Tostones
Green plantain slices fried, flattened and fried again until crisp outside and tender within. Salt, garlic, and eat them hot.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Tostones are twice-fried green plantain. Thick slices are fried gently until soft and pale gold, pressed flat with a tostonera or the bottom of a glass, then fried again at a higher heat until the edges are crisp and the centres are creamy. Salt goes on the second they leave the oil. Dominicans often dip the flattened slices in salted garlic water between fries, which seasons them through and makes the second fry crisper. They are served with almost everything: beside la bandera, under fried fish, with a mayo-ketchup dip, or just from the paper on the counter as they come out of the pan.
What you'll need
5 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Plantain, green and hard, peeled, cut into 3 cm rounds3 large
- Neutral oil, for shallow frying, about 2 cm deep400 ml
- Garlic, crushed3 clove
- Water, cold250 ml
- Salt, divided9.9 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Stir the garlic and a teaspoon of salt into the cold water in a bowl and set it next to the stove.
2 min
Step 2
Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 160°C, a moderate heat where a piece of plantain bubbles steadily but does not brown fast. Fry the rounds 3 to 4 minutes a side until soft and light gold. Lift onto kitchen paper.
8 min160°C
Step 3
While still hot, press each round flat to about 1 cm with the base of a glass or a tostonera. Dip each one briefly in the garlic water and shake off the drips.
4 min
Tip: Press while hot. Cooled plantain cracks instead of flattening.
Step 4
Raise the heat to about 190°C. Fry the flattened pieces in batches 2 minutes a side until golden and crisp at the edges. Drain on paper and salt immediately.
6 min190°C
Watch: The wet plantain spits when it hits the oil. Lower it in away from you and do not crowd the pan.
Step 5
Serve at once, with a dip of mayonnaise mixed with ketchup, or just with more salt and a squeeze of lime.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 371 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 61.5 g
- Fat
- 15.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.7 g
- Fibre
- 4.4 g
- Sugar
- 28.4 g
- Sodium
- 1102 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.
Substitutions
Garlic water dip → Skip it
Puerto Rican and Cuban tostones usually skip the dip and are salted after. Still tostones.
Tips
- Plantains with any yellow fry up sweet and floppy. Those are for maduros, a different and also good thing.
- The first fry can be done hours ahead. Flatten, cover, and do the second fry just before serving.
- An air fryer gets you about 70 percent of the way there with a brush of oil, if you need that.
History & culture
Tostones are on the table at lunch and dinner in the Dominican Republic, at fritura stands, beach shacks and family kitchens. They are the Dominican chip. Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela have the same thing under different names, and each insists theirs is correct. The garlic-water dip is the Dominican flourish.
Plantains came to the Caribbean from West Africa with the slave trade in the 16th century and became the island's bread. Twice-frying starchy slices is a technique with African roots that spread across the Spanish Caribbean. The name tostón, from tostar, to toast, is the Dominican and Puerto Rican usage; patacón is the Colombian word.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Tostones take?
25 min all in — 10 min prep, 15 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Frying pan, Spider or strainer, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp (divided).
What can I use instead?
Garlic water dip → Skip it. Puerto Rican and Cuban tostones usually skip the dip and are salted after. Still tostones.
What should I watch for?
The wet plantain spits when it hits the oil. Lower it in away from you and do not crowd the pan.
Any tips from this recipe?
Plantains with any yellow fry up sweet and floppy. Those are for maduros, a different and also good thing. The first fry can be done hours ahead. Flatten, cover, and do the second fry just before serving. An air fryer gets you about 70 percent of the way there with a brush of oil, if you need that.
Can I prepare this ahead?
The first fry can be done hours ahead. Flatten, cover, and do the second fry just before serving.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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