22 Plantain Recipes That Prove You Should Always Have the Fruit on Hand

First thing’s first: Decide if you needunripe or ripeplantains. If you want them to be sticky, caramelized and sweet—like you would when making maduros—you’ll need to buy them ripe, or buy them unripe and wait for them to ripen at home. If you want them savory and starchy (let’s say you’re making tostones, for example), go with an unripe plantain.

Here’s how to spot the difference between unripe and ripe plantains. Unripe plantains have green peels. As they mature, the peels turn yellow and eventually dark brown or black once they’re overripe. Unlike bananas, which seem to rot in a flash, plantains can be used before, while and after they’re perfectly ripe. They also take longer to mature than bananas, so they’re unlikely to go bad before you use them.

Also called cooking bananas or green bananas, plantains are generally used more like a vegetable than a fruit. They can be boiled, fried, baked or sauteed, but not eaten raw. If you don’t want to wait days for your green plantains to ripen and sweeten, you can resort to using frozen ones instead (although we should note that plantains are in season year-round). You’ll mostly find maduro (meaning matured) plantains in the frozen aisle; most frozen green plantains are already smashed and fried and labeled as tostones. You can also find frozen green plantain dough to make dishes like plantain empanadas or plantaindumplings.

• Time Commitment:40 minutes
• Why We Love It:dairy free, beginner-friendly, make ahead

Thesesammiesmay seem meager, but plantains are actually pretty filling, since they’re so starchy. Usevegan mayoon the subs to make them vegan and prepare thepickled veggiesahead to save time.

• Time Commitment:15 minutes
• Why We Love It:one pan, <30 minutes, vegan

Caramelized plantains + fresh produce + lime-maple dressing = an unexpected salad your guests will definitely want the recipe for. Black-eyed peas give the app a boost ofplant-based protein.

• Time Commitment:40 minutes
• Why We Love It:vegan, gluten free, special occasion-worthy

The bright, herbaceous dressing cuts right through the sweetness and spice of thecauliflowerand plantains. Might we suggest crowning each taco withpickled onions?

• Time Commitment:55 minutes
• Why We Love It:vegan, gluten free, special occasion-worthy

Bring on the coconut-lime rice, freshguacamoleand tart-sweetpineapple. This tropical mélange calls for dusting the plantains and sweet spuds in salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin, and roasting them to tender perfection.

• Time Commitment:15 minutes
• Why We Love It:<30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly

These start with very ripe plantains, so the final product is sweet and caramelized. If you prefer your fried plantains savory, start with unripe plantains, slice them on a bias, fry them in oil, smash them flat and fry them a second time to make tostones.

• Time Commitment:1 hour
• Why We Love It:special occasion-worthy, make ahead

These star chili-spicedsalmon, but you can substitutecod, tilapia or halibutif you’d prefer. Prepare the sweet-and-spicy salsa ahead to save time before dinner.

• Time Commitment:30 minutes
• Why We Love It:<10 ingredients, vegan, gluten free

Sweet plantains, seasonedblack beans, fresh guac andhot sauce—these handhelds have it all. Finish them with a vinegar- or mayo-based cabbage slaw to cut through the heat.

• Time Commitment:40 minutes
• Why We Love It:make ahead, crowd-pleaser, vegan

Chex has nothing on this one-of-a-kind treat that’s equal parts spicy and sweet. Use store-bought plantain chips if you must but know that making your own is a total breeze.

• Time Commitment:50 minutes
• Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly,

Smoky, crunchy and downright mouthwatering, this app will fly at your next cocktail hour. The bacon isbaked而不是煎,导致喧哗crisp texture.

• Time Commitment:45 minutes
• Why We Love It:vegan, gluten free, beginner-friendly

板是那样华丽的营养,加上it’s full of plant-based protein and fiber. The topping options are endless, but we’re partial to sliced avocado, pico de gallo and a spritz of lime.

• Time Commitment:35 minutes
• Why We Love It:make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser

Tangyfeta, pretty pomegranate arils and chili-dusted plantain chips transform this run-of-the-mill appetizer into something spectacular. Make the guac ahead and spritz it with lime juice tokeep it from browning.

• Time Commitment:20 minutes
• Why We Love It:<30 minutes, <10 ingredients, one pan

You’ll fall for this Ghanaian dish at first bite. It’s best to use the darkest, ripest plantains you can find for this recipe, since they need to be soft enough to mash and turn into batter.

• Time Commitment:1 hour and 40 minutes
• Why We Love It:special occasion-worthy, high protein, make ahead

It calls for tender, flaky whitefish, but you can also addscallopsorshrimpto the mix if you’d like. The recipe will be totally no-cook if you use store-bought plantain chips (tortilla chips work, too.)

• Time Commitment:50 minutes
• Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, high protein, dairy free

The plantain rounds are pan-fried in coconut oil, so there’s pleasant tropical flavor in every bite. Toast the coconut flakes and macadamia nuts for maximum crunch.

• Time Commitment:1 hour and 35 minutes
• Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, gluten free, vegan

This stunner is packed with vegan cheese sauce. Raw cashews ensure that its texture turns out creamy and rich, while nutritional yeast and chipotles in adobo infuse it with plenty of queso-like flavor.

• Time Commitment:50 minutes
• Why We Love It:crowd-pleaser, vegetarian, beginner-friendly

For a savory application like this, underripe plantains are your best bet. Here, they’re sauteed alongside garlic and diced jalapeños, then mixed with saucy canned beans to create vegetarian chili.

• Time Commitment:50 minutes
• Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, make ahead

Don’t let the tomato base fool you: This pepper sauce packs a serious punch, courtesy of Scotch bonnet peppers and fresh ginger. Sweet plantains are the ultimate foil for it.

• Time Commitment:40 minutes
• Why We Love It:beginner-friendly, high protein

The Caribbean-inspired marinade is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Not into chicken? Substitute slabs oftofu; just be sure topressas much liquid out of them as possible before cooking.

• Time Commitment:25 minutes
• Why We Love It:<30 minutes, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

All that’s missing from these tacos is a generous drizzle of crema,sour creamorGreek yogurt. If you’re not feeling black beans, you can swap in pinto beans or canned refried beans.

• Time Commitment:45 minutes
• Why We Love It:make ahead, gluten free, vegan

说起炸玉米饼,你可以让一批这些wheat-free tortillas and turn them intoquesadillas,tacos, chips and tostadas for up to four days. Yup, you can thank us later.

• Time Commitment:1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why We Love It:special occasion-worthy, dairy free, gluten free

Never tried mofongo? It’s a Puerto Rican dish that uses mashed plantains as a base. For extra flavor and crunch, mix crushed pork rinds (or better yet, fresh chicharrones) into the mash.

• Time Commitment:15 minutes
• Why We Love It:vegan, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly

Think of this as a tropical, booze-free twist onbananas foster. We’d serve them with a heaping scoop ofvanilla ice creamif we were you.