Being ethnically Puerto Rican makes it a bit of a surprise it’s taken my almost 2 years to post a recipe for tostones. Even more of a surprise is that theres really only 3 ingredients needed to make them, so writing a post won’t even take much time. Even so, these fried plantain chips are popular all throughout the Caribbean, and make an excellent snack on game day.

Tostones are one of my go to recipes when someone asks me to make them Puerto Rican food. It’s also one of the first things my grandmother taught me how to cook. I like to serve them with a lime and cilantro sour cream dip, but you can get creative if you wish.

How To Make Tostones

The method to make tostones is super easy. As they are just fried plantain chips you’ll need to start with plantains. These green skinned fruits look just like unripe bananas, but don’t make the mistake of trying to eat them the same way. Plantains are much more starchy and hard, and extremely unpleasant to eat raw.

Peel the plantains and cut rounds out of the fruit. I aim for around 3/4 of an inch, about two centimeters, in thickness. If some are thinner or thicker it really isn’t a problem so don’t worry about making them all even. As you can see by my picture, they quite vary in size.

Next it’s time for the first frying. In a pan or pot add an inch or two of oil (I used sunflower, but any neutral will work) and bring up to heat. Add the plantain bites and fry until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove the plantains to a paper towel lined tray.

Place a tostone on a cutting board and lay the flat of your knife on top. Bang down to smash flat. Rinse and repeat until you’ve smashed all the fried plantains. Traditionally there is a tool that people use to do this, but I’m against unitaskers and a knife works perfectly.

Fry the smashed plantains once more for another minute until golden brown, remove to a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss. How easy is that. Three ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make. Tostones are a perfect snack and a great way to cook plantains.

How To Make The Cilantro Lime Dip

This recipe is done by taste, so adjust accordingly. I just do everything in a little ramekin. Add a cup of sour cream, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 bunch chopped cilantro, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder.

I recommend adding the salt last and start with 1 tsp as using two might be too salty for some people. And you can add more lime juice or pepper or whatever.