Plantain Chips – Crispy, crunchy fried or baked plantain chips pair amazingly with sweet and spicy mango avocado salsa. And did someone say healthy can be mouthwateringly delicious? Oh yes, this recipe makes a perfect late-night snack, though I must say, it’s always a crowd favorite at parties too.
There is something totally addictive about this recipe’s combinations of textures and flavors. As you probably know, mangos are my all-time favorite tropical fruit and have been since I was a kid. They are pure perfection, which is why this is one of my favorite salsa recipes.
In fact, just when I thought nothing beats a fresh-cut mango fresh off the tree, I tried dipping some crisp plantain chips in this mango salsa with creamy avocado, jalapenos, and onions crunchy plantain chips, and just…wow! Who knew perfection could be improved upon? It is hard to pass up something as good as this.
What Makes Plantain Chips Popular
Plantain chips (alloco, dodo, or chicharritas) are made from thinly sliced green plantains and deep-fried until crisp and golden and sprinkled with seasoning. Because plantains grow well in the tropics where potatoes can’t take the heat, they’re an excellent carb alternative to potatoes. And since we all love chips, they’re popular in tropical countries, like Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean. 😁
Recipe Ingredients
- Plantains – Green plantains, to be more specific, make the best, crispiest plantain chips in town.
- Seasonings – Paprika, salt, and pepper are my go-to seasonings for these chips. It’s a simple combination, but it sure is tasty.
- Oil – If you bake the plantain chips, you only need a small amount of canola oil. If you prefer to fry them, then you’ll need a good amount of your favorite frying oil.
- Mango Avocado Salsa – Mango, red onion, avocado, tomato, jalapeño, and fresh lime juice come together in a flawless mix of sweet and spicy flavors.
How to Make Plantain Chips and Mango Avocado Salsa
Prepare the Plantains
- Peel – Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off the plantain. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain and remove the peel. (Photos 1-2)
- Slice the plantains thinly. (Photo 3)
- Toss the plantain slices with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Baked Plantains
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205℃. Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Place the plantain slices on the baking sheets in a single layer, spraying them lightly with canola oil. (Photo 5)
- Bake for 12-20 minutes until they are golden brown, turning the slices over after about 8 minutes. (Photo 7)
- Serve – Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Fried Plantains
- Heat up a large frying pan or cast-iron skillet with a ½ inch of oil on medium-high heat.
- Fry the plantain slices in batches, turning once, until golden brown, for about 5 minutes. (Photo 6)
- Finish – Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried plantains out of the pan and drain them on paper towels. (Photo 8)
- Serve – Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Mango Avocado Salsa
- Prepare Ingredients – Dice the mango, red onion, avocado, tomato, and jalapeño.
- Mix – In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.
Recipe Variations
- You can customize the mango avocado salsa any way you like. Not a fan of spicy salsas? Leave out the jalapeno. Want more fruity sweetness? Add pineapple or another fruit you love. Use your imagination to create a tasty tropical salsa that’s all your own.
Tips and Tricks
- To make sure your plantains cook evenly, use a mandolin to cut them. That way, they will all be the same thickness and cook at the same pace.
- When heating up your oil for frying, make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. Smoking oil isn’t good for your kitchen or the chips’ taste.
- Another tip for frying plantains is to not overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding will cause the oil temperature to drop and increase the frying time, making your chips soggy from absorbing excess oil.
Make-Ahead Instructions
You can make this recipe a day ahead of time, no problem. Simply let the chips cool a bit and then store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh for 5 days. As for the salsa, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve. It will keep 3-5 days.
Serving and Storage Instructions
You can serve plantain chips piping hot fresh out of the oven or at room temperature, either way works. As for the salsa, you can serve it at room temperature, right after you finish making it, or chilled. Again, it just depends on your taste.
FAQs
Both fried plantain chips and fried potato chips are pretty high in calories. Still, homemade fried plantain chips are definitely healthier than your garden variety processed potato chips and other greasy snacks you can get from the store. It’s also worth noting that there is less sodium in homemade plantain chips than in a bag of store-bought potato chips.
Plantains contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are good for you! If you want to make the healthiest version of plantain chips, bake instead of frying them. They’ll be just as delicious (I made a side-by-side comparison, and they were equally good) but with considerably less fat and calories.
Sadly, plantains are not very keto-friendly because of their high carb count. According to the USDA, one medium-sized plantain has a whopping 57 grams of carbohydrates. Standard ketogenic diets limit carbs to around 50 grams per day. 🥲 However, they’re great for paleo.
What Goes with Plantain Chips and Mango Salsa
I love to eat this snack with a big glass of mango juice because you can never have too much mango. 😜 But really, any refreshing drink would go great with this chips and dip recipe. Try it with a pina colada, tropical sangria, or a fresh juice, like my Jamaican carrot juice. So delicious! 🤩
More Scrumptious Plantain Recipes to Try
Conclusion
Plantain chips are the perfect snack even if you’re on a gluten-free or paleo diet. What salsa do you plan on pairing with this delightfully crunchy chip? I’d love to know and can’t wait to read your comment.
Watch How To Make It
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This post was first published in March 2013 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Plantain Chips with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Plantain Chips
- 2 green (unripe) plantains
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper
Mango Avocado Salsa
- 1 large mango, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut both ends off the plantain. That will make it easy to grab the skin of the plantains. Slit a shallow line down the long seam of the plantain, and peel only as deep as the peel. Remove plantain peel by pulling it back. If plantains are straight from the fridge, you can run them through hot water to prevent ease with peeling.
- Slice the plantains thinly with the help of a mandolin for consistent results.
- Toss the plantains, salt, and paprika together.
Baked Plantain Chips
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205℃. Line baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Place them on the baking sheets in a single layer, spray lightly over the plantains using the canola oil spray, and bake (turning over slices after 8 minutes) for about 12-20 minutes or till golden brown and crunchy, depending on your oven.
- Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Fried Plantain Chips
- Fill a large cast-iron skillet with up to a ½ inch of oil on medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
- Fry the plantain slices in batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan (the plantains will absorb excess oil and get soggy).
- Use a slotted spoon, transfer the fried plantains and drain them on paper towels.
- Store in a sealed container or serve with salsa.
Mango Avocado Salsa
- In a medium bowl, combine the mango, jalapenos, avocado, tomatoes, onions, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Tips & Notes:
- To make sure your plantains cook evenly, use a slicer or mandolin to cut them. That way, they will all be the same thickness and cook at the same pace.
- When heating your oil for frying, make sure the oil is hot but not smoking. Smoking oil isn’t good for your kitchen or the chips’ taste.
- Another tip for frying plantains is not to overcrowd the pan. Overcrowding will cause the oil temperature to drop, increase the frying time, and make your chips soggy from having absorbed excess oil.
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Tomi Oshin says
Hi Imma,
How do you make the extra sweet ones ? are they made with very ripe plantain? if they are, how do you achieve the crispness?
Thanks
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Tomi! I have a recipe for sweet fried plantains you can check HERE.
Enjoy! 🙂
wilson tasha says
Please ma my chips got mucor after 3 days please I want to know the reason why cause I used the recipe you gave
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Tasha! Since this is made of fresh bananas, it really is prone to spoilage especially if not stored properly. You may store this in an air tight container, fridge or freeze. This is also best consumed right away 🙂
Nifty Recipe says
Such a nice treat for the fall season.
imma africanbites says
Indeed, it is. Made a huge batch of this again. 😉
Teresa says
Love the chips fried, must try them baked………….yum.
imma africanbites says
Yes, please. And let me know how the baked one turned out for you. Enjoy! Happy weekend!