Fried Sweet Plantains

Indulge in the delightful contrast of a crispy exterior and irresistibly chewy interior with this recipe for Fried Sweet Plantains. These sweet fried plantains come together with a handful of simple ingredients in less than 15 minutes and are perfect to pair with your favorite Latin dishes or as an anytime treat.

Fried plantains is a staple in our Brazilian cuisine. I honestly can’t name one person growing up who didn’t eat plantains in one way or another. Am I suggesting there are other ways to eat plantain? Of course!

We actually mostly eat boiled plantains for breakfast, much like boiled yuca and sometimes we boil and eat them together. But we also add plantains to beef stew alongside other local vegetables like okra.

This fried sweet plantains recipe is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Plantains, often called green bananas, are considered cooking bananas because they are not usually eaten raw. They can be fried, boiled or sometimes they are processed into a flour or dough.

Coating this starchy fruit in brown sugar and cinnamon and then frying it in butter renders them crispy on the outside, soft on the inside with a sweet caramel-like flavor.

How to know if a plantain is ripe?

It can be difficult to determine if your plantain is ready for frying so here are a few things to check for before you peel and fry them:

Slightly firm: You want the plantain to give a little so test to see if you can squeeze it a touch. If it’s rock hard it isn’t quite ripe yet.

Mostly black: Like ripe bananas, you want the peel to be mostly yellow with a little bit of black. Green peel means they are not ripe.

Peels easily: A ripe plantain’s peel will come away easily. If you’re struggling to get the peel off, give the plantain another day or two to ripen.

Ingredients

• Plantains: Use 2-3 ripe plantains, sliced.
• Brown sugar: You can use light brown sugar, dark brown sugar or coconut sugar to sweeten the plantains.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds a sweet and spicy flavor to the plantains.
• Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter to fry the plantains. You can also use olive oil or coconut oil if you wish.

How To Make Fried Sweet Plantains

• Combine sugar and cinnamon on a plate with raised sides so the mixture doesn’t fall off.
• Peel and cut the plantains into chunks and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mix.
• Slice the coated plantains into 1/2 inch thick rounds, making sure they are all about the same size so they cook at the same pace.
• Melt the butter in a large 12-inch skillet and then add the plantain rounds.
• Fry the plantains on each side until they turn a golden brown.
• Transfer fried sweet plantains to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil or a wooden cutting board. Sprinkle with more cinnamon if you like and serve.

Note: Sweet fried plantains taste great warm but they can also be eaten at room temperature.

What to serve with sweet fried plantains?

Though you can easily just gobble up these plantains straight from the frying pan (that’s what I do!), they will add a nice sweet and caramelized flavor to your morning oatmeal and with baked desserts.

For a simple dessert, dip the plantains in this Dulce de Leche or this Salted Chocolate Almond Butter, or top this Easy Baked Peaches and Raspberries with the sweet plantains.

Storage

Place leftovers of this sweet fried plantains recipe in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also flash-freeze them on a cookie sheet and then transfer them frozen to an airtight container or Ziploc bag. This way you can easily grab a handful when you want to serve them again. Allow them to defrost on the counter until they are soft and then prepare as you like.