Plantain Chips: 9 Tips for Crispy, Sweet Chips Every Time

March 10, 2015 (Last Updated: February 7, 2020)

Here are secrets to fool proof extra crispy plantain chips. These easy tips work all the time so save your money and leave the store bought plantain chips.

Plantain chips are one of my favorite snacks. I would choose sweet plantain chips over my favorite salt and vinegar potato chips any day, and if I am not too careful sometimes I can eat too much. For years now I tried to make plantain chips at home, just like my mom used to make them, but I was never successful until recently. Along the way, I picked up a few tips and tricks after my many failed attempts that are guaranteed to get crispy plantain chips every time. Trust me on this one, I’ve messed up enough times to know.

TIPS

  1. Do not use over ripe plantains

    While I do prefer ripe plantain chips to unripe plantain chips, over ripe plantains do not work at all for plantain chips. Think of them like bananas; if they look like they are ready to be used for banana bread, or are ready to go into the freezer for a smoothie, then it’s too ripe. If the plantain is mostly black and hardly yellow, then it’s too ripe as well.

  2. Unless you are a skilled knife expert, don’t hesitate to use a mandolin slicer

    My mom is the most skilled chef I know, and she can get evenly thin slices of plantain using a knife with her eyes closed… but I’m not that skilled yet. I’ve tried so many times to get it right with a knife, and I have failed every time. I did myself a favor and got a mandolin slicer, then things started improving.

  3. Make sure your oil is at the right temperature

    Specifically between 350-375 degrees F. If your oil is not hot enough, the plantain chips will be too limp or they become chewy and hard; if your oil is too hot, the plantain simply burns fast.

  4. Do not salt or season the plantains before frying them

    Seasoning the plantain chips right after they come out of the oil is a better option because the plantains end up crisper. I find that salting the plantains before frying them makes the chips unpleasantly chewy.

  5. Place the plantain chips in the hot oil one at a time, or in a single layer

    Placing  stacked plantain slices into the oil may not be a problem, but it increases the chances of the plantain chips clumping together.

  6. Flip the plantain chips continuously!

    While the chips are frying, flip them as often as you can. You can do this by just gently moving the chips around the oil with a kitchen spider. I still don’t get why this works, but it does.

  7. Watch the color and listen for the sizzle

    You will know when the chips are ready to come out of the oil not only from the color (golden brown for ripe plantains, and lightly gold for unripe plantains), but also from the level of sizzling. Once the plantain chips are done, they sizzle significantly less in the oil than when they are not done. Try it… you will notice it, the sizzling almost stops.

  8. Season while hot

    After your chips come out of the oil, drain properly then season while it’s still hot. I like to season my chips with salt and cayenne pepper.

  9. Cool completely before serving

    Even though the chips may be crisp straight from the oil, it is best for them to cool completely before they are served to allow them to reach ULTIMATE CRISPNESS.

Bonus tip:

If they happen to survive longer than one hour after they are served, store the crisp plantain chips in an air tight container to ensure the ULTIMATE CRISPNESS is maintained.

If you check out the recipe box below, I’ve listed the steps in a nice easy to remember format.

Happy Snacking people!

Fresh peeled plantains and a mandolin slicer

Plantain Chips Nutrition

Just as a bonus I’ve included the Nutritional information for one serving of a single cup of plantain chips.

You can pair this as a side with some spicy fried fish and chips. Also, if you’re looking for alternative ways to use plantain, why not check out my delicious vegan plantain bread/cake recipe? You won’t be disappointed!

Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Plantain Chips: 9 Secrets to Crispy, Sweet Chips Every Time

Here are my secrets to fool-proof, extra crispy plantain chips. These easy tips work all the time so save your money and forget the store bought plantain chips!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: African, Global, Nigerian, Tropical
Servings: 1
Calories: 342kcal

Equipment

  • Mandolin or Knife

Ingredients

  • 1 Ripe plantains Make sure they're not overripe!
  • Vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Do not use overripe plantains:
  • Unless you are a skilled knife expert, don't hesitate to use a mandolin slicer:
  • Make sure your oil is at the right temperature
  • Do not salt or season the plantains before frying them
  • Place the plantain chips in the hot oil one at a time, or in a single layer
  • Flip the chips continuously!
  • Watch the color and listen for the sizzle
  • Season while hot
  • Cool completely before serving

Notes

If they happen to survive longer than one hour after they are served, store the crisp plantain chips in an air tight container to ensure the ULTIMATE CRISPNESS is maintained.

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89 Comments

  • Reply
    Fatimah
    May 1, 2017 at 10:30 am

    i got it right but it’s getting soft… just did it yesterday

    • Reply
      Ms. Yum
      May 1, 2017 at 11:49 am

      Hi Fatimah, did you try storing it in an air tight container? Humidity in the air usually causes the chips to soften.

  • Reply
    Temmy
    May 13, 2017 at 6:25 am

    what type of presevative can be used in case it is for commercial purpose.thanks.

    • Reply
      Ms. Yum
      May 14, 2017 at 8:02 am

      In general, I do not use preservatives in my food, and so I do not use preservatives in my plantain chips. Plantain chips should keep well if they are fried properly and stored in an airtight container, if they are not crisp when they are fried, then the likelihood of spoilage will be higher.

  • Reply
    Adaeze
    May 27, 2017 at 5:17 am

    thanks and God bless you. I do platntain chips commercially but have challenges with burning almost all.

    • Reply
      Ms. Yum
      May 27, 2017 at 7:03 am

      You are welcome. Feel free to subscribe and check out our other recipes

  • Reply
    Christiana Alex
    July 28, 2017 at 6:31 am

    Thanks ma. Please i am into commercial plantian chips production, but please i will like to know the type of coloring to use and the right ingredients

    • Reply
      Ms. Yum
      July 28, 2017 at 7:40 am

      Hi Christiana! I do not use any coloring in my plantain chips, as I indicated in my post all I used in my is plantain and oil for frying. You can choose the seasoning that you prefer, salt, pepper, garlic powder…etc.

  • Reply
    BLESSING
    October 10, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    WAOH THIS IS HELPFUL
    I APPRECIATE

    • Reply
      Lois
      October 10, 2017 at 1:16 pm

      No problem blessing, I am happy to help

  • Reply
    Ashima
    November 9, 2017 at 1:29 am

    I used to feast on them all the time when we were living in Angola 🙂 Plantain chips were there everywhere! But I could never make a perfect batch at home and since these chips were so easily available, I didn’t try too hard. Your tips are very helpful. I shuld try them soon now that I am not in Africa and it is not so easy to come by a bag of plantain chips!

    These are very popular in South India too where we use coconut oil to fry them in, adding to the flavour of the plantain!

    • Reply
      Lois
      November 11, 2017 at 7:39 pm

      I have to try frying themin coconut oil too. Thanks for the tip.

  • Reply
    valerie14
    December 4, 2017 at 2:56 pm

    HII i made them and they came out a bit soft unfortunately what do i do to fix that please ,but they were delicious and i loved them thank you.

    • Reply
      Lois
      December 4, 2017 at 4:15 pm

      HI Valerie!
      There are many things that could lead to soft chips so I will ask some trouble shooting questions if you don’t mind.
      How ripe were your plantains?
      What did you use to slice your plantains?
      Did the plantains float to the top and stop sizzling before you brought them out of oil?
      Did you season the plantains before frying them?
      How crowded was the fry pan?
      Some other tips, keeping the oil temperature at 350- 375F helps with even cooking. Overcrowding the pan could bring down the temperature and lead to softer chips. Also, while it may seem tedious, it is important that you drop the thin slices of plantain into the oil one at a time, I tend to slice straight into the oil.

  • Reply
    elcitrakale
    December 5, 2017 at 6:52 am

    ooh..this is my kind of snack.. anytime..anywhere. my mom sometimes made this when our banana tree full of plantain. Love your tips you share here. thx for for sharing your “secret” 🙂

    • Reply
      John Fred
      January 17, 2018 at 5:45 am

      Pls I want to go into it. pls how do I start. My challenge is that b4 I know, it will get soft.

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    December 11, 2017 at 8:54 am

    Thanks for sharing is helpful. But please how do I know the right slicer in terms of commercial purposes.

    • Reply
      Lois
      December 14, 2017 at 11:05 am

      I cannot give any specific product recommendations for a commercial slicer, but I will look out for one while I am developing the document that talks about tips for commercial plantain chips.

  • Reply
    Szde
    December 14, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    Thank you so much.
    T

  • Reply
    Abosede
    December 27, 2017 at 3:22 am

    this has taught me a lot people are dying for my chips especially my friends.Thanks a lot.

    • Reply
      Lois
      January 2, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      I am so happy to hear that Abosede! Maybe you can make me some cos I run out of plantain chips very quickly!

  • Reply
    Mr Winner
    December 29, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    Nice secrets you’ve gat here. Keep up the good work.

    • Reply
      Lois
      January 2, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      Thanks!!!

  • Reply
    Joseph
    January 7, 2018 at 6:53 pm

    Thanks for the information, planing to go commercial on chips in general, would love more insight as I progress

  • Reply
    Tolulope
    January 24, 2018 at 8:49 am

    Thanks so much for sharing this. I plan going into commercial prod of plantain chips and I need as much help as I can get.Please how can I contact you ? Will appreciate an email address thanks in anticipation.

  • Reply
    Yemco
    February 5, 2018 at 5:41 am

    what’s the duration for fried plantain chips

    • Reply
      Lois
      February 5, 2018 at 9:38 am

      From the post I mention the signs to look out for once the plantain chips are done. The time may vary based on temperature and thickness of the plantain. Hope this helps.

  • Reply
    Christy
    February 22, 2018 at 10:38 pm

    Thanks for the tips shared here. They are really helpful. God bless you

  • Reply
    Mary Warinda
    March 15, 2018 at 9:16 am

    Great insight. will try out

  • Reply
    shin
    March 30, 2018 at 10:23 pm

    Does anybody know how to make yellow color chips like commercial ones, while homemade chips are brownish?

    • Reply
      Lois. O
      April 5, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      Hi Shin, the yellow chips are made from unripe plantains. If your plantains are ripe, the sugar content causes them to caramelize more, hence the brown color. If you want yellow chips, use unripe plantains, it will not be sweet however.

  • Reply
    Akin
    June 11, 2018 at 4:12 am

    Thanks a lot. I’ve learnt here not to salt before frying and that it’s the sugar content that makes it brown.
    I’ve been doing a lot of research lately cause myself and a friend want to begin on the commercial level shortly.

  • Reply
    Shade
    August 29, 2018 at 9:02 am

    Goodday! Woow..Thanks alot for this tips on getting the perfect crispy chips! I’m going into commercial plantain chips production by next month, Pls I wants to ask this questions; What kind of groundnut oil do you use and how often you change the groundnut oil used for frying? Can the oil be use again? Thanks awaits your reply.

    • Reply
      Lois
      September 4, 2018 at 10:32 am

      I used a regular vegetable oil to fry the plantain. Any non-flavored oil will work for the chips. I think it is best to change your oil after every three – 4 batches at least. Hope that helps!

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