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Get easy, step-by-step directions for making air fryer frozen plantains in my ultimate guide. Plantains are starchy banana cultivars, often called cooking bananas or green bananas. While fresh ones can be tricky to find at times in northern regions, frozen options like Goya maduros or tostones make it simple to enjoy this delicious staple any time of year. No peeling, slicing, or guesswork required.
We sprinkled them with Cinnamon & sugar and put Honey on them!!
– Sally 
Plantains are a key ingredient in many cuisines around the world. They are common in African, Latin American, and Caribbean cooking, especially in Jamaica and Cuban restaurants where they are a popular side dish.
These air fryer plantains are snacking perfection. They are crispy or caramelized, and ready in minutes. If you want a quick and tasty alternative to chips or fries, this is it. Let’s get cooking!
🍌 Air Fryer Frozen Plantains Ingredients
All you need to air fry frozen plantains is a box of frozen plantains and, for the tostones, a little cooking oil spray. You’ll usually find two types in major supermarkets: maduros, which are sweet ripe plantains that come whole or sliced, and tostones, which are savory green plantains that have been fried.
My personal favorite are the maduros horneados. They’re naturally sweet and make the perfect dessert.
Keep in mind that air fryers can vary. You might need to adjust the cooking time depending on the model you use. If you have a small air fryer, you may need to cook the box of plantains in batches.
🔥 How to Cook Frozen Plantains in the Air Fryer
Remove all packaging and place the frozen plantains in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each piece for even cooking. (Air fryer ovens: use the top rack.) If you’re making frozen tostones, lightly spray them with cooking oil.
Frozen maduros: Air fry for 8 minutes at 400F (200C), flipping them halfway through cooking time. If using sliced maduros, break apart any pieces that are stuck together after a few minutes.
Frozen tostones: Air fry for 10 minutes at 400F (200C), flipping them and spraying with more oil spray halfway through cooking time.
After cooking, let the plantains cool for a couple of minutes. Tostones will be firm and crisp on the outside, like a chip. Maduros should be soft, caramelized, and slightly browned.
You can season your plantains any way you like. I love to drizzle maduros with melted butter and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. Tostones are great with a pinch of salt or Tajin, plus lime wedges and a side of salsa or guacamole for dipping.
Storage
Store leftover plantains in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat them, put them in a single layer in an air fryer set at 400F (200C) for 1-3 minutes. For the best texture, don’t refreeze cooked plantains.
Watch How to Make It!
Air Fryer Frozen Plantains (Maduros or Tostones)
Ingredients
- 1 box frozen plantains (maduros or tostones)
- cooking oil spray (for tostones only)
Instructions
- Remove all packaging and place the frozen plantains in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each piece for even cooking. (Air fryer ovens: use the top rack.) If you’re making frozen tostones, lightly spray them with cooking spray.
- Frozen maduros: Air fry for 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C), flipping them halfway through cooking time. If using sliced maduros, break apart any pieces that are stuck together after a few minutes. Frozen tostones: Air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C), flipping them and spraying with more oil spray halfway through cooking time.
- After cooking, let the plantains cool for a couple of minutes. Maduros should be soft, caramelized, and slightly browned. Tostones will be firmer and crisp on the outside, more like a chip.
- You can season your plantains any way you like. I love to drizzle maduros with melted butter and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. Tostones are great with a pinch of salt or Tajin, plus lime wedges and a side of salsa or guacamole for dipping.
Equipment
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Plantains are high in carbohydrates, but that doesn’t mean they’re “bad.” In fact, they offer several nutritional benefits that make them a smart choice in moderation. Rich in antioxidants:Plantains provide a good amount of vitamin A and vitamin C, two powerful antioxidants that help protect the body from oxidative stress. Essential vitamins and minerals:
They are also a source of vitamin B6, vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium. These nutrients support everything from heart health to nerve function. Fiber content:
Plantains offer dietary fiber, which can support digestion and help you feel satisfied after eating. Overall, you’re getting a snack that is primarily carbohydrates, with very little protein or fat. I’d argue that air-fried plantain chips are a more nutritious choice than most cookies. They also help increase your daily fruit and vegetable intake. Ripe plantains contain more natural sugars than green plantains. Like many fruits, plantains develop more sugar as they ripen. Calorie for calorie, the sugar content of raw plantains is similar to that of bananas. Green plantains are a rich source of resistant starch, which may help promote fullness. However, resistant starch levels drop as plantains ripen or are cooked. Since green plantains are rarely eaten raw, we don’t typically get much resistant starch from them in our diets. Nutrition information is for one serving of Goya maduros as listed on the box. Refer to the product packaging for the most up-to-date nutrition info.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
🌮 What goes with plantains?
Plantains make a tasty snack, but they also work well as a side dish in a variety of meals. Their sweet or savory flavor pairs beautifully with many types of cuisine. Here are a few main dishes that go especially well with plantains:
- Air Fryer Pork Belly
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
- Beans and Rice
- Tacos
- Air Fryer Burritos
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken
- Air Fryer Flank Steak
👩🏻🍳 More Air Fryer Plantain and Banana Recipes
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂
My husband and I have been dieting Forever but, this year I am leaving some meat behind… We ate Cottage Cheese & Fruit around 4:pm, I didn’t think we were hungery so, I experimented with Plaintains fixed in the Foodi Air Fryer. We sprinkled them with Cinnamon & sugar and, put Honey on them !! They are Delious !!
Hi Sally, the plantains with cinnamon and sugar sound extremely yummy! Thank you so much for leaving a rating on the recipe 😀
Ah, so that’s what maduros are, Summer! Naturally, I had heard of them before, and seeing pictures led to a suspicion of what they are. And…you just confirmed the hunch.
Another speculation you rewarded is that plantains sweeten as they ripen. Not quite to banana levels, right? Still, starch is much less a factor, I’d wager.
Though you’ve treated us to the air fryer many times before, Summer. I still am amazed at what it can do. Generally speaking, I avoid oil-fried foods. (The fish and chips featured earlier this month being a notable exception.) While the crispy crunch is a major draw, even that usually isn’t worth what too often is an artery-stopping heaviness.
A devil’s-bargain no longer necessary, now that you’ve shown us the light, Summer. Can I get an “Amen?”
I think if you let the plantains get over-ripe (to the point of turning black) they could rival a less ripe banana in sweetness. The plantains definitely get my vote for having far more versatility than bananas. Green bananas can’t really serve as a starchy veggie replacement the way that green plantains do. Hmmm… actually, I am going to take that back. St Lucia has a dish called “green fig and saltfish” that uses green bananas (I’ve heard bananas are referred to as “figs” there). Green bananas are used in many places in the Caribbean in place of a starchy veggie.
That said, someone recently told me about a dish called “canoas de plantanos maduros” that sounds amazing. I need to figure out how to do an air-fried version of that! If I have to choose either banana or plantain as part of a savory meal, I think my vote is still going to the plantain.