Air Fryer Reference
Plantains
veggie · fresh
- Temperature
- 375 °F
- 191 °C
- Total time
- 14 min
- 2 ripe yellow-and-black plantains (about ½ lb each)
- Flip at
- 7 min
- flip once
- Internal temp
- —
- use visual cue
Doneness
Slices are deep caramelised brown on both faces with a soft, fork-tender centre; the edges curl slightly and the natural sugars on the surface look glossy and tacky.
Oil & seasoning
Light coconut or neutral-oil mist on both faces before loading. Ripe plantain sugars caramelise faster with a thin oil film; bare slices go pale and chewy.
Season with: fine sea salt (essential — balances the sweetness), ground cinnamon (optional, for sweet maduros), lime wedges to finish.
Watch out for
- Use ripe plantains — yellow with extensive black spotting. Green-yellow plantains will not caramelise and end up starchy; pure black plantains overflow with sugar and burn in the basket. The skin-spot test matters more than the calendar date.
- This entry is for ripe sweet maduros. For tostones — the savoury, twice-cooked discs made from GREEN (unripe) plantains, smashed flat and re-crisped — see the dedicated Tostones page for the full method and timing.
- Cut on a slight bias for more surface area to caramelise. Straight-across rounds work but give 30% less browning.
- Single layer is non-negotiable — sugars exude during cook, and overlapping slices fuse together into a sticky disc that pulls apart in shreds.