How To Fry Plantains

• Cut the plantains into the same shape and similar sizes.

• Don't cut the plantains too thin.

• Don't overfill the frying pan or deep fryer as overfilling drops the temperature of the oil and thus takes longer to fry.

• After frying, put them on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil.

FAQS

Should you boil plantains before frying?

No, you shouldn't. Just cut and fry, no need for boiling before frying.

How do you cut plantains for frying?

You can cut into cubes, diced, cut into slices, diagonally or round using a kitchen knife and chopping board.

Should you soak plantain before frying?

You do not soak plantains before frying them.

Are fried sweet plantains healthy?

Yes, they are when eaten in moderation. To make them healthier and cut down on the calories, you can air fry or pan fry without oil.

Is plantain the same as banana?

No, Plantain and banana are not the same even though they look alike. They taste different and can not usually be substituted for one another in recipes. Banana is sweet and can be eaten raw while plantain is cooked before eating. Plantains are also bigger than bananas and have thicker skin.

What is the best way to cook plantain?

Frying- be it pan-fried, air fried, or deep-fried.

How many calories in fried plantain?

This depends and varies on the method of frying. Deep-fried will have more calories than if pan-fried or air-fried without oil.

More Fried Food Recipes

Fried chicken thighs

Pan fried steak

Fried chicken wings

Pan fried vegetables

Fried spaghetti

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