What Are Plantains? 10 Ways to Use Plantains

Plantains are a seedless berry in the banana family (part of the genus Musa) used in cuisines worldwide. The fruit can either be sweet when ripe or savory when unripe. While similar to bananas, treat plantains more like potatoes and cook them before consumption.

Most edible bananas (including plantains) come from two species and their hybrids: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Cultivars more closely related to Musa balbisiana tend to be the starchy cooking bananas commonly known as plantains; cultivars closer to Musa acuminata tend to be sweet dessert varieties of banana. Here are a few similarities and differences between bananas and plantains:

• Texture: Both fruits are firmer and drier when unripe and smooth and creamy when ripe.
• Size: Plantains are generally larger than bananas.
• Peels: While you can use your hands to peel the ripe bananas (also called “dessert bananas”) you find at a grocery store, plantains have a thicker skin. Therefore, you will need a knife to cut open a plantain, whether or not it’s ripe.
• Nutritional value: They are both good sources of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and magnesium.

Typically, you can find both ripe and unripe plantains at grocery stores. Whether you choose a green or ripe plantain depends on the recipe and your preferences. Here are a few things to consider:

• Color: Unripe plantains are green. As they ripen, they start to yellow, then get dark brown spots and eventually turn black before spoiling.
• Texture: Green plantains are tough, similar to a root vegetable. Ripe plantains are mushier, and those with a darker peel may not hold their shape when fried.
• Flavor profile: Unripe plantains are savory, and you can use them for mofongo (fried plantains mixed with a variety of ingredients) and tostones (twice-fried and smashed plantains). Conversely, plantains become sweeter the more they ripen. Use yellow plantains to make plátanos maduros (a fried plantain dish) or desserts like plantain bread (a play on banana bread).

You can store both types of plantains on your kitchen counter. If you need to ripen a green plantain quickly, place them in a paper bag and close the top. Ripening fruit produces ethylene gas; the closed paper bag naturally traps this gas and accelerates the ripening process. If you have a ripe plantain that you’re not ready to use, refrigerate it for a few days. The peel will turn darker, but the flesh inside will remain the same.

Plantains are a staple carbohydrate in West Africa and Latin America. Below are a number of main dishes and side dishes that feature plantains as the star ingredient:

1. 1. Tostones: One of the most common plantain preparations, tostones are twice-fried slices of unripe plantains. You will fry them until tender, smash them, and then fry them again until crisp and golden. You can find this side dish in Caribbean countries like Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, they go by “bannann peze.” In South American countries, like Colombia and Venezuela, they are “patacones.”
2. 2. Plantain chips: Plantain chips are a crunchy snack similar to banana chips but more savory. Thinly sliced green plantains get fried until crispy and then seasoned with salt. They are sometimes called “tajadas” in parts of Central and South America, where they are longer.
3. 3. Fufu: Make this West African porridge (also known as foofoo, ugali, nsima, posho, and many other names) with yam, sweet potato, cassava, taro, or maize. In regions where bananas are abundant, cooks make the dish with boiled, pounded plantains.
4. 4. Mofongo: In Puerto Rico, mofongo is a fried plantain dish that uses green plantains mashed with garlic, salt, and oil. Enjoy mofongo, which has a dome-like shape, alongside pork skin, meat, vegetables, and broth.
5. 5. Plátanos maduros: This caramelized sweet plantain dish features slices of the fruit cut on a bias and fried. It is a staple in many West African, Latin American, and Caribbean countries.
6. 6. Rellenitos de plátano: In Guatemala, cooks boil and mash ripe plantains, then mix them with sweetened black beans before frying and serving as a dessert.
7. 7. Dodo: Nigerians deep-fry ripe plantain slices and serve them with pickled onions, jollof rice, or frejon (a soup containing coconut milk and beans).
8. 8. Pasteles: The Puerto Rican and Dominican answer to tamales, pasteles are made with a masa of grated unripe plantains stuffed with pork, flavored with annatto oil, and wrapped in plantain leaves.
9. 9. Mangú: A Dominican breakfast dish, mangú features boiled plantains, topped with pickled onions, eggs, fried salami, and fried cheese.
10. 10. Empanada de plátano: Ripe plantains are one of the main ingredients in these turnovers. You can stuff the dough, made of ripe plantains and flour, with cheese and then fry it.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Gabriela Cámara, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.