I’m so excited to share these crispy baked tostones with you! I discovered tostones a few years ago when I visited Costa Rica with my grandmother. Traditional tostones are fried green plantains, flattened and fried again until they’re golden and crispy. You could almost call them Caribbean French fries, and I couldn’t get enough on that trip.
I got a hankering for some tostones a few months ago and decided to learn how to make them. As I was typing up my perfected skillet-fried tostones technique to share with you, a little voice in my head asked, “Why didn’t you try baking them?”
I hit pause on my post and fired up the oven. As it turns out, baked tostones are great. Compared to fried tostones, they’re easier to make, use less oil, and yield a crisp result that tastes more like plantains and less like oil. Hooray!
These baked tostones are a fun little project. Make them for game days, afternoon snacks, or of course, serve them as a side dish with Caribbean meals. They’re especially wonderful with a bold and creamy dipping sauce, like this Aji Verde. Please try them and let me know what you think.
What are plantains?
Plantains are a type of banana. Like bananas, they grow in tropical regions around the world. Compared to regular bananas, plantains are larger in size, more starchy and less sweet.
To make tostones, you’ll need to find unripe, green plantains. Unripe plantains are more firm and less sweet than their ripe counterparts. You can’t make tostones with ripe plantains—you’d end up with caramelized, soft, maduros (fried sweet plantains) instead.
Baked vs. Fried Tostones
However you make them, tostones are delicious. I’m partial to the baked method, and here’s why:
Baked tostones are easier to make. They’re more of a passive project, since they bake in the oven during two fifteen-minute intervals (the perfect time to prepare your dipping sauce). Baked tostones require 75 percent less oil. Baked tostones are crisp yet a little chewy, and the plantain flavor shines through.
Fried tostones require more babysitting, since you should never leave a skillet of oil unattended. Pan-fried tostones require a significant amount of oil (about one cup for just a few plantains), and leave behind about half that much oil in the pan. Fried plantains are extra crispy, but they taste less like plantains and more like ambiguously fried tasty things.
How to Make Baked Tostones
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s the gist:
- Peel and slice the plantains. Here’s a helpful video from Melissa Bailey on how to peel plantains.
- Toss the sliced plantains with oil on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread them in an even layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, at which point they will be tender enough to smash.
- Here’s the fun part: Gently smash each round into a flattened disc using the base of a liquid measuring cup or something similar.
- Brush both sides of each round with additional oil. Sprinkle generously with salt.
- Bake for about 15 more minutes, until the plantains are crisp and golden. Enjoy!
Oil Notes
Avocado oil has a high smoking point and is generally considered the healthiest of the high-heat oils, so that’s what I used. Safflower or grapeseed oils would work, too.
I also tried using extra-virgin olive oil, which is my go-to for roasted vegetables. My nose told me that the oil overheated when baking plantains, though, so that’s why I’m recommending a higher heat oil.
Serving Suggestions for Tostones
These fried plantains make a fun snack or side dish. They’re especially nice with a creamy dipping sauce like Aji Verde (shown here) or Creamy Chipotle Sauce or mayonnaise mixed with gochujang (Korean red chili sauce), to taste.
Serve plantains on the side with Caribbean or Latin American meals. I don’t have many authentic Caribbean recipes on the blog, but here are some ideas:
- 10-Minute Quesadillas
- Black Beans (From Scratch!) or Fresh Black Bean Burrito Bowl
- Easy Black Bean Tacos: Use the same creamy sauce on the tacos.
- Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Please let me know how your tostones turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Crispy Baked Tostones
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Snack or Side
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Caribbean
- Diet: Vegan
Learn how to make crispy tostones (baked, not fried) with this foolproof recipe! Tostones, which are made with unripe green plantains, are deliciously savory and salty. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings; you could likely double the recipe by using two baking sheets in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
Ingredients
- 3 large unripe (solid green) plantains (about 2 ¼ pounds)
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil or other quality cooking oil, divided
- Flaky sea salt or kosher salt*, to taste
- Recommended dipping sauce: Aji Verde or Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- To prepare the plantains: Here’s a helpful video. Slice off both ends of each plantain. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut through the skin of a plantain from top to bottom, following the curve of the plantain as you go. You want to slice just deep enough to cut through the skin (less than ¼ inch deep)—you’ll get the feel of it as you go. Repeat twice more on the plantain so you have three evenly-spaced slits. Use your fingers or a spoon, angled downward, to pry off each section. Discard the skins and repeat for the remaining plantains. Slice the plantains into 1-inch thick rounds, then set aside.
- On the prepared baking sheet, toss the sliced plantains with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Disperse them evenly across the pan, flat sides down. Bake for 15 minutes, then place the pan on a heat-safe surface.
- Using the bottom of a glass liquid measuring cup (or mason jar or other sturdy glass), gently press straight down on one round to achieve about ¼-inch thickness. Repeat for each round.
- Brush the tops of each round with oil, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. Flip them and brush the other sides (you may need to use just a bit more than 2 tablespoons oil here). Sprinkle the salt over the rounds.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for 14 to 17 minutes, until nicely golden and sizzling. Season with additional salt, to taste. Serve warm with dipping sauce, if desired.
Notes
*Salt note: If you don’t have either of the recommended salts, use ¼ teaspoon fine salt.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Marion Shaw
Can you use bananas? I haven’t seen plantains in any of my supermarkets.
Kate
Hi Marion, I don’t think green banana would taste the same. I’d be curious to hear how it turns out. You might be surprised to find plantains when you look for them. I find them at most grocery stores.
Danica
I love tostones, but they are super oily when fried. Thanks for this recipe, I’ll try it.
Kate
Hope you love these, Danica!
Annie
Looks yummy, but I use green bananas instead?
Thank you.
Kate
I’m sorry, I don’t think so. If you give a try, please report back!
Rishi
Kate, this sounds amazing! I like the bake idea. This would be lovely served with drinks; i will serve it on a lovely platter, with with some roasted tomatoes and samosas! Thankyou!
★★★★★
Kate
Enjoy, Rishi!
Jen R.
Baked Tostones? Genius!!!
I made Tostones today for lunch but I fried them. I’m from the Dominican Republic and back home we make them all the time but I had never heard about making Tostones in the oven instead of fry, I love Tostones and so does my American husband and kids but i don’t make them often because of the amount of oil that you end up consuming when you fry them. I still have few plantains so I’m going to try this recipe this week! I’m going to make it with ripe plantains, they are divine! The sweet of ripe plantains will be delicious with a sauce…
What sauce did you serve your Tostones with?
Kate
Thanks, Jen! Love that you had tostones for lunch already! I hope you enjoy this method—please report back and let me know what you think! I used aji verde—my recipe is kind of a North Americanized version of the Peruvian classic. It is SO good with the tostones!
Nathalie
Thank you Kate and thank you Jen:
I bought 3(unripe) plantains specifically for this recipe. And totally forgot they MUST be solid green to make tostones. Well, after one week at room temperature, they were not! I didn’t want to make a dessert though. I read that you, from Dominican Republic, suggested to use ripe plantains so I did! And it was really good! Next time I’ll make sure to use green plantains, and be able to choose my favorite version :)
★★★★★
Megan
Yes, girl! The Puerto Rican in me is SO happy with this post! Definitely been baking plantain for a hot minute already, but I’m glad to see someone else doing it too!
Growing up, I was taught to soak the chunked plantain in hot (tap) salted water and smashed garlic cloves – probably because whenever they were made, it was literally a mess of them and my grandma didn’t want them oxidizing.
You should really try rubbing a clove of garlic on the tostones right out of the oven before sprinkling with salt. If you’re a fan of crispy, garlicky, salty things, you’ll thank me.
The aji verde looks amazing with them. Never tried that, but definitely will if I can give up eating tostones with my beloved pique.
Kate
Hooray, thanks Megan! Love your suggestion to rub garlic over the hot tostones. I’ll try that next time. When I was working on the fried method, I tried soaking the plantains in room temp, garlicky water and really couldn’t taste the garlic in the final result. I must not have been doing it right. Makes sense that soaking them would prevent oxidation! Hope you’ll try the aji verde, it’s absurdly good with these!
Maureen McLennon
PIQUEEEEEEEEE!!!! THE best…..
★★★★
Ivory
I can almost taste this dish. It looks amazing! I have a funny feeling that they are all so yummy to.
Thanks for sharing. Happy holidays!
★★★★★
Tatiana
Thank you, Kate!!! I haven’t made them yet, but I just love all your recipes!
Kate
Thank you, Tatiana! Happy to hear that. :)
Mel
What a genius idea!! I will definitely try this the next time I can get my hands on some unripe plantains! (That’s no easy feat around here…) I adore tostones but I find frying them is quite messy and time consuming so I’m super excited about this recipe!
Kate
Hope you can find some soon! These tostones are so much easier.
Nina Kruckenberg
Just wanted to let you know I bought your cookbook. use it all the time. Thank you
Kate
I’m so glad! Thank you, Nina.
Carmen Acosta
This is awesome! I am from Puerto Rico and we eat lots of tostones in the island. I will try baking them instead of frying. I like mine without a dipping sauce but another very common one is mayo-ketchup.
Kate
Hope you love these, Carmen! I love anything with ketchup, so I’ll give that sauce a try next time.
Nellie Rivera
I am a Puerto Rican and we love tostones. When I bought my air fryer I tried air baking them and they were horrible, but when I saw your recipe I decided to give it a try since I have tried a couple of your recipes and enjoyed each one, so I said lets give it a chance. And, I was very happy with them!, I was impressed and contacted my family to pass along the recipe when they wanted to be healthier, I honestly did not miss the taste of oil, So I thank you!
Nellie
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Nellie! I’m really happy to hear that you enjoyed these tostones!
Melinda McNicoll
Thank goodness! Someone ACTUALLY made them. I’m making right now, in oven for first bake.
Beth Goldberg
Made these tonight with the cilantro sauce you recommend. So good!! Thank you! I’ve been cooking a lot during this time and I love all of your recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Beth! Thank you for your review.
Adrienne Lithman
I’m trying to find the 15-minute greens recipe I thought I saw when reading the carrot soup recipe, both of which I’d like to make. Do you have a way to search for a particular recipe?
Kate
Hi Adrienne! The search bar is up in the menu. Maybe you are referencing my quick collard greens?
Nora M Tanner
Yummy! Talk about the greatest snack food ever! Easy, delicious, less fat, no mess. I can think of a dozen sauces to dunk these in.
Thanks Kate
PS. Hope Cookie feels better
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Nora! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed this recipe.
Kate
I have been making tostones the twice fried method for many years but I am SO pleased to have found this recipe. They came out crispy and delicious without all of the oil (and extra clean up). Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they meet your expectations, Kate!
Martha Hoff
How about cooking wine an air fryer? I might give it a try
L
I admit I was slightly skeptical (shouldn’t have been-you always come through), but I made these and they are fantastic! My husband is Nicaraguan and has very high standards for food he grew up with, but he was duly impressed. And my three-year-old took a bite of one and promptly declared “it’s so awesome!” Will definitely be making them again :)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you tried them! Thank you for taking the time to review, L.
Allison
I’m gonna need some help on this one. I love tostones but hate the oil involved so I was excited to give your recipe a try. I used grape seed oil and malden salt. I prepared according to your recipe. While beautiful, mine were tough. Really gave our jaws a workout. I popped back in the oven for a few minutes hoping that would soften them up a little but no luck. What do you think??? These were really easy to make so I would love to get it right.
Kate
Hi Allison, I’m reviewing comments again and wanted to say I’m sorry your tostones didn’t turn out quite right. Mine had some chew to them (more crisp than soft) but I wouldn’t call them tough. I’m wondering if maybe your plantains were even greener (less ripe) than mine, and that caused the problem? I will investigate.
Hope C
I’ve always wanted to make tostones and was so happy to find your baked recipe! They came out so delicious, perfect lunch for a snowy day! I made the aji verde sauce bid I didn’t have any jalapeno pepper so I substituted some cucumber( minus the seeds) with a few dashes of hot pepper flakes and it was delicious! Your recipes are some of my favorites! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m so happy you think so. I appreciate you sharing!
Next Decade
Nice! Don’t waste the plantain peels. They make an excellent vegetable. Mince them and cook them with salt and a pinch of turmeric. Separately cook 1/3rd of a cup of whole mung beans, adding salt to taste when cooked. Coarse grind two tablespoons of coconut, a pinch of cumin and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Pop 1/3 tsp of black mustard seeds (with a sprig of curry leaves if you have them) in 1 tbsp of coconut oil, add the cooked beans, peel, and coconut mix, stir, cover and let sit on low heat for 7-10 mins for the flavours to infuse. Eat with hot rice and dal. A traditional dish from Kerala, India.
Kate
Thank you for the tip! I may need to try that.
Arlene
Wow, I didn’t even know the peels were a thing. I too, will give this a try!!
★★★★★
Jala Pfaff
They turned out perfectly, great hack to avoid all the frying.
★★★★★
Arlene
I am Cuban and grew up eating the traditional fried version. I made these tonight and was wonderfully surprised at how crispy the tostones came out. Definitely a keeper, and thank you for bringing me a healthier version
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Arlene! Happy to hear that you approve of these tostones! Have a great day.