Plantain Chips
Plantain chips are crispy, crunchy fried or baked plantain chips that pair amazingly with sweet and spicy mango avocado salsa. And did someone say healthy can be mouthwateringly delicious? Oh yes, this recipe makes a perfect late-night snack, though I must say, it’s always a crowd favorite at parties too.
There is something totally addictive about the combination of textures and flavors in this recipe. As you probably know, mangos are my all-time favorite tropical fruit and have been since I was a kid. They are pure perfection, which is why this is one of my favorite salsa recipes.
In fact, just when I thought nothing beats a fresh-cut mango fresh off the tree, I tried dipping some crispy plantain chips in this mango salsa with creamy avocado, jalapenos, and onions, and just…wow! Who knew perfection could be improved upon? It is hard to pass up something as good as this.
What Makes Plantain Chips Popular
Plantain chips (alloco, dodo, or chicharritas) are made from thinly sliced green plantains and deep-fried until crisp and golden, then sprinkled with seasoning. Because plantains grow well in the tropics where potatoes can’t take the heat, they’re an excellent carb alternative to potatoes. And since we all love chips, they’re popular in tropical countries, like Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean. 😁
How to Make Plantain Chips and Mango Avocado Salsa
Prepare Plantains
- Peel – Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off the plantain. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain and remove the peel. (Photos 1-2)
- Slice the plantains thinly. (Photos 3-4)
- Toss the plantain slices with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Baked Plantains
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205℃. Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Place the plantain slices on the baking sheets in a single layer, then lightly spray them with canola oil. (Photo 5)
- Bake for 12-20 minutes, or until golden brown, turning the slices over after about 8 minutes. (Photo 7)
- Serve – Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Fried Plantains
- Heat up a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet with a ½ inch of oil on medium-high heat.
- Fry the plantain slices in batches, turning once, until golden brown, for about 5 minutes. (Photo 6)
- Finish – Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried plantains out of the pan and drain them on paper towels. (Photo 8)
- Serve – Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Mango Avocado Salsa
- Prep – Dice the mango, red onion, avocado, tomato, and jalapeño.
- Mix – In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.
Recipe Variations
You can customize the mango avocado salsa any way you like. Not a fan of spicy salsas? Leave out the jalapeno. Want more fruity sweetness? Add pineapple or another fruit you love. Use your imagination to create a tasty tropical salsa that’s all your own.
Tips and Tricks
- To make sure your plantains cook evenly, use a mandolin to slice them. That way, they will all be the same thickness and cook at the same pace.
- When heating oil for frying, make sure it’s hot but not smoking. Smoking oil isn’t good for your kitchen or the chips’ taste.
- Another tip for frying plantains is to avoid overcrowding the pan, as this causes the oil temperature to drop and increases the frying time. The resulting chips tend to be soggy from absorbing excess oil.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make this recipe a day ahead of time, no problem. Simply let the chips cool a bit and then store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for 5 days. Keep the salsa in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve. It will keep for 3-5 days.
Serving and Storage Instructions
You can serve plantain chips piping hot fresh out of the oven or at room temperature, either way works. As for the salsa, you can serve it at room temperature, right after you finish making it, or chilled. Again, it just depends on your taste.
FAQs
Both fried plantain chips and fried potato chips are pretty high in calories. Still, homemade fried plantain chips are definitely healthier than your garden variety processed potato chips and other greasy snacks you can get from the store. It’s also worth noting that homemade plantain chips contain less sodium than a bag of store-bought potato chips.
Plantains contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are good for you! To make the healthiest version of plantain chips, bake them instead of frying. They’ll be just as delicious (I made a side-by-side comparison, and they were equally good) but with considerably less fat and calories.
Sadly, plantains are not keto-friendly because of their high carb count. According to the USDA, one medium-sized plantain has a whopping 57 grams of carbohydrates. Standard ketogenic diets limit carbs to around 50 grams per day. 🥲 However, they’re great for paleo.
What Goes With Plantain Chips and Mango Salsa
I love to eat this snack with a big glass of mango juice because you can never have too much mango. But really, any refreshing drink would go great with this chips and dip recipe. Try it with a pina colada, tropical sangria, or a fresh juice, like my Jamaican carrot juice. So delicious! 🤩
More Scrumptious Plantain Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This post was first published in March 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Plantain Chips With Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Plantain Chips
- 2 green (unripe) plantains
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Mango Avocado Salsa
- 1 large mango, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup (60g) diced red onion
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoon (30ml) lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off the plantain. That will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain, and peel only as deep as the peel. Remove the plantain peel by pulling it back. If plantains are straight from the fridge, you can run them through hot water to prevent ease with peeling.
- Slice the plantains thinly with the help of a mandolin for consistent results.
- Toss the plantains, salt, and paprika together.
Baked Plantain Chips
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205℃. Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Place the sliced plantains on the baking sheets in a single layer. Spray them lightly with the canola oil spray, and bake (turning the slices over after 8 minutes) for 12-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy, depending on your oven's temperature.
- Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Fried Plantain Chips
- Fill a large cast-iron skillet with up to a ½ inch of oil on medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Fry the plantain slices in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan (the plantains will absorb excess oil and get soggy).
- Use a slotted spoon, transfer the fried plantains and drain them on paper towels.
- Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Mango Avocado Salsa
- In a medium bowl, combine the mango, jalapenos, avocado, tomatoes, onions, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Tips & Notes:
- To ensure your plantains cook evenly, use a slicer or mandolin to slice them. That way, they will all be the same thickness and cook at the same pace
- Heat the oil to a hot but not smoking temperature. Smoking oil isn’t good for your kitchen or the chips’ taste
- Another tip for frying plantains is to avoid overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding will cause the oil temperature to drop, increase the frying time, and allow the chips to absorb excess oil
- Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate and may vary significantly depending on the products used
Hi Imma,
How do you make the extra sweet ones ? are they made with very ripe plantain? if they are, how do you achieve the crispness?
Thanks
Hi Tomi! I have a recipe for sweet fried plantains you can check HERE.
Enjoy! 🙂
Please ma my chips got mucor after 3 days please I want to know the reason why cause I used the recipe you gave
Hi Tasha! Since this is made of fresh bananas, it really is prone to spoilage especially if not stored properly. You may store this in an air tight container, fridge or freeze. This is also best consumed right away 🙂
Such a nice treat for the fall season.
Indeed, it is. Made a huge batch of this again. 😉
Love the chips fried, must try them baked………….yum.
Yes, please. And let me know how the baked one turned out for you. Enjoy! Happy weekend!