How To Make Plantain Chips

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I’ve been making plantain chips at home for the longest time. It is a popular snack in my country of origin, Cameroon. Over the years, I have learned several tips so here is my guide on How To Make Plantain Chips.

Homemade Plantain Chips on a plate.

Plantain chips are crunchy, and savory and can be used to dip into 4 Ingredient Guacamole Recipe or your favorite dipping sauce. Plantain chips have a texture similar to that of tortilla chips but with plantain flavor.

If you are interested in plantains also check out these recipes for Baked Plantains, Sweet Fried Plantains, and Twice-Fried Plantains (Tostones).

Crunchy Plantain Chips

Plantain chips are my weakness! You know what? I always plan to make a big batch and keep it at home so we can have a nice snack to grab and enjoy.

But that plan never works because once I make plantain chips, it disappears fast… into our bellies! Mr. N, the girls and I share the same love for crunchy plantain chips. We even fight over it. This thing is so good!

I loved plantain chips back in the day when I would buy some from local vendors. Now, I love running into my kitchen to make some homemade plantain chips. It is easy to make and it makes such a mouth-watering snack!

These plantain chips are so crispy, plantain-y and so addictive! I think the world should be talking about the awesomeness of plantain chips!

Plantains are naturally vegan, gluten-free, and have a distinct taste. I love enjoying plantains as a side such as Baked Plantain Fries, as a complete meal with chicken known as Poulet DG (Chicken and Plantain stew) or as Plantain Puff Puff, a tasty doughnut made with ripe plantains.

Plantains are seriously yummy in every way whether you want to boil, fry, or grill them and they are loaded with nutrients!

When I want to indulge, I make plantain chips. They are crunchy and irresistible!

Ingredients Needed

You only need 3 ingredients for homemade plantain chips.

  1. Green plantains: The plantains should be green and firm to the touch.
  2. Salt: Salt brings out the flavor of the plantains.
  3. Oil: Any flavorless oil like vegetable oil, or canola oil would work for frying.

Steps For Making Plantain Chips

So, how do you make plantain chips? It is pretty simple.

  • First, peel the plantains.
  • Then slice them thinly. A mandoline slicer makes slicing the plantains a breeze and guarantees thin slices.
  • Deep fry until crispy. Season them with a salt-water solution while they are frying.
  • Then drain and enjoy. Place just-fried plantain chips on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. They will get even crispier as they cool.
Homemade Plantain Chips Recipe

I can barely keep my hands off homemade plantain chips. From the time I make it, it feels like I have been trapped. I keep eating and eating and eating… I only rest when it is all finished!

Homemade plantain chips are so addictive!

Expert Tips for Plantain Chips

  • Use salt water instead of sprinkling salt directly on the plantains. This ensures that salt gets into every nook and cranny of the plantain. Add the salt water to the oil before adding the sliced plantains. Or add the sliced plantains to the hot oil first then add the salt water to prevent splatters,
  • Slice the plantains using a mandoline slicer or the slicing side of a box grater. This ensures thin even slices that will cook evenly.
  • Also, do not gather the sliced plantains and place them into the oil all at once. I have found that doing it that way leads to several plantains sticking together. When that happens, they will turn out soft and not crunchy. So to avoid having soft ships, place your sliced plantains one after the other into the oil. It seems like a lot of work but trust me, it is worth it because by doing so you will get a whole batch of ultra crispy chips!
Homemade Plantain Chips on a white plate.

I made a video to show you guys how to make homemade plantain chips. Watch the video below, print the recipe then go make some!

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Serving

Serve plantain chips as is or pair them with:

More Plantain Recipes

There is an abundance of plantain recipes here, from savory to sweet.

If you make this recipe please leave a star rating below. Your rating helps others find the recipe plus I love hearing from you! Thank you!

Plantain Chips on a white plate.

How To Make Plantain Chips

4.75 from 8 votes
These plantain chips are ultra crispy, so tasty and so addictive! Don't miss all the tips in the blog post above.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 3 green plantains (unripe and firm to the touch)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Oil for frying

Instructions 

  • Peel the plantains. Cut off both tips of a plantain then cut a line across the ridges of a plantain then lift the skin from the cut portion and remove the entire skin with your hands.
  • Slice the plantains into chips using a mandoline slicer, the slicing side of a box grater or just cut thinly with a knife.
  • In a small bowl, mix a quarter cup of water and the salt. Set aside.
  • Place oil in a deep pan up to 4 inches high. Heat the oil on high for about 10 minutes (the oil should be 350 degrees Fahrenheit hot). Turn down the heat to medium then add two tablespoons of the salt water. Add the plantains one after the other. (I added half of the plantains at this point.) 
    Gently stir the plantains and let them fry in the oil while you stir from time to time for about 5 minutes. After that, remove the chips and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
  • Once the chips are cold, enjoy! You can store plantain chips in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

Notes

1. You could use slightly ripe plantains to make plantain chips but please make sure the plantains are still firm to the touch. If they are not firm enough, they won’t turn out crispy.
2. Use salt water as the recipe stipulates instead of sprinkling salt directly on the plantains. This ensures that salt gets into every nook and cranny of the plantain.
3. Slice the plantains using a mandoline slicer or the slicing side of a box grater. This ensures thin even slices that will cook evenly.
4. Do not gather the sliced plantains and place them into the oil all at once, I have found that doing it that way leads to several plantains sticking together. When that happens, the plantains that stuck together will turn out soft and not crunchy. So to avoid having soft chips, place your sliced plantains one after the other into the oil. It seems like a lot of work but trust me, it is worth it because by doing so you will get a whole batch of ultra crispy chips! Or add the sliced plantains to the hot oil first then add the salt water to prevent splatters.
5. Stay far from the oil when placing the salt water in. This is because the salt water causes the oil to splatter and sometimes that could burn you. I always take a step back before placing the salt water into the hot oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1009IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Additional Info

Course: Snack
Cuisine: International
Calories: 109
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Welcome to my core! I am Precious Nkeih, the recipe developer and writer right here on my blog, Precious Core. My goal is to show you insanely delicious recipes you can replicate in your kitchen. And I love to tell stories too. Hope you find recipes here that will make cooking easier for you! Check me out on YouTube at YouTube.com/PreciousKitchen.


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50 Comments

  1. Good, teaching and highly educative. Before now l didn’t know l can add water salt to a hot oil, but how do l prepare pepper crunchy plantation chips. Thanks