Recipes

Healthy Tostone Recipe

Tostone with ground meat, jalapenos
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Before I tell you all about this recipe it’s important to tell you what a Tostone is. Basically, they are large double-fried green plantains that are delicious. But I switched it up to make this a healthy Tostone recipe. I think you will love how simple and delicious this fried green plantain recipe is.

You can have a delicious pan of these ready to the top in about 20 minutes.

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White plate with Tostones topped with cilantro, avocado, ground turkey, salsa, jalapenos and lime.
Tostones topped with cilantro, avocado, ground turkey, salsa, jalapenos, and lime.

What Makes these Tostones Healthy?

  • Green bananas have a special starch that will feed the good bacteria in your gut. They contain resistant starch, which acts like a fiber, enabling blood sugar to stay more stable.
  • Green plantains are also quite filling due to this special fiber; they also contain minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
  • You will also get B vitamins from these tasty green bananas.

So, Can You Cook Green Plantains?

You can absolutely cook those giant green plantains that you may have walked right by in your store’s produce section. But, seriously you may be passing up an excellent option for dinner.

Being a Native New Yorker I grew up eating plantains in a myriad of ways from different cultural influences. Jamaican-style Jerk-chicken served up with rice and peas (rice and beans), salad (sauteed cabbage) and, you guessed it, plantains.

The plantains served on this plate were sweet plantains (think, yellow with a bruised appearance on the skin before cooking).

The sweet plantain pairs so well with spicey meals like Jerk-Chicken.

Today I’m sharing a version that my Puerto Rican and Dominican friends would cook. This version of tostones is perfect for savory dishes!

golden fried plantains

You Can Definitely Cook Unripe Plantains

This recipe proves that you can pick up those green, unripe plantains and make an easy dinner. I wanted to share this version of a quick and easy way to use those unripe, green plantains. The unripe plantains have a starchy almost potato-like texture.

These healthy tostones are perfect for swapping out recipes that you would use to create a taco recipe to switch things up. Typical Tostones are actually Double-fried but we are only frying these once in a healthy oil.

How to serve healthy tostones

There are so many ways to serve tostones. Think of them as a vessel just like a taco shell, tortilla, or tostada. You can top them in so many ways.

Top them with:

  • Shredded Chicken
  • Beef and Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Smashed Avacado
  • Ground Turkey, Chicken, or Beef
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Salsa, Picante Sauce, Salsa Verde
here’s what you need for the healthy tostone recipe
  • *2 Green plantains

Begin by Cutting the ends off each Green Plantains

Slide your knife *Carefully down one side of the plantain just skin-deep DO NOT DO THIS WHILE HOLDING IN YOUR HAND**** *Note if your plantain has any yellow it will be sweet.

A plantain without skin being cut into portions
picture of plantains in a pot of water and measuring spoon with salt hovering above

Cut into 5 portions and add to a pot. Cover with filtered water and add 1 tsp sea salt.

Cook for 11 minutes on medium-high heat. Take out one by one leaving the other plantains in the pot until ready to use.

*Take one piece out at a time and leave the others submerged in the cooking liquid

Smash each piece with the back of a fork and move it over to combine to keep it all in one portion. It will stick together.

Melt half the coconut oil in a pan on med heat and add one smashed plantain piece at a time.

*Cook 5 pieces at a time (one plantain) and flip after about 5 minutes or until golden

Recipe
golden fried plantains

Healthy Tostone Recipe

5 from 1 vote
This recipe is a healthy twist on the traditional double-fried tostone. It's a quick version that is fried only once in healthy coconut oil.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 11 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings: 5 1-2
Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Latin
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Large Green Plantain
  • 1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil
  • 1-2 tsp Sea Salt

Equipment

  • Pan

Method
 

  1. Begin by Cutting the ends off each Green Plantain
  2. Slide your knife *Carefully down one side of the plantain just skin-deep DO NOT DO THIS WHILE HOLDING IN YOUR HAND*
    a knife sliding down the side of a plantain
  3. Cut into 5 portions and add to a pot. Cover with filtered water and add 1 tsp sea salt.
    A plantain without skin being cut into portions
  4. Cook for 11 minutes on medium-high heat. Take out one by one leaving the other plantains in the pot until ready to use.
    plantains being covered by water in a pot and a fork piercing one piece
  5. *Take one piece out at a time and leave the others submerged in the cooking liquid
    Cooked plantain piece being smashed by the back of a fork
  6. Smash each piece with the back of a fork and move it over to combine to keep it all in one portion. It will stick together.
  7. Melt half the coconut oil in a pan on med heat and add one smashed plantain piece at a time.
    Solid coconut oil in a pan and melted oil in a pan with a smashed plantain being added
  8. *Cook 5 pieces at a time (one plantain) and flip after about 5 minutes or until golden
  9. Sprinkle with salt or add your favorite toppings. Pictured* smashed avocado, salsa, ground turkey, cilantro, salsa, jalapenos and lime slice
    Tostone with ground meat, jalapenos

Notes

 
Green plantains will give you a savory flavor which is perfect for topping just as you would a taco, tostada, or tortilla.
Take out one plantain at a time as you begin to smash them. This is what prevents the need to double fry them and make them healthier.
Do not strain or dry the plantains after cooking them in the water.
Keep the plantains submerged in the water while you smash each one. 
You can store the unused plantains for one day and use an air fryer to reheat them.
Beyond a day they are not as tasty.
You can double the recipe using the same steps as above.
You can use any oil that has a high smoke point such as Avacado, or Beef Tallow. I would not use any other oil.
I have not attempted to freeze these but let me know if you do!

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