How to Peel and Cook Plantains

Learn how to peel plantains, quickly and easily with step by step photos, and how to cook them to get the best out of them. Enjoy this Caribbean favorite in so many dishes or as a delicious snack.

Plantains are one of my favorite ingredients in Caribbean cooking, they can be intimidating if you haven’t cooked with them before, but once you do you’ll be using them all the time!

What are plantains?

Plantains area  starchy, low in sugar member of the banana family. It must be cooked before consumption by way of frying, boiling or baking. Plantains are very popular in Western Africa and Caribbean countries.

Many delicious dishes, both sweet and savory, can be made using plantains. Green plantains are best for savory dishes such as these Stuffed Plantain Cups. Ripe plantains can be used for both savory and sweet dishes.

Although plantains look like bananas, they do have some key differences. Find out more about what makes plantains different here.

How To Peel Plantains

But before we can go ahead and make some delicious tostones, we need to learn how to peel plantains.

Plantains are not hard to peel, however, it does takes some practice.

• Cut the ends of the plantains and very carefully run your knife through the peel lengthwise, without cutting into the flesh. Then, run the knife around the end’s edge, about 1 inch, also without cutting into the flesh. Go lengthwise again in the other direction.

• Use your fingers to separate and detach the peel from the plantain. Repeat the steps to remove the rest of the skin.

Another great and easy way to peel plantains is by using a spoon. My lovely friend Melissa from Hungry Food Love shows us how to use a spoon to peel a plantain in this great video.

How To Cut Plantains

I like to cut the ripe plantains about 2-3 inches long and then slice them lengthwise before frying. This is only a matter of choice and I do it this way simply because it’s how my grandmother use to make them. 🙂

For green plantains, cut into 1 inch rounds to make tostones or thinly to make plantain chips.

How To Cook Plantains

Plantains can be cooked in various ways, you can boil and mash them, slice them thinly and fry them for tostones, a great gluten-free snack or even use them in place of bread to make a sandwich or burger for patacón pisao.

Be sure to try them in these other recipes:

• Tostones
• Fried Sweet Plantain Slices
• Sweet Plantains and Picadillo Casserole
• Stuffed Plantain Cups
• Mofongo

Are Plantains Healthy?

Plantains are a great food to include in your diet. They are a rich source of vitamins A, C and B6 and are high in fiber, magnesium and potassium. One plantain is around 120 calories and very low in fat.

Tips and Notes

• Ripe plantains are a lot easier to peel. After cut into, the skin will come off easily as a banana peel would.
• Ripe plantains are mostly yellow with some black and are slightly firm to the touch. The more black the skin is, the more ripe the plantain.

• If a plantain is unripe it will have green skin. You can still cook them but they will be more starchy and bland in flavor.
• Plantains must always be cooked and not eaten raw.

More Cooking Tips and Tricks

• How To Make Perfectly Hard Boiled Eggs
• How To Cut An Avocado
• How To Roast A Turkey Perfectly
• How To Make Taco Seasoning