Plantain Chips

Plantain chips are thin slices of green plantains fried until golden, crispy, and lightly salted. Popular across the Caribbean, these homemade plantain chips are an easy snack to make with just a few simple ingredients.

Growing up in Guyana, plantain chips were one of my favorite salty snacks to buy during school recess. They were crispy, perfectly salty, and always hard to stop eating, especially when drenched with mango sour. Making them at home is surprisingly easy and just as delicious.

What are Plantain Chips?

Plantain chips are a savory snack made by thinly slicing green plantains and frying them until crisp. They’re popular throughout the Caribbean and Latin America and are often compared to potato chips because of their crunchy texture. Unlike sweet banana chips, these chips are typically salty, savory, and made from starchy unripe plantains.

Why You’ll Love This Plantain Chips Recipe

• Better Than Storebought: Better Than Store-Bought: These homemade plantain chips are thin, crispy, and freshly made with just three simple ingredients. If you love Trader Joe’s plantain chips like we do, these taste very similar but even crispier — and they’re much more affordable to make at home. My littlest one, Axel, said they taste just like the Trader Joe’s version!
• Perfect For Sharing: Fry up a batch for movie night, game day, or your next gathering. Serve them with shrimp ceviche or your favorite dipping sauce and watch them disappear fast.
• Easy to Customize: Fry, bake, or air fry them and season them however you like. Try them with salt, garlic powder, chili lime seasoning, or your favorite spice blend.
  

What do plantain chips taste like?

Plantain chips have a crunchy texture similar to potato chips, but with a slightly starchier and more savory flavor. Because they’re made from green plantains, they’re crisp rather than sweet and pair well with salty or spicy seasonings.

Plantains are part of the banana family, but unlike sweet bananas they are much starchier and are often cooked before eating. They’re commonly used in Caribbean, African, and Latin American cooking and can be fried, boiled, mashed, or roasted.

Homemade plantain chips are also a great alternative to store-bought chips because you can control the ingredients, seasonings, and salt level.

Ingredients for Plantain Chips

You only need 3 simple ingredients to make these crispy homemade plantain chips.

• Green plantain: Use very green unripe plantains for the best savory flavor and crispy texture. Avoid yellow or ripe plantains unless you want sweeter chips.
• Oil for frying: Use a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point for frying. Avocado oil works well, but you can also use another frying oil you like with a mild flavor.
• Salt: eason to taste while the chips are still warm. I like using a coarse salt like kosher salt because the crystals stick really well to the chips.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Plantain Chips

Step 1: Peel the Plantains

Start by peeling the plantains. Cut off both ends, then cut the plantain in half. Make four shallow slits lengthwise along the skin.

Insert a knife under the peel at one of the slits and pull downward, similar to peeling a banana. Repeat until all of the skin has been removed and the plantain is fully peeled. If the plantain is very green, peeling may take a little extra effort, so take your time.

Step 2: Slice the plantains

Using a mandoline slicer, slice the plantains very thinly into rounds. If you’re new to frying or using a mandoline, you can slice the plantains onto a plate first and then carefully add them to the oil in batches. I find the best method is slicing them directly into the hot oil.

Make sure your pot is stable and secure before placing the mandoline slicer over the oil. Wearing cut-resistant gloves, carefully slice one plantain directly into the hot oil. Fry one plantain at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot.

Step 3: Fry the Chips

Add about 2 to 3 inches of oil to a deep frying pan or heavy-bottom pot and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F. Fry the plantain chips in batches, stirring often, until golden brown and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chips from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel-lined bowl or cooling rack to drain. Season immediately with kosher salt while still warm, then enjoy.

Tips for Crispy Plantain Chips

For the crispiest chips, fry them until most of the sizzling stops and very few bubbles remain in the oil. This means most of the moisture has cooked out of the plantains. Continue frying for another 30 to 45 seconds until the chips are crisp and golden brown.

The chips will continue to crisp slightly as they cool, so avoid removing them from the oil too early.

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

• Seasoning: If you want more than a salty flavor, try seasoning the chips with paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, chili lime seasoning, or your favorite spice blend.
• Baked Plantain Chips: To make baked plantain chips, preheat your oven to 375°F. Slice the plantains thinly, toss with a little oil and salt, then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp around the edges.
• Air Fryer: To make air fryer plantain chips, slice the plantains thinly and toss with a little oil and salt. Air fry at 375°F for about 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.

Storage

Store the chips in an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature once they are completely cool. They stay crisp for several days, but in my house they rarely last that long.

Frequently Asked Questions