Patacones are a staple food of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. They are green plantains that are fried twice to achieve a golden brown color and crunchy bite.

In Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic they are also popular and they know them as Tostones. They are perfect to accompany any seafood dish such as ceviche or served to scoop up guacamole or salsa.

Green Plantains

Green plantains are not hard to find. Most super markets carry them. Usually they are by the tropical fruit section where mangoes and coconuts are.

Bowl with onion, tomatoes, scallions and plantains. salt and pepper and wooden spoon on the background — Green plantains look like big unripe bananas

To make patacones, look for a firm, unripe green plantain.

How to make them

The first step is to cut your plantains in ½ inch circles. Deep fry them until light golden brown for about 2-3 minutes.

Patacones or tostones — The first time you fry them look for a uniform golden color.

If you have a tortilla press, flatten each circle. Don't make them too thin or they will break apart when frying them again.

patacones, tostones on a plate — Plantains flattened. Ready for the second fry.

If you don't have a tortilla press, you can use a round plate to smash your patacones.

After the second deep dry, they should be golden brown and uniform in color. It shouldn't take long to achieve this look as they are almost completely cooked after the first fry.

patacones on a round board and Patacones on a bowl — You can make your patacones as thick or thin as you wish

When pressing down the patacones, either with your plate or tortilla press, you can make them as thin or thick as you'd like.

I prefer thinner patacones because they have a nice crunch. They remind me or regular corn chips and are great for dipping.

If you want to add toppings such as shredded beef, chicken or shrimp, you can make the patacones a bit thicker (don't press them too hard with the plate) so they can hold the topping and not break easily.

Patacones on a bowl — Thin crunchy patacones are my favorite

What do you serve with tostones?

Patacones with guacamole — Patacones con guacamole is a classic combo that works very well

One of my favorite things to add to my patacones is garlic aioli or fresh guacamole. They are a perfect alternative to corn chips and work very well to scoop up salsa and dips.

Hogao

This Colombian creole sauce is similar to a Mexican salsa, but it is cooked.

The tomatoes form a jammy sauce similar to an Italian sofritto. It is simple to make and delicious.

Patacones with Colombian hogao on a board — Hogao alone is the perfect Patacones topping

We usually spread it on top of the patacones to then top them off with guacamole. It is a divine combination.

You can definitely use hogao or guacamole. But together they take your patacones to the next level.

Patacones with guacamole and hogao — The hogao and guacamole combination is a classic

As I mentioned before, in Colombia we eat patacones with a traditional seafood meal consisting of deep fried fish and coconut rice. This is by far my favorite Colombian dish!

If you love Colombian food or would like to try more dishes, make sure to check out my list of Colombian foods you must try and my all time favorite snack; Colombian Empanadas.

Patacones are also featured in Disney's movie Encanto. These are traditional in the Colombian Caribbean coast but loved everywhere in the country.

If you are trying to cook they eat in Encanto, these tostones are a great place to start. They are easy to make and require very little prep work.

I also have an extensive list with all the food featured in Encanto and recipes for all of them.

Patacones

Isabel

5 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Colombian

Servings patacones

Ingredients

2 Green plantains
2 cups Oil for frying I use avocado oil
Salt to taste

Instructions

Heat up to oil in medium-high heat
Cut each plantain in half.
Cut the ends of the plantains
Cut a side of the skin of the plantain and proceed to peel it by hand. The skin should come off easily.
Cut the plantains in ½ inch rounds and add them to the hot oil until they are light golden brown
Add a piece of clean plastic such as a ziplock and put the plantains in between the plastic
Smash them with a plate or tortilla press
Fry the plantains again until golden brown
Use a paper towel to get rid of excess oil and serve them with guacamale, salsa or your favorite dip

Notes

The amount of patacones you get depends on how thin or thick you cut the slices.

If you want to make these healthier, you can use the air fryer to make them. I have recipe instructions for that method.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!