Baked Plantain Chips
74 Comments
Updated Sep 01, 2020
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These baked plantain chips are a healthy, homemade snack for when you’re craving something salty and crunchy. They’re naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
I’m 100% ready for grilling season. Anyone else? If you couldn’t tell from my recent white sangria recipe, I’m roaring and ready to go for outdoor parties and barbecues.
Now, outdoor parties usually include munchies, snacks and crispy things, like potato chips, french fries and tortilla chips. I’ve already shared with you recipes for grain-free, paleo-friendly cassava flour tortilla chips, ultimate seed crackers, zucchini chips, and curly sweet potato fries. So there’s a few options for healthier, gluten-free snacks.
But today I have another one for you. Crispy and delicious baked plantain chips, which, you’re gonna love.
If you’ve ever shopped at Trader Joe’s odds are you’ve seen (and likely tried) their plantain chips. And they’re not bad. But when you can easily make them at home with very little effort and a higher quality oil, why wouldn’t you? Fresh is always best.
Plantains are native to tropical areas like the Caribbean and warm climates like West Africa. Upon first glance, they look pretty darn similar to a banana (and yes, they’re a fruit), but they behave much more like a vegetable. They’re quite starchy, not sweet and in terms of nutrition are high in potassium, fiber and resistant starch – which makes them good for gut health.
So when you see a plantain, think potato. Because it always needs to be cooked to be eaten. In terms of recipe development, that means you can bake it, fry it and mash it, just as you would a potato. Today, we’re baking our plantain and making plantain chips. A delicious, salty and crispy little chip that can quickly become addictive (my word of caution).
Plantains range in color from green to yellow to black. Green would be unripe, yellow is moderately ripe and black is ripe. When it comes to plantain chips, you want a plantain that’s in the light green category as it will be firm, easy to peel and easy to slice. A super green plantain will be harder to peel, while a yellow or black plantain will be harder to slice as it’s softer.
To start off with, you’ll need a small knife to score the plantain lengthwise, just through the peel, in order to peel it. It does not peel easy like a banana. I usually make 3-4 cuts on the ridges to remove the peel.
After making plantain chips dozens of times I can tell you that a mandoline will make slicing your plantain a piece of cake. Of course you can use a knife, but a mandoline will keep your slice thickness perfectly consistent. This is important when it comes to baking time, so that all your chips cook evenly. And did I mention you’ll slice a whole plantain in less than one minute?
Once you’ve got all your slices, put them in a bowl with a little oil and toss. I always opt for avocado oil (my favorite), but you could use coconut oil or olive oil as well. Then, just lay them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they just start to turn a little golden.
Many websites say that homemade plantain chips should be eaten the same day they’re baked. And while that’s true, I always find that mine stay good for 2-3 days after, as long as they’re dry and cooked through (again, thin slicing helps with this). Just place them in a bag or storage container.
Once you’ve baked your plantain chips, they’re perfect for all kinds of dips, including my garlic aioli, dairy-free spinach artichoke dip, best ever guacamole and roasted beet hummus. Oh, these would also pair beautifully with my citrus shrimp ceviche. Can’t forget that one!
Enjoy!
Baked Plantain Chips
Baked Plantain Chips
Description
Ingredients
- 1 green plantain
- 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- With a small knife, make 3-4 cuts lengthwise down the plantain, just enough to go through the peel. Then remove the peel.
- Thinly slice the plantain with a mandoline (on the thinnest setting). Add the plantain slices to a bowl and toss with the avocado oil to evenly coat.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the plantain slices on the tray in one layer. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until just golden along the edges.
Lisa's Tips
- I love my mandoline and have used it for years. Just remember that a mandoline is extremely sharp, so be careful when slicing.
Nutrition
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We’ve made these chips twice in the last 2 weeks. Awesome with our ceviche but also great just to snack on. So much better and healthier than any chips out of a box!
Wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed them, Jenny!
I’ve followed the recipe but my chips are not crispy they’re chewy. How can I get the crispy? Thanks
Hi Judy – it sounds like you probably need to bake them a bit longer until they fully dry out. All ovens cook a bit differently, and yours may need more time.
Thanks for the recipe! I really appreciate that this are baked, not fried. I have tried making these a few times and they seem to always come out tough and chewy. I am baking at high altitude so I am wondering if that is impacting things because it takes my oven longer than 20 minutes to get the chips golden around the edges. Do you have any suggestions to help improve them?
Hi Blair – I’m not as familiar with high altitude cooking, but if they’re coming out chewy it sounds like they need to bake a bit longer as they should be crunchy.
Super easy to make. I don’t have a mandoline so I sliced the plantain super thin with a knife. They came out perfect. Tasty with a good crunch!
These are super easy, and really good. I was so happy they actually crisped up well. Thank you so much. I will make them again with other seasonings. I think they’d be great with cumin and/or garlic.
Holy yum sauce!!! I’ve made this a few times and it’s delicious. I always use different veggies: onions, asparagus, carrots, green beans, turnip, etc. I put sweet potatoes on mine and regular on the rest of the fams 💚
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!!!
Hi. Ive been making many kinds of chips. These are good but found they weren’t salty enough when simply salting when on the baking sheet. I think i should salt them and shake them up in the oil. Thank you.
Looking forward to trying these as chips.
We make platanos almost daily, a 2x/cooked thicker version of these chips. We fry them in coconut oil.
Peeling green plantain trick…score, then peel under running water.
Did you ever tried this with very green banana? I can’t find a supermarket who sells plantains :(
I actually haven’t tried it! If you do try it let me know how it turns out :)
Simone, I found mine at Walmart. However, I mistook them for bananas. They don’t make a good banana bread. 😂😂
you can find plantains at Walmart Superstores
This is the first time I ever made the Plantation chips. It was very 👍 good.
Wonderful! Glad you now love plantain chips as much as I do :)
Love these chips I missed having something crunchy so it was great to find this. I love my mandolin too!
Yes, these are the best for those salty, crunchy cravings. So happy you enjoyed them!
Oh no! My plantains are yellow now. I’m going to try this recipe out, I hope it still works!
Hi Rene – These chips might not come out as well since your plantains are pretty ripe. But, it’s still worth a shot :)
Store your plantain in the vegetable crisper, not the countertop. They will keep longer that way.
I made a version of this today, except sliced the plantain length-wise. Since my slices were so thick, I set the oven to 400F. Half-way through I flipped them and moved the rack up to the top rung which is the hottest. Haven’t tasted them yet but I think I sliced them too thick…
Hi Catherine – Do let me know how you liked them! If you did cut them thicker – they might need more time to cook.
Have you tried slicing them, then boiling them and then just make them crispy in the oven? That’s how we make tostones in Latin America, we boil the plantain until is cooked first.
Hi Mel – I actually have not tried that method! Will definitely re-make this recipe and try boiling it before popping them in the oven. Thanks :)
Looks amazing. I am a big fan of plantain chips and am going to try your recipe today!
Yes, plantain chips are so sweet and delicious! Let me know how they turn out! :)
These are really good I was pleasantly surprised thank you for this recipe.
Hi Carolyn – I’m glad you enjoyed these plantain chips :)
Do these freeze well?
Hi Paula – I’m not sure as I haven’t tried freezing them, but my initial thought is they wouldn’t freeze well. If you try it though, let me know as these questions are helpful to others in the future. :)
Helpful but misses a very important point: the temperature of the oven. I had my slices in the oven for 15 minutes on 180 celsius, and they got black and burnt. Please add an advice about the temperature.
Hi Benedek – the temperature for the plantain chips is 350 degrees fahrenheit which is 175 degrees celsius. So it sounds like your oven was a bit hotter than it should have been. Next time I’d try cooking them a few minutes less. :)
Delicious and disappear quickly. I used avocado oil garlic powder pepper and salt. The time before I used cinnamon and nutmeg which is a bit grainy but sooo healthy.
As for oven temp not a problem–as for the timing, I think that could vary due depending whether the plantain is hard and green or in the varying stages of ripeness.
Hi Elle – So glad you loved these plantain chips! You can always play around with seasoning to switch up flavor profiles :)
Just put a batch of plantain chips in the oven. I don’t own a mandoline so I improvised by using the slicer side of my box grater. Looking forward to the taste test…
Good job improvising! I hope you enjoy them Lisa. :)
How can I store these to keep them crispy? Out of the oven, they were crunchy but after storing in a resealable plastic bag overnight, they turned chewy.
Thanks!
I usually put them in a bag but don’t seal the top and just keep them on the counter. :)
How thin do you slice your plantain chips with a mandolin? About 1/8th, 1/4th? I’d hate to make them too thin and they burn, but too thick and they aren’t crispy; so I’d love to here the thickness you achieved with your mandolin.
Mine were about 1/8 inch I’d estimate. And as long as you keep the temperature at 350 you should be fine. :)
I made these the the other day and they were a little bit soggy when I tried them the next day. Did I overdo it on the oil? Any other thoughts?
Interesting. That doesn’t usually happen to mine. Maybe it was a bit too much oil. Or do you live in an area where it’s humid or there’s lots of moisture?
Looks like the ultimate snack! Delicious and so easy to make!
An easy, healthy snack is always a winner in my books. Enjoy! :)
These are like the perfect snack! Crispy and salty and just the right amount of sweet. Plus guilt free!
Yes, I’m all about that crispy, salty snack – it’s what I reach for most often! ;)
Love love love plantains! Baked plantain chips are a perfect treat!! So easy to make and healthy! Thx!
And they just taste so much fresher when made at home (rather than store bought). :)
I love making fried plantains but have never got round to making chips. Look great, must give them a try!
Yes, definitely! This is just another spin (and a healthier spin) on plantains, than fried plantains. Enjoy!
Yum, these look fabulous and so easy to make! I would use the mandolin too as you said otherwise they will all be different sizes. Great recipe!
And the mandoline makes this recipe a cinch – so fast and easy. I hope you enjoy them! :)
I have never cooked with plantains at home but I love them! These chips sound like the perfect way to try it out!
Yes, definitely! Plantains are really easy to work with and these chips make for the perfect snack. Enjoy!
I put cinnamon on mine before baking.
Yum!!
Love the recipe however as a Caribbean born and grown, I must say that plantains can definitely be eaten ripe (once the skin is mostly speckled brown and the starchy content is gone from the plantain). If you bite into one and still taste starch, you can simply cut off the bitten part and put the rest in a pot to boil and eat cooked. Ripe plantains taste like a firmer less sweet version of banana and I eat them ripe almost every day. There is no side effects and it’s great for replacing the lining of your gut if you are having digestion problems in addition to the vitamins and minerals it supplies.
Oh yes, plantains can definitely be eaten ripe. I don’t disagree. I just prefer slightly green plantains in this recipe as they’re easier to slice. :)
Oh I forgot to put in “eaten ripe and raw”. It doesnt have to be cooked. However since ours are locally grown, I would agree with you to cook the ones you have before eating as most of them are imported. I have over 2 dozen ripe ones now so I’m going to try to whip a batch of these and share with hubby :)
Hope you enjoy!
Yes, I’m ready for grilling season too! And I’m ready to snack on these baked plantain chips! Perfect for healthy snacking!
They’ve definitely been my “go to” snack of late. I just love how easy they are to make!
I love making stuff like this and use them as a crunch to top all sorts of dishes.
That’s a brilliant idea Brian! The perfect gluten-free crunch!
I love muching on these chips. I must admit that I have only tried the fried version till now. But now I am surely going to try this baked version. More healthy and tasty. Would add some paprika to give it that extra punch for me.
The baked version is really easy! There’s less oil and less splatter mess. ;) Paprika would be awesome for a little extra punch!
I followed the directions exactly however they weren’t crispy like store bought plantain chips. Do I need to use more oil? Bake longer? Thanks!
Hi Susan – I wouldn’t add more oil. You likely need to bake longer to dehydrate them more. All ovens bake slightly differently, so you could always lower the temp and cook longer.
yes! Definitely a healthy snack and I love that you use avocado oil..my favorite!
Avocado oil is the best!
Definitely ready for grilling season! Still in the 50s here though, haha. Love that you used avocado oil for this snack recipe – so much better than store-bought, as always!
Well, at least you’re inching up in temperature (slowly). Haha. Yes, love avocado oil – I’m surprised more people don’t use it. No flavor and high-heat stable. Win win in my books! :)