Air Fryer Plantains

Name: Air Fryer Plantains
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 plantain; 3/4 tsp oil; salt to taste

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Air Fryer Plantains are a perfect breakfast, snack, side, appetizer or main course. They’re versatile, delicious and a lower calorie option if you’re like me and LOVE fried plantains.

Suitable for Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole 30, and Vegan dieters. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

So. Another morning, another breakfast and another chance to make these Air Fryer Plantains. Like I need an excuse to make this treat that hits the right spot. Every. Single. Time.

The idea of having a healthier version of fried plantains is enough to get the whole family out of bed even on a freeeeeeeeezing cold day. I also love serving them up as a snack or side dish.

I now think it is best to cook plantains in the air fryer ever since I got one.

Freddy and the kids can’t get enough of the air fried food we’ve been eating lately making things like Crispy Banana Chips In Air Fryer and Air Fryer Chickpeas.

They have also been making easy snack like these well loved by kids Air Fryer Apple Chips and these fab Air Fryer Zucchini Fries. So much yum.

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Why Make This Recipe

They are made with 3 pantry staples.
Easy to make fuss free African and popular cuban side dish.
They are made with minimal prep and in 10 minutes.
Healthier than regular fried plantains with lower calories.
Loved by the kiddoes and family alike – go great with Air Fryer Fish.
Suitable for vegan and gluten free diets.

Back to the Air Fryer Plantains. Once I start thinking of the food that reminds me of childhood, I can’t get it out of my mind. I have to have it. And with plantains, once I start I just can’t stop for a week.

Warm plantains for breakfast are my favourite Sierra Leonean treat, but I don’t stop there. The mini chefs and I will make regular plantain chips as an after-school snack and we’ll also use our plantains to soak up delicious bean stew for dinner.

Are you ready to make Air Fryer Sweet Plantains? Gather your ingredients and I’ll show you how to make these……

How to slice plantains - recipesfromapantry.com

Ingredient Notes

You only need a few ingredients to make these.

Plantains – use firm but ripe plantains for this.
Oil – use vegetable oil or olive oil for this.
Salt – use your favorite brand of salt.

Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!

For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.

How to Make Air Fryer Plantains Step by Step

Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

How to Peel And Cut Them

How to peel plantains the right way: on a cutting board, use a sharp knife to cut off each end.
Next, while firmly holding the plantain, slit the peel lengthwise with the tip of your knife along each seam. (Only go as deep as the peel.)
Carefully remove each section of the peel and voila — you have a peeled plantain. Now you can tell all your friends how to peel plantains.

How to peel plantains - recipesfromapantry,com

Air Fry Them

Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C
Peel the plantain and cut diagonally into slices using a sharp knife and add to a bowl.
Gently mix in the oil and salt until plantains are coated on both sides.
Place plantains in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Air fry plantains for 10 minutes turning half way through using your tongs.
Serve warm straight after air frying.

Air Fried Plantains Tips

Make sure the plantain slices are not touching. This is really important when cooking with the air fryer. This allows maximum hot air circulation inside the fryer, so your plantains will cook evenly and turn out crispy.
Cook time will depend on the size of your plantains. Cut them to the same thickness so they cook at the same rate. Thicker slices of plantains will need a bit more time and thinner slices will need less. Always check on your food about half way through.
Cook plantains in a single layer, so they cook uniformly. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might have to cook them in multiple batches.
Don’t overdo it with the oil in the air fryer. Less is more when it comes to oil in the air fryer. This recipe for plantains calls for just ¾ tsp of oil for 1 plantain but you definitely don’t want to use more than 2 tbsp MAX of cooking oil when using your air fryer.
Change the oil to whatever works with your dietary restrictions.
Serve warm! If making a big batch, place your cooked Air Fryer Plantains in a warm oven to keep temperature as they are best served hot.
Different air fryers operate slightly differently. Air fryer cook times are an estimate, so it’s important to check your food for doneness and adjust as needed.

Seasoning Your Fried Plantains

Options are endless with seasonings.

Warm seasonings – I like cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.
Salt and pepper – Just a little bit of salt is one of my favourite ways to snack on this snack cuisine.
Savory – for more savory flavours try adding garlic powder, cajun seasoning or creole seasoning, red pepper flakes, squeeze lime juice over them or lime zest etc.

Storage

Storage – as these are best served warm I don’t recommend storing them. However you can store the cooled plantains in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days and rehear before serving.
Reheat – reheat for a minute or two in the preheated air fryer.

FAQs

What is a Plantain?

What are plantains? A plantain is a starchy fruit that’s part of the banana family but it isn’t quite like a banana.

They are typically eaten cooked, you wouldn’t eat it raw plantain because it is starchier and is not as sweet as a banana. You’ll find plantains on any Latin (called Tostones), Caribbean or African cuisine.

You’ll find 3 kinds of plantains at your local markets that you can choose from to make your Air Fryer Plantains. Choose the ones you like depending on the sweetness you prefer.

Green Plantains: These are unripe green ones and prepared like a starchy vegetable. Fried green plantains are fried twice for crispiness but you won’t find any sweetness here. They are great for super crispness.

Yellow Plantains:
Firm Yellow plantains are my favourite and the ones I always look out for at Brixton market. Yellow plantains are firm and have just the right amount of sweetness without being too much. Look for Yellow plantains when making your Air Fryer Plantains.

Ripe (Black) Plantains: When the plantain’s peel is black, that’s the ripest it will be. Using a black peeled plantain will result in very sweet plantains and are great for dessert.

You can find ripe plantains in your local ethnic store / market or in big supermarkets.

How Else Can I Cook Plantains?

You can cook them grilled, boiled, baked, fried, steamed and in stews and curries. All the ways.

Why are My Plantains Hard

The more unripe the are , the harder they will come out. This is why the really green ones should be cut into crisps and cooked as crisps for the best result.

Is Air Fried Food Healthy?

Using the air fryer is not only super easy, it is healthy too.

Here is how it works.
By circulating heat all around the food, air fryers allow you to ‘fry’ foods using the smallest amount of oil. We are talking anything from a tablespoon to just a light spray.

And since your food is not submerged in the stuff, much less oil gets absorbed during the cooking process, which means it contains less fat and less calories.

Fried Plantains

If you don’t have an air fryer you can also fry up your plantains the old-fashioned way. Check out my post “How to Make Fried Plantains” if you want to use your stove top and a pan of oil.

Baked Plantains

You can also make delicious baked plantains in your oven. This is a much healthier option than Fried Plantains on the stove top, but juuuuuuust about the same as Air Fryer Plantains.

Just another reason why I loooooooooove my air fryer. Check out my Baked Plantains with Sierra Leonean Flavours.

More Air Fryer Breakfast Recipes

Air Fried Bacon. So crispy.
Air Fryer Donuts. The kids looove these.
Air Fryer Bagels. Really easy to make.
Air Fryer Apple Fritters. One of my favs.

More Air Fryer Recipes

Serving Suggestions

In West Africa, fried plantains #ultimatecomfortfood are served as snacks or starters and as a side dish to foods.

Try them with

Recommended Tools

A fantastic Air Fryer.
A sharp knife for peeling and cutting.
The best ever sea salt.

close of of horizontal image of plantains in air fryer

Weight Watchers Points

There are 5 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of Air Fryer Plantains.

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5 from 12 votes