Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (2024)

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We all love tostones, the amazing fried plantains, but can we make tostones without frying? We sure do! These crispy, easy-to-make air fryer tostones are made with an oven or air fryer, and I give you multiple options to make air fryer plantains that'll impress your guests.

By Clara Gonzalez - Last reviewed . Published Mar 22, 2020

Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (1)

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Why we ❤️ it

Yes, I love our traditional food, but I love trying to adapt our recipes to our readers' needs almost as much. And this is a recipe I keep getting asked for. And it is one of our favorite no frying recipes.

Air-fried plantains don't come without their problems, and if not done right, they will be dry and unappetizing, but these tasty plantain chips have become almost as popular as the classic tostones in our family.

To "fry" these tostones you have the option of using the air fryer or the oven. All these options are described in the recipe.

What are tostones?

Tostones, or twice-fried plantains are a staple of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine. In some countries, they are also called patacones. Alongside fritos maduros (fried sweet plantains), they are our favorite side dish. They are also vegan, gluten-free, and can be paleo-friendly.

Typically tostones are cut into 1-inch plantain chunks and fried, then flattened, and fried again. But many readers have asked for an air fryer version, and I am here to find the best way to do them justice.

Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (2)
Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (3)

Air fryer green plantain (oven tostones).

Serving suggestions

Serve with our lovely lunch meal of rice, beans, and meat, or as a snack or appetizer with your favorite dip, like our salsa wasakaka, mayo-ketchup sauce, avocado dip, tuna dip, guacamole, or a chicken and cream cheese dip.

You can also serve it alongside air fryer chicharrones, air fryer chicharrones de pollo, or air fryer drumsticks for a nice light meal. For a non-traditional choice, serve with these air fryer breaded chicken tenders, air fryer stuffed chicken breasts, some air fryer fried eggs, or this air fryer ribeye steak.

Since you'll be doing some air frying, maybe you can also make some air fryer or oven fried potato to go with the dips.

Top tips

  • Making tostones in the oven: OK, so you don't have one of these modern fancy gadgets. Don't worry, I read those emails too, and I promised I'll always give an option for that. So yes, this works in the oven. Actually, I tested it in my toaster oven too.
  • Freezing tostones: If you have too many plantains and you'd like to keep some for later use, you can definitely freeze them halfway, and finish cooking them some other day. I have added instructions in the recipe notes. You can also keep them in the refrigerator overnight and finish them the next day.

    Once parboiled and flattened, you can absolutely freeze these. Wrap them tightly in waxed or parchment paper (we're trying to reduce our plastic use), then put them in an air-tight container. You can freeze them for a couple of weeks.

  • Thawing: When it's time to "air frying" them, thaw them and continue at the same point in the recipe after flattening them.
  • Peeling: If you have never peeled plantains, you're in luck. We pre-cook the unpeeled plantain, and removing the peel is very easy this way. For other dishes that do require you to peel plantains beforehand, we have a video tutorial to learn how to peel plantains.
  • Picking plantains: Please use green, fresh plantains that have not old or too dry. If you're not sure of their quality or freshness try the microwaving option because it worked better on those.
  • Methods: As you can see, you have the option of pre-cooking the bananas either boiled or in the microwave. I prefer the microwave because of the speed of preparation, and I have more consistent results.
  • Garlic: Why not use fresh garlic? Garlic tends to become bitter when cooked over very high temperatures. I did not like the result of using fresh, crushed garlic.

About this recipe

Why air fryer tostones?

There are at least two advantages to air fryer tostones:

  • Some people hate frying cause it's messy.
  • Some people want to use that fancy gadget they bought.

Another advantage of these over traditionaltwice-fried tostonesis that they stay crispy formuchlonger.

Do you know how definitely un-nice hour-old tostones are?Not with these.Even after they cooled down, the leftover tostones remained crispy for over an hour (possibly longer, but we never have tostones leftovers, I just wanted to test this).

And here's another one...

You'll be surprised to hear that this is now one of my favorite ways to make tostones. I LOVE traditional tostones, but find frying a little too messy for my taste, and these require little supervision while I make other dishes.

Buen provecho!

Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (4)

Video

Recipe

This awesome free recipe contains Amazon affiliate links, we receive a small commission from any purchase you make at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (5)

Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones

By: Clara Gonzalez

Can we make tostones without frying? We sure do! These crispy, easy-to-make tostones are made with the air fryer, or an oven if that's what you have.

4.91 from 10 votes

Save for Later Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Dominican, Latino

Servings 4 servings

Calories 172 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut the plantains

  • Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (6)

    Cut the unpeeled plantain into a little under ½ inch [1 cm] thick slices (about 8 slices per plantain).

    This step is if you are going to boil them, if you are going to microwave them, do not cut or peel them.

2. Precook the plantains

  • Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (7)

    Boiled: Place the plantain into a pot and cover with water (plus about an extra inch over it). Boil over medium-high heat for about 20-25 minutes, starting counting from the time it breaks the boil. The plantain slices should be cooked completely, but still firm, if they are even a little raw in the center they will break when crushed. Carefully peel and crush one, if it flattens but not breaks, it's cooked (it will be soft and flexible, that's fine).

    Once cooked through, remove from the water and pat with a paper towel to whisk away excess moisture. Peel the slices using a tong to avoid burning yourself. Proceed to step 4.

    Microwave: Place theplantain, unpeeled, in the microwave, and cook for 3.5-5 minutes (try with 3 ½ minutes, check for doneness and cook more if needed). The peel will break, and you can remove it with tongs to avoid burning yourself. Cut into a little under ½. Proceed to step 4.

3. Flatten

  • Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (8)

    If you have a tostonera (Amazon affiliate link) flatten the slices between two pieces of parchment or wax paper, so the plantain doesn't stick to the tostonera (you may grease the paper with a bit of oil for extra precaution).

    If you don't have a tostonera, flatten using the bottom of a glass jar, putting the plantain slices between two pieces of paper as described above. In either case, it's best if the slices are very thin (around 3 mm [⅛ "]).

4. Season

  • Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (9)

    Brush the flattened slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.

5. How to cook tostones

  • Plantains in Air Fryer [Recipe + Video] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones (10)

    In air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400 ºF [200ºC]. Place the slices of plantain in the air fryer bowl, making sure they are not piled up and return bowl to the air fryer.

    Cook for 15 minutes or until they turn a light golden color and are crispy around the edges.

    In the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 ºF [200 ºC]. Place the slices of plantain on a wire rack, making sure they are not piled.

    Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until they turn a light golden color and are crispy around the edges.

Cook's Notes

It's important that you do not crowd the air fryer basket. Arrange them in a single layer, and if you do not have enough space, it's best to make them in separate batches.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 585mgPotassium: 447mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1009IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

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