Air fryer plantain chips are crispy, naturally gluten-free, thinly cut platano rounds made with three simple ingredients – green plantains, avocado oil, and a dash of salt.
Have you ever ripped open a bag of Chifles plantain chips, grabbed a handful, and noticed that some of the most delicious pieces aren’t perfectly round or the perfect thickness? Same with fries, I love the small odd pieces because they’re usually the crunchiest and saltiest (I love crispy and crunchy). Same with these air fryer plantain chips, the best ones aren’t perfectly round, and even so, don’t sweat it if you feel like you haven’t cut them into perfectly thick round chips; you’ll end up with the perfect snack.
Table of Contents
What are plantain chips?
Plantain chips are thinly sliced plantains traditionally sliced into small, thin discs and deep fried. In this recipe, the traditional deep-fried plantain chip is air fried. These plantain chips are still as crunchy as the original ones, except with less oil and the extra cleanup.
What to serve with air fryer plantain chips?
Platano chips can be served with a dipping sauce, as a side, or as a snack.
Dip the chips in this creamy chimichurri sauce, or drizzle over an authentic chimichurri sauce. Or try them along with a pinch of sea salt.
How to make the best plantain chips air fryer style
Step 1 – Peeling the platano
En route to your local supermarket, and to prevent them from ripening, the platanos are refrigerated to keep them from turning yellow. In this case, the starch hardens, and if you’ve ever tried scoring and peeling a plantain, it can feel difficult and a process you wish you had never started. Very early on, I’d help my mom score and peel the platanos, and she showed me an invaluable trick! Run hot water on the platano, or submerge them in hot water. The process would save me time and my poor little fingers from hurting because peeling a stubborn platano peel is outright painful.
Tip! Use hot water and submerge the platano for at least 5 minutes to loosen the starch and the platano from the peel.
Note: See detailed instructions and quantities below on the recipe card.
Step 2 – Cut the ends and score lengthwise
Cutting the ends of the plantain will help pull back the peel once you’ve scored the platano. Once you’ve made the shallow cut, peel the skin off and cut the plantain in half for easier slicing.
Tip! Score the plantain so you through the peel without cutting the actual plantain. Then take the knife’s edge to lift the plantain peel’s edge.
Step 3 – Slice the plantains
Most graters are four-sided, with three sharp slicing blades on one side. Graters are easy to find and use. Mandolines are also perfect for slicing and can graduate the thickness from thicker cuts to thin slivers.
Carefully take one-half of the plantain and slice it into thin rounds. Slice both halves, transfer them into a medium-sized bowl, and coat sliced plantains in avocado oil.
Step 4 – Tip for the Crispiest plantain chips
Add the plantain chips to a bowl filled with cold water and salt. Allow them to soak in the water for 10 minutes, rinse and refill. Allow them to soak for another minute or two and rinse. Then drain them using a mesh strainer and pat dry with a paper towel.
This step removes the starch and allows the plantain crisp rather than get mushy or soggy.
Step 5 – Airfryer plantain chips
After coating the plantains with avocado oil, add a pinch of salt and evenly distribute them into the air fryer basket. Carefully making sure that they’re not clumped together. Depending on the size of the air fryer basket, this might be impossible.
Tip! If you have a smaller air fryer with a smaller basket, avoiding clumping the chips together will be difficult. In this case, I recommend removing the basket and shaking it to make sure all the chips have an opportunity to crisp and brown.
Step 6 – air fryer Plantain Chips
Cook the plantain chips in the air fryer, and at least once, toss them by removing the basket and shaking it or using tongs to flip them throughout the cooking process.
Tip! Every air fryer is different. Make sure to check on the chips at least once to make sure the chips aren’t burning. The heat settings are often calibrated in the air fryers. However, some may be off by a couple of degrees. Because these chips are so thin, they can easily overcook or burn.
Cook for 9 minutes at 390 degrees.
Add a dash of salt, and enjoy!
Take a look at the latest web stories, including web stories for the crispiest air fryer plantain chips.
Air Fryer Plantain Chips – Variations
- Slice the plantain chips lengthwise for longer platano chips, perfect for serving with guacamole or dips like this chimichurri aioli.
- Season the plantain chips with garlic, lime, or other spices before air frying for flavorful and tasty chips. Make this a snack or pair it with a Cuban sandwich or this air fryer chicken thigh recipe.
FAQs
Why are my plantain chips not crispy?
A couple of reasons why your heat setting might not be high enough. Or the basket might be overcrowded. A medium-sized air fryer can fit the chips of one whole plantain without overcrowding.
Increase the heat by a couple of degrees and try that to crisp the plantain chips.
Are air fryer plantain chips healthy?
Compared to a traditional plantain chip, plantain chips in the air fryer reduce the fat in the recipe.
Plantains naturally have resistant starch that acts as a prebiotic, meaning they feed good bacteria. They also have fiber, all good things for good gut health.
Try this Air Fryer Plantain Recipe
Air Fryer Plantain Chips
Equipment
- 1 Four-sided Grater
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Medium-Sized Bowl
- 1 Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 Green Plantain
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 cups Cold Filtered Water
Instructions
- Step 1 – Peeling the platanoRun hot water on the platano, or submerge it in hot water to make it easier to peel the plantain.Tip! Use hot water and submerge the platano for at least 5 minutes to loosen the starch and the platano from the peel.
- Step 2 – Cut the ends and score lengthwiseCut the ends of the plantain will help pull back the peel once you've scored the platano. Once you've made the shallow cut, peel the skin off and cut the plantain in half for easier slicing.Tip! Slice the peel of the plantain peel without cutting the plantain. Then take the knife's edge to lift the plantain peel's edge.
- Step 3 – Slice the plantainsCut the plantain in half, and carefully take one-half of it and slice it into thin rounds using the slicing side of the grater. Slice the entire plantain.
- Step 4 – Tip for the crispiest platano chipsAdd the plantain chips to a bowl filled with cold water and salt. Allow them to soak in the water for 10 minutes, rinse and refill. Allow them to soak for another minute or two and rinse. Then drain them using a mesh strainer and pat dry with a paper towel.This step removes the starch and allows the plantain crisp rather than get mushy or soggy.
- Step 5 – Airfryer plantain chipsAfter coating the plantains with avocado oil, add a pinch of salt and evenly distribute them into the air fryer basket. Carefully making sure that they're not clumped together. Depending on the size of the air fryer basket, this might be impossible. Tip! If you have a smaller air fryer with a smaller basket, avoiding clumping the chips together will be difficult. In this case, I recommend removing the basket and shaking it to make sure all the chips have an opportunity to crisp and brown.
- Step 6 – Air Fryer Plantain ChipsCook the plantain chips in the air fryer, and at least once, toss them by removing the basket and shaking it or using tongs to flip them throughout the cooking process.Tip! Every air fryer is different. Make sure to check on the chips at least once to make sure the chips aren't burning. The heat settings are often calibrated in the air fryers. However, some may be off by a couple of degrees. Because these chips are so thin, they can easily overcook or burn.Cook for 9 minutes at 390 degrees.Add a dash of salt, and enjoy!
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