Patacones (a.k.a. Tostones) – Baked + Oil Free

– vegan – gluten free – grain free – oil free – 

Patacones, also called tostones, are a staple dish in many Caribbean countries like Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. I first stumbled upon patacones during my stay in Costa Rica and fell in love with them. I immediately had to make them when I returned home.

Plantains, the star of this dish, are a widely popular fruit in tropical parts of the world where they grow abundant. They are a close relative to the banana, yet more starchy and bitter when eaten raw. For that reason, plantains are normally boiled, baked or fried before eaten. You may find green (unripe) or yellow (ripe) plantains in the tropical produce section of your local grocery store. The two variations have very different tastes and textures. Green plantains have more starch that produce a more savory flavor similar to a potato. Yellow plantains have more natural sugars with a flavor and consistency resembling a banana.

What are patacones/tostones?

Patacones are traditionally made using green plantains. The process involves frying the plantains until soft, smashing them down into a flat disc shape, then frying them again. Like I do with all traditional recipes, I gave these patacones a healthy makeover that requires zero frying and zero oil.

To achieve this recipe oil-free, I highly recommend using ripe and spotty yellow plantains, which are already soft much like a banana. Though this is not customary, I find that using ripe plantains is best for oil-free patacones, which allows them to caramelize slightly in the oven. Ripe plantains provide this dish with an incredible sweet and salty combo that I am obsessed with. An added bonus is that ripe yellow plantains are significantly more nutrient-dense than unripe green plantains. They are an incredible source of B vitamins, potassium, fiber, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. Overall, this meal is incredibly healthy and full of nutrients. This one meal will give you all of your daily recommended fiber!

One thing I love about these patacones is how easy and customizable they are. In this recipe, I use homemade refried beans and mango pineapple salsa. If you are making these on a time crunch, you can easily substitute with canned refried beans and store-bought pice de gallo. The plantains only require 15 minutes in the oven, making them an incredibly easy and delicious weekday meal.

Kitchen essentials:

• A flat bottomed glass cup or bowl (or parchment paper)
• A baking sheet
• A silicone mat. This isn’t required but it is highly recommended. The silicone mat prevents sticking to the baking sheet and doesn’t require flipping the plantains halfway through. The mat helps achieve crisp edges on both sides without flipping. Alternatively, you can use lightly greased parchment paper.
• A small saucepan
• A potato masher

Substitutions: 

• Mango pineapple salsa: can be substituted for store-bought pico de gallo.
• Yellow onion: can be substituted for red onion or white onion.

If you liked this patacones recipe, I recommend trying out some of my other oil-free dishes:

• Potato + Veggie Enchiladas (Vegan + Oil Free)
• Crispy Baked Tofu Nuggets (Oil + Flour Free)
• Oil-Free Potato Wedges – Baked + Crispy

Patacones (a.k.a. Tostones)

Recipe by Slow Down Company Course: Main DishesDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ripe spotty yellow plantains

• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans,* drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp onion power

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 juiced lime

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 avocado

• 2 cups mango pineapple salsa or pico de gallo

Directions

• Prepare the salsa. If making homemade mango pineapple salsa, make this first. The original recipe makes 2 1/2 cups, so you will likely have some leftover. You can also use store-bought pico de gallo.
• Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare your baking sheet by lining with a silicone mat. The silicone mat is highly recommended, but you can also use lightly greased parchment paper.
• Prepare plantains. To peel plantains, begin by cutting off both ends. Then use your knife to cut a slit from bottom to top lengthwise, making sure to pierce through the whole peel. Then you can easily pull the peel back. Cut plantains into 1 inch slices. Each plantain will make about 6-8 slices.
• Smash plantains. Lay all the sliced plantains on their side, evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass cup or bowl or anything with a flat surface, smoosh down the plantain slice until roughly 1/4 of an inch thick. You can also use a piece of parchment paper.
• Bake plantains. Bake plantains for about 15 minutes. The edges will look browned and crispy when done. If you don’t have a silicone mat, you will want to flip the plantains about 10 minutes into baking.
• Prepare the refried beans. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the diced onion with about 1/4 cup of water. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add in the pinto beans along with the garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and lime juice. Cook for a few minutes until warm, then add another 1/4 cup water. Use a potato masher to completely mash the beans until smooth and creamy throughout. Set aside.
• Prepare the avocado. Use a fork to mash the avocado. Season with more garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt and mix to combine.
• Serve. Once the plantains are done, you can prepare the dish for serving. There are two ways to serve these patacones. My favorite way is to top each plantain with refried beans, then avocado, then salsa. You can also serve the plantains in a bowl with all the fixings and use the plantains to scoop them up. Both methods are demonstrated in the photos above.

Notes

• *Alternatively, you can substituted the pinto beans for canned refried beans and skip making your own (step 6).
• This recipe makes about 16-20 patacones, about 2 servings.
• This recipe was updated on 8/9/2021.

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