Crispy Puerto Rican-Style Tostones
These crispy Puerto Rican tostones are made by smashing and frying green plantains – this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make or more delicious! Keep reading for my reader favorite tip on how to make the crunchiest tostones ever, by soaking them in water before the second fry.
Tostones are made with fried green plantains, a popular snack and ingredient in many classic Puerto Rican recipes.
This traditional snack is easy to love with it’s salty addicting flavor and crispy, crunchy texture.
Eating these twice-fried green plantains is like enjoying gourmet potato chips fresh out of the fryer, except way better.
They’re excellent with just about any dipping sauce, but my personal favorite way to enjoy them is with a homemade mayoketchup.
For super light and crunchy tostones, try soaking your tostones in water in between the first and second fry (more on that later).
If you’re a plantain lover like me, be sure to check out this collection of plantain recipes, including platanos maduros (fried sweet plantains), baked yuca fries, alcapurrias, mofongo.
Grocery List
To try my trick for extra crispy tostones, you also need:
- water
- lime juice
- adobo seasoning
Picking the Right Plantains
Make sure to select firm green plantains when making tostones.
New to working with green plantains? Check out these instructions on how to peel a plantain.
If you find yourself left with brown or deep yellow plantains, try making some platanos maduros (fried sweet plantains) instead.
Step by Step Instructions
(Optional but recommended) Soak the tostones. In a large bowl combine water, lime juice, salt and adobo seasoning. Gently add in the fried plantains and soak for 5 minutes before draining the water and patting dry with paper towels.
To soak or not to soak?
The optional water soaking step adds an extra crunch and airiness to the tostones, that really is worth the extra steps.
This trick creates pockets of air in throughout the plantains, helping them crisp up during that second fry. That, combined with the added flavor in the water mixture just adds another layer of tastiness.
Just be sure to pat them dry before sending them into the oil for their second fry, to prevent any dangerous oil splatter.
More Plantain Recipes
If you’ve ever been to Puerto Rico, you know plantains are a staple in our cuisine. You’ll find them mashed, stuffed, cooked into soups and stews, and fried in just about every way.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Tostoneras and Other Plantain Smashing Devices
If you feel like getting fancy, and want a designated tool to get the job done, you can buy a tostonera. These are designed specifically for smashing plantains, but in all honesty, you don’t need one to make an excellent batch of tostones.
I make these at least once a month in my kitchen and I get along just fine with my plate or glass smashing method. It’s easy to clean, super accessible and doesn’t require any additional cabinet space to store.
What to Serve with Tostones
Wondering what to serve with your tostones? Start with these classic pairings:
Buen Provecho,
Crispy Puerto Rican-Style Tostones
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Snack, Appetizer, Side Dish
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These crispy Puerto Rican tostones are made by smashing and frying green plantains – this recipe couldn’t be simpler to make or more delicious!
Ingredients
Required Ingredients:
- 3–4 green plantains
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- salt to taste
Optional Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the plantains and oil. Peel your plantains and cut into 1 inch pieces. Preheat your oil in a heavy bottomed skillet to 350°F.
- Fry in batches until golden. Once the oil is hot, gently add in your plantain pieces, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry the slices for 8-10 minutes, making sure to flip them until golden all around.
- Cool and gently smash the slices. Remove the slices and cool on a paper towel lined plate. Once the slices are cool, use a plate or glass to smash the slices until they flatten.
- Optional: Soak the tostones.* In a large bowl combine the water, lime juice, salt and adobo seasoning. Gently add in the fried plantains and soak for 4-5 minutes before draining the water and patting dry with paper towels.
- Fry again until golden and crispy. Bring the oil back to high heat and add the smashed plantains back to the oil, frying for another 5 minutes or until crispy. Top with a sprinkle of salt and enjoy!
Notes
*The optional water soaking step adds extra crunch and flavor to the plantains. This trick helps the tostones to crisp up during that second fry. Just be sure to dry them as instructed before the second fry.
I will make totones for the next gathering I love totones
I love the recipe. I will try soaking them next time for the second frying round. Thanks for the recipe!
I love it especially when my mother does it.
Excellent recipe! I’m very lazy, so instead of soaking, I just used a spritz bottle to wet the tostones before the second fry. So crunchy, even after traveling 20 minutes to my aunt’s house/sitting for a while! Thank you! 🥰 @unicodeconsort on IG for the pictures 🙂
So yummy! I found soaking them even for a short period made them really soft and many wanted to fall apart when I took them out, so next time I will try the spraying step from the other poster. I needed more oil than 1 cup because I used a dutch oven.
Also didn’t increase to high in last step because I was afraid it would burn. I kept it on medium and then turned to medium-high. Some of mine didn’t fry all the way through so I will need to experiment next time.
Hi Katherine, I recommend using a food thermometer to make sure your oil stays around 350°F the entire time. This will help ensure your tostones fry all the way through and don’t fall apart.
i was wondering if i can make a big batch and save them before the double fry. So When i am in the mood for some, i can just start at the double fry part, since they have already been fried once and smashed.
Hi Dae, I do not recommend saving them after the first fry. This would likely compromise the texture of the end result.
Hi, Salima.
Just wanted to let you know I tried the tostones w/ the pink sauce. I was amazing. I took you suggestion and did the soak method. This is my new was of making tostones. Will definitely make again.