Patacones or tostones are fried green plantain slices, and unlike chifles – very thin green bananas or green plantain chips- patacones are thicker and are always made with green plantains (unlike chifles which can be made with green bananas), the most typical way to make patacones is to fry them once, remove them from the hot oil, smash them with a wood mortar and pestle to flatten them a little – the bottom of glass jar or glass also works-and fry them again until crispy. Tostones are very easy to make and probably way past due to be posted here since I’ve mentioned them already as suggested side dishes for quite a few different recipes.
Easy recipe for homemade patacones or tostones, a popular Latin American appetizer or side dish made with twice fried slices of green plantains.
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains, use about 1 plantain per person for an appetizer and 1 plantain per 2 people for a side dish – you can get about 4-5 patacones per plantain
- Oil for frying, use an oil that won’t burn at high temperatures (peanut oil or avocado oil)
- Salt to taste
- Optional: crushed garlic, hot pepper powder, other seasonings if desired
- Aji criollo or hot sauce, tree tomato hot sauce, chimichurri sauce, or cilantro aioli.
Instructions
- Peel the plantains, the easiest way to peel a green plantain is to make the lengthwise cut on one of the angles, the cut should be skin deep without touching the actual flesh of the plantain, then use the knife to raise the skin and peel it off.
- Cut the plantains into thick slices, you can make straight cuts or slightly diagonal cuts.
- Heat the canola oil over medium high heat in a frying pan – use enough oil to almost cover the plantain slices - or a deep fryer, temperature should be about 350 F, fry the plantains until they start to get yellow, but not golden.
- Remove the plantains and place on paper towels to drain the oil.
- Use the bottom of a glass (or small bowl or a wood pestle) to smash and flatten the plantains, do this gently to keep the slices from breaking, a few cracks is ok as long as the whole slice remains in one piece. It is best to do this when they are still warm.
- Sprinkle the plantain slices with salt and other seasonings (if using the raw garlic rub it on the slices).
- Reheat the oil, temperature should be about 375 F and fry the plantains until golden on each side, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Remove from the oil, drain again on paper towels, and add additional seasoning if needed.
- Serve warm as a side dish or as an appetizer with dipping sauces.
- Peel the green plantains, cut in half and place in pot with sufficient water to cover them.
- Bring the water to a boil and boil for about 25 minutes or until tender.
- Remove from the heat but the leave the plantains in the water.
- Cut the plantains in thick slices and gently flatten – as much as possible without cracking - with a wood mortar and pestle or the bottom of a glass.
- Sprinkle the flattened plantain slices with salt and seasonings.
- Heat the oil in large frying pan over high heat and cook the plantains until golden, about 2 minutes on each side.
- Transfer to a paper towel to drain the oil.
- Add additional salt and seasonings if needed and serve warm with dipping sauces or as a side dish.
My brother Ramon makes some of the best patacones and he finally showed me his secret method. Instead of frying them twice, he boils the green bananas first, then he gently smashes them and next he fries them. They are perfectly crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, and unlike the twice-fried patacones they stay this way even when they get cold. The twice-fried ones are great when they’re warm, but can get rock hard when they cool down.
The plantains should be green, a few touches of yellow green is okay. In fact, Ramon prefers the ones that are barely starting to get a few hints of yellow green because they are less likely to break or crack too much when smashing them. You have to be careful though because if the plantains are getting ripe you could end up with sweet patacones. Patacones are one of those perfect snacks, especially on a sunny day, they can be eaten alone, with dipping sauces and also as sides for ceviches, seafood dishes, pretty much anything. As a standalone snack or appetizer, I love to serve them with pickled red onions and aji criollo hot sauce.
Step by step photos of twice fried method for making patacones or tostones:
Step by step photos of boiled and fried method for patacones or tostones:
Thank you very much for the detailed recipe with the comparison and the pictures. I will surely try your brother’s recipe : boil, smash, form and fry ! :-)
Joty.
I just got back from Costa Rica and learned to make the patacones there by double frying. I made them when I got home and they were good but chewy the next day. Thanks for sharing that part about boiling the plantains, can’t wait to try that next. They are delicious with gucamole or some mild cheese! Pura vida!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing the boiling option, too. I made the tostones using that method and they turned out great!
I first had these in Ecuador a few months ago, and my girlfriend and I now make them for lunch once or twice a month. We top them with cotija cheese and salsa, and they are delicious. We tried the boiling method, and it didn’t work so well for us, but we only make 1 plantain worth, so we don’t need to worry about reheating them.
I’m from Venezuela and we eat plantains in every way you can make them. Fried green plantains are the best, then you can make patacones, which is like a sandwich but you use these fried plantains instead of the bread and put chicken or beef, cheese, lettuce, sauces, anything!! I’m making them tonight!!
Ah-HA! the trick is to boil them for step one!
Thank you so much! I look forward to sending a few readers your way!
Z
i absolutely love plantains , and all these recipes are fantastic ! i can now enjoy my favorite meal in several different ways ! (:
-thanks again , !!!
Hola Laylita!
Tengo una pregunta: hoy me puse hacer los patacones, pero a la primera vez que los freí, me salieron como un poco quemados (aunque los he hecho freir como 4 a 5 minutos). Al momento de aplastarlos algunos se me rompieron… luego los freí por ultimo y me salieron regular… tienes algunas surgencias como mejorar? :-) Gracias! Saludos desde Holanda de una equatoriana!
Hola Jessica – Baja un poco la temperatura, la primera vez que los fries no tienen que dorarse, y cuando los quites de la sarten dejalos un minuto antes de aplastarlos – si estan muy calientes se pueden romper. Cuando los frias la segunda vez entonces le subes la temperatura para que se doren.
this is perfect for my spanish project!!! thanks! =]
I had patacones for the first time when I visited Panama, earlier this year. They serve it with everything! I will try your recipe and see if it comes out like the Pnamanian version that I’ve had ;)
I have been trying to learn to cook spanish food for the longest time and finally I found your web site and everything is wonderful. I am so grateful for the time you put to make it available for all of us. Gracias.
Thank you so much for posting all of these deluiiocs recipes! I love all the pictures too! They make my tummy hungry! My husband is from Guyaquil, and he has introduced me into Ecuadorian food and I not only love to eat it, but I also like to try to make new things for both of us. Finding this website has been a huge thing for me, and I’m so excited because my husband has been craving ceviche de camaron. I would be very interested in your more complicated but amazingly good recipe for ceviche. Thank you so much again. I love your recipes and wish I could come and eat your cooking.
AH! I love how you have authentic Ecuadorian food on here.
I was born in Quito, and my mom still makes me traditional food, its my favorite :)
thanks for having this wonderful food blog :)
I love plantains as they remind me of my trip to Ecuador. It was one of the best experiences of my life!
I love patacones they are so yummy and I found this webside pretty helpful. Keep posting more comida Ecuatoriana please. Soy de Ecuador y comida ecuatoriana es la mejor. love it.
i will try your version of making the fried tostones. your recipes sound better thatn the ones I’ve been researching. thank you.
Thank you for another great recipe. The family loved it. I will be making these often!
Also looking forward to the baked plantains with cheese!
amiga! qué orgullosa estoy de tí!!! tus recetas son deliciosas y me hacen recordar tanto nuestra tierra y la familia! por supuesto, los patacones están dentro de mi lista de “cositas de picar” favoritas ;)
besos a todos,
I
I was just looking for a recipe for green plantains!! This is perfect…thank you so much!
We just bought some plaintains! Will definitely make tostones. Now, just wondering what main dish to serve it with.
=)
I LOVE plantains. I love them prepared in different ways. They are my comfort food. My mom just made me some today. Moms are the best.
Paz ;-)