Healthy Air Fryer Plantains (Dominican Tostones)

Healthy Air Fryer Plantains that are perfectly crispy and easy to make. All you need for this fun snack are 2 ingredients and an air fryer.

My mom has fried up plantains for me all throughout my childhood. And that hasn’t stopped even into adulthood. She makes the best ones (as far as I’m concerned). Perfectly crispy on the outside with that soft chewy center.

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of frying, and it has nothing to do with health. It’s more so that I remember getting burned one time trying to fry them and that fear still kind of lingers in my head. That, and it’s often a bigger mess to make if frying them on the stove top.

Now that I live quite far from my mom and there aren’t really many Dominican restaurants close by that make these little gems, I needed to learn a way to make them myself without the hassle. I was very intrigued with potentially trying them in the air fryer. However, the first time I tried them, they came out super dry and kind of rubbery. After a long time of experimenting, I finally got the crispy tostones I wanted. They are pretty easy to make even if this is your first time working with plantains and surprisingly healthy compared to the fried variety.

What Are Plantains?

Plantains look like giant bananas, but because they are starchier than the average banana, I often think of them as cooking bananas. They are meant to be cooked and have been utilized by various cultures in different, but similar recipes. In fact, you can find them used throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and even in parts of South America.

For this recipe, we are referring to the green variety of plantains, unripe and fresh. Traditionally, when frying green plantains they are twice fried to get that nice crispy texture. You fry it once to cook the plantain through enough to then smash it with a tostonera and then fry it again to crisp up the exterior.

I’ll be sharing some recipes for the sweeter more ripe variety soon, so stay tuned!

Most Important Steps for Making Air Fryer Plantains

Peeling Your Plantain

Start by cutting the ends of your plantain off with a paring knife. Then cut down one of the seams of the skin all the way down the length of it. For super fresh plantains, carefully peel back the skin from where you cut it and run your finger down the seam to gently remove the skin.

Some plantains that might not be as fresh may take a few slices around the seams to remove the peel. I like to run my paring knife at the top corners of my cuts to help make peeling back the skin easier. I’ll also take my knife and gently run it over parts of the plantain where the peel still appears attached to remove it.

Using Oil

I have seen a number of variations of air fryer plantains that use less oil and do a water soak in between air frying, but I’ve tried that method too and it just wasn’t very enjoyable for me. Instead, we need to use a little more oil to help protect some of the moisture. So, make sure we are coating the plantains really well with oil before popping in the air fryer to cook. This will help ensure we maintain that nice crisp outside but tender inside.

Flattening

After “frying” your plantains the first time, they should be cooked through enough where you can easily smash them into small disks. Normally, most Dominican homes will always have a tostonera, but you can use a flat bottomed surface like a jar or glass to smash them down into 1/4 inch thick disks.

Low and Slow

To get the perfect crispy plantain that is tender and not dried out, I prefer using the low and slow method. We cook these at a lower temperature and for a longer time.

Tips for Perfectly Crispy Tostones

• Cut your plantains into coins that are no bigger than 1 inch. Don’t make the pieces too big or they may not cook through.
• Oil your plantains really well. Make sure to use enough oil to coat your plantains when air frying each time. This will seal in their moisture better which will provide the perfect condition to crisp them up in the oven.
• Use fresh green plantains. Do not refrigerate your plantains. This will cause them to dry out and break apart much easier when you smash them.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Latin Inspired Recipes

• Latin Nourish Bowl with Vegan Chicharrons
• Sazon Grilled Tofu Skewers
• Latin Style Lentil Soup
• Chofan Dominicano
• Instant Pot Habichuelas Guisadas

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★ Catherine

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