Colombian 🇨🇴 📅 2026-02-08 ⏱️ 20 min total ⭐ Easy

Colombian Patacones (Twice-Fried Green Plantains)

Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, patacones are Colombia's answer to chips, and they go with everything. Street food made at home in 20 minutes.

Colombian Patacones (Twice-Fried Green Plantains)
🥄
Prep Time
5 min
🔥
Cook Time
15 min
⏱️
Total Time
20 min
🍽️
Servings
2

🛒 Ingredients

Serves 2
  • 2green (unripe) plantains
  • Vegetable oil for frying (enough for 1 inch depth)
  • Salt, to taste
  • - Serving suggestions
  • Hogao (tomato-onion sauce)
  • Guacamole or sliced avocado
  • Shredded chicken, black beans, or cheese
🌿 Vegan, Gluten-Free

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1
Peel the green plantains: cut off both ends, score the skin lengthwise with a knife, and peel it away. Cut into thick rounds, about 3-4 cm (1.5 inches) each.
2
First fry: Heat oil in a deep pan to 160°C (325°F). Fry the plantain rounds for 3-4 minutes per side until golden but not browned, they should be cooked through but not crispy yet. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3
Smash: While still hot, place each round between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Use the bottom of a glass, a plate, or a tostonera (the traditional press) to flatten each piece to about 6-8mm thickness. Press firmly and evenly.
4
Second fry: Return the oil to 190°C (375°F). Fry the flattened plantains for 2-3 minutes per side until deep golden and very crispy. Remove and drain immediately.
5
Season generously with salt while still hot. Serve immediately as a snack with toppings, or as a side dish. They lose their crispiness quickly, so eat right away.

💡 Chef's Tips

Plantain ripeness: Green plantains are essential, yellow or black ones are sweet and won't give the savory, starchy result you want. Look for completely green skins.

Classic toppings in Bogotá: Hogao (a cooked tomato and onion sauce), sliced avocado, shredded chicken, or black beans. At the coast (Cartagena), you'll often get them with ceviche on top.

Pro tip: Briefly dip the smashed patacones in salted water before the second fry for extra crispiness.

📜 A Short History

Patacones (also called tostones in much of the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean) trace back to West African cooking traditions brought across the Atlantic during the colonial era, plantains themselves arrived in the Americas via that same route. The twice-fried, smashed technique spread widely across coastal Latin America and the Caribbean, and today nearly every country with Caribbean or Pacific coastline has its own version and its own name for essentially the same dish.

🍽️ Nutrition (per serving)

382
Calories
2g
Protein
23g
Fat
48g
Carbs
3.5g
Fiber
491mg
Sodium

Estimated from standard ingredient nutrition data for this recipe as written, serves 2, plain with salt only, before any toppings like hogao, avocado, or cheese.