Bake up a batch of these Baked Plantain Chips for midday snacks or for a side for taco night with guacamole.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by NOW Foods as part of an ongoing partnership. I was compensated for my time, and all opinions are my own.
Have you guys ever had plantain chips? There is one brand that I love and always pick up at Berkeley Bowl when I’m looking for a satisfying crunch and salty snack. Until recreating my own for this recipe, I didn’t realize they were fried and just assumed they were a healthier snack.
Thanks to my roommate Emily who has a newfound obsession with plantains, I’ve realized that the grocery stores I shop at carry the actual fruit. Hello, new obsession to buying them everytime I go to the grocery store. Green plantains are highly starchy, a mix between the texture of a banana and a potato, and a blank slate for flavor.
P.S. Have you ever realized you were totally blind to something at the grocery store until someone else points it out to you? I felt that way about these! They’re usually right next to the bananas, and are a much larger fruit. For this recipe, you’ll want to grab the ones with green skin (as pictured), which are unripe plantains. They have to be cooked before you can eat them.
I set off to conquer making my own favorite crunchy snack, Baked Plantain Chips, and the results were super successful! Perfectly salted to my tastes, and plenty crunchy without an excess of oil. I use neutral tasting Ellyndale® Naturals rice bran oil from NOW Foods for this recipe, since it has a high smoke point and doesn’t detract from the flavor of the plantains like olive oil does.
The chips will stay good for up to 5 days in an airtight container (I doubt they’ll last that long).
- 2 green (unripe) plantains
- 3-4 tablespoons rice bran oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and grease the top of the paper or baking mat with a tablespoon of rice bran oil.
- Slice the ends off the green plantains and use a knife to cut slits down the sides of the peel. This will allow you to pull off the skin (it is hard to remove).
- Slice the plantains into ⅛" rounds (thinner slices will yield crispier chips). Place them on the prepared baking sheet, crowding them close but not overlapping.
- Drizzle the additional oil over the plantain slices, and sprinkle salt overtop.
- Bake the plantain chips for 23-25 minutes, or until browned and dry.
- Allow the plantain chips to cool for 20 minutes before enjoying them.
Take this as a base recipe to try – I hope you find them as addicting as I do! – and then adjust the salt, or add additional seasonings, to your liking. Let me know if you try rice bran oil as well, as I’ve found it replacing a lot of my oil uses at home in dishes that can be distracting with olive oil.
The options for these chips are endless… I think a chili powder version would add some zip for dipping into a bowl of guacamole or Pineapple Avocado Salsa, or add garlic powder for complimenting a bowl of rice and beans.
Marisa
Hillary says
I am obsessed with Trader Joe’s plantain chips; I should probably start making my own 😉 Love them paired with avocado 😉
Marisa says
I’ll have to try their version too! I love making them myself since I can make them crunchy or more chewy depending on what sounds good. And YES to all the avocado!
venice says
ever try pan frying your sliced plantains in butter? delicious!
Marisa says
No, I haven’t tried butter but I have done oil! I have some ripe plantains and maybe I’ll plan on that for dessert sometime soon! Thanks for the idea, Venice.
Emily says
THESE! They are so good. I devour these every time I make them. They’re also good with a little squeeze of lime at the end. Thank you for sharing this one!
Marisa says
Love the idea of a squeeze of lime – yum! Enjoy.