Fried sweet plantains - air fryer or pan fried (Just 2 ingredients!)
This 2-ingredient, easy side dish doesn't take long to make. However, it makes any meal that much more delicious. Enjoy them as a side dish, or add them to a burrito or bowl of beans & rice.For air fryer instructions, see the notes section.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 171kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral flavored, high heat oil
- 1 plantain very ripe with blackened peel
Instructions
- First, make sure your plantain is ripe enough. You want the peel to be blackened and for the fruit to have a gentle give when you press on it. Once it's ready, cut off both ends. Using a knife, gently cut a seam down the middle. (Skins of plantains are thicker than standard bananas and don’t peel quite as easily.) Then peel back the skin and discard it. Cut the plantain into roughly half inch pieces on a bias.
- Lightly cover the base of a non-stick skillet with a high heat oil like avocado oil. Bring to a medium to medium-high heat. (Plantains are prone to sticking. So it’s much easier to use non-stick instead of stainless steel when frying them.)
- Put the plantains in the warm skillet, being careful not to overcrowd. Let them fry for a couple of minutes until they are brown on one side. Avoid moving the plantains, so that they can get nice brown coloring.
- Flip them and let the other side brown for a minute more. Then lower the heat, so that the plantains can get fully done inside without burning.
- At this point, if you need to move and/or flip the plantain occasionally to keep it from burning, go for it. In total, expect the plantains to cook for about 10 to 14 minutes.
- Once they’re ready, remove the plantains from heat and serve.
Notes
You may need more or less oil, depending on the size of your skillet & its non-stick capabilities. Coconut oil is also a popular choice for frying plantains.
Air fryer instructions
Put the sliced plantain into the air fryer basket. Toss or spray with oil. Air fry for 9 minutes at 390 degrees, stopping to flip & spray with more oil halfway through.
(Depending on your air fryer, you may need slightly more or less time. Check on the plantain occasionally for optimum browning with your machine.)
Nutrition
Calories: 171kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 446mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Iron: 0.5mg
