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 - Last reviewed . Published Mar 22, 2020
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.
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: You have the option of pre-cooking the bananas either boiled or in the microwave. Place the plantain, 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.
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 traditional twice-fried tostones is that they stay crispy for much longer.
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.
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 [Video+Recipe] Oven or Air Fryer Tostones
Ingredients
- 2 plantain (green, unripe)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoons salt, (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder, (optional)
Instructions
1. Cut the plantains
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
- Place the plantains in a pot and cover them with water (about 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters above the top). Cook them over medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes, starting from the moment they come to a boil. Pierce them with a toothpick to see if they are cooked.When they are thoroughly cooked, remove them from the water and pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Peel the slices using tongs to avoid burning yourself.⚠️ The plantain slices should be fully cooked but still firm; if they are even slightly undercooked in the center, they will break when pressed. If you press the first one and it breaks, return it to the pot and boil for about 5 more minutes.
3. Flatten
- 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
- Brush the flattened slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.
5. How to cook tostones
- 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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More plantain recipes
Plantain recipes are some of the most popular on our site and of all the green plantain recipes, Tostones rellenos, Mangú, Mofongo, and Arañitas are some of our favorites.
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