Plantain Fritters

A few years back, I went on a two-week trip to Puerto Rico. The most wonderful thing I ate was mofongo, a dish made with unripe plantains mashed with crispy pork cracklings and garlic. Since then, I’ve been excited to try every plantain recipe I can get my hands on, like this one for plantain fritters.

You can dress up these fritters with spices or sauces and serve them alongside African or Caribbean recipes like braised meat or stew. Once you learn how to make plantain fritters, they may become your new go-to side dish. Serve the slightly sweet, perfectly crispy fritters with weekend dinners, or use them as fun plantain appetizers for dinner parties.

Ingredients for Plantain Fritters

• Plantains: Plantains and bananas look alike because the plants are in the same fruit family. Plantains are typically larger than bananas and have thicker skin, pointier ends and a more angular shape. You can buy them at any stage of ripeness, but yellow, unripe plantains work best for tostones recipes (like these air-fryer plantains). Ripe plantains with black peels and very little remaining yellow are best for this recipe. In a pinch, you can use ripe bananas instead.
• Self-rising flour: This blended mix contains flour, salt and leavening agents like baking powder. You can buy it at the store or make self-rising flour at home.
• Onion: Go for a white or yellow onion for these plantain appetizers. If you want a stronger flavor, you could use a medium onion instead of a small one.
• Salt and pepper: Plantains are mild and starchy in flavor, so we add salt and pepper for some depth.
• Oil for frying: Make sure to use an oil that can stand up to higher temperatures, like canola oil (or any of the best oils for frying).

Directions

Step 1: Blend the batter

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Place the plantains in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

Editor’s Tip: We like using a food processor vs. blender. The wide, flat base makes it easier to make the fritter dough without having to constantly scrape down the sides. If you don’t have a food processor, you could mash the plantains by hand in a large mortar and pestle.

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Add the flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and process until blended. The batter should be moist.

Step 2: Fry the fritters

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In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat 1/4 inch of oil to 375°F. Carefully drop the batter by tablespoonfuls, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, about one minute per side. Drain on paper towels.

Editor’s Tip: No worries if you don’t have an electric skillet or a fryer. A heavy saucepan and a good instant-read thermometer will work here nicely. No matter what pan you use, make sure to cook the plantain fritters in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan.

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Plantain Fritters Variations

• Spice up the fritters: For an extra kick, add minced garlic, sliced chiles, smoky chipotle chili powder or a few dashes of hot sauce to the food processor when you make the batter. You could add grated fresh ginger too.
• Make a sweet version: Leave out the onions and add brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg to the batter.
• Add a sauce: For a zingy dip to complement your fritters, use the mojo sauce from our recipe for yuca frita con mojo. A garlicky, spicy aioli or a bright chimichurri sauce would also be wonderful choices.

How to Store Plantain Fritters

Fried foods taste best when eaten fresh out of the hot oil, but it’s perfectly safe to store leftover plantain fritters in the fridge. I like to keep mine in a tightly sealed container lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

How long do plantain fritters last?

Plantain fritters last up to four days in the fridge. However, they will get soggy over time, so you may want to gobble them up in a day or so.

How do you reheat plantain fritters?

To reheat these plantain appetizers, warm a little bit of oil in a well-seasoned pan. When it’s hot, add the fritters and cook them until warm and crisp, turning them a few times to heat each side.

Plantain Fritter Tips

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How can you tell if a plantain is ripe enough for plantain fritters?

You’ll know if the plantain is ripe enough when the peel is mostly black with little yellow remaining. The flesh should be slightly firm to the touch. Plantains are edible when green or yellow, but unripe plantains are more starchy than sweet, and the flesh is dryer and denser.

Can you make plantain fritters without self-rising flour?

You can make plantain fritters without self-rising flour, but they have the fluffiest, lightest texture when the batter contains baking powder (as self-rising flour does). The leavening agent is how plantain fritters puff up in the hot oil. You can make homemade self-rising flour by mixing 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 1-cup measuring cup. Then, fill the cup the rest of the way with flour.

Can you make plantain fritters into different shapes?

Because this is a soft, leavened batter, it will puff up into balls when you cook it, so it’s not easy to form into different shapes.

What can you serve with plantain fritters?

Plantain fritters are common in parts of Africa, so I like to serve them alongside dishes like a tomato-garlic lentil bowl, African beef curry or West African peanut stew. This type of fritter is also part of the cuisine in various Caribbean countries, so the plantain appetizers would be great with pollo de coco, Jamaican ham and bean soup, or a Caribbean shrimp and rice bowl.