Easy 3 Ingredient Paleo Tostones are epic! These crispy, sinfully delicious, twice-fried green plantains are commonly known as Tostones or Patacones in different Latin American countries like Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and more. They’re so easy to make and come together in less than 30 minutes from prep start to finish.
I received a paperback copy of Latin American Paleo Cooking for review. All opinions and photography are my own {unless noted otherwise}.
Golden brown, perfectly crispy Tostones are heaven!
Twice-fried in good-for-you, healthy fat, these mouthwatering easy 3 ingredient Paleo tostones cook up fast! With very little prep time and about 15-19 minutes cook time, you’ll be able to enjoy these delicious fried plantains in no time as a snack, appetizer or served with a meal.
Twice-fried plantains are so good!
They’ve been one of my favorite foods ever since I went to the Caribbean for Christmas when I was 17 years old. I was away from home, missed my mom and was missing the traditional foods I was used to eating during the holidays.
Until I had my first tostones and SWOON!!! I was in heaven with these amazing, super delicious twice-fried plantains. I’m pretty sure I had never had plantains in my life before then and boy had I been missing out.
These perfectly fried tostones were so comforting and made all of the Christmas blues I was having go away. They are that good.
Later in life I would often enjoy tostones at a Cuban restaurant.
But I never ventured into making my own tostones. Why? I have no idea!
I think that I thought they’d be hard to make or out of my cooking comfort zone. But honestly, they’re SO incredibly easy to make! I have been missing out all of these years until I got my friend Amanda’s new cookbook, Latin American Paleo Cooking.
I was so excited to see a recipe for Tostones/Patacones in her beautiful cookbook.
These 3 ingredient Paleo Tostones are unbelievably easy to make!
There’s only 5 super easy, basic steps.
- Prep the green plantains by peeling and slicing the raw plantain.
- Cook them up in the first round of frying until lightly golden brown on each side.
- Remove them from the pan.
- Flatten them with a Tostone press {known as a tostonera} or pound them flat.
- Cook them in a second round of frying until lightly golden brown on each side.
You can’t get much simpler than that!
You’ll find these amazing Tostones plus more in Latin American Paleo Cooking!
I am so excited about this cookbook and have been patiently waiting to get my hands on it. My family is all about authentic Latin food since my husband is Latino.
I really appreciate how much love and attention was given to the recipes in this book – they truly reflect traditional, authentic meals, with the added bonus of being allergy-friendly.
I’ve already had the chance to cook a few recipes out of this awesome dairy and gluten free cookbook – the queso blanco and the tostones.
The queso blanco is unreal!
It’s SO delicious and so great for those of us that can’t have dairy. My dairy-eating family members devoured and loved it too.
My family has also been loving the easy 3 ingredient Paleo tostones. They’re so yummy as is, but also amazingly delicious dipped in queso blanco, guacamole and french onion dip {not authentic, but super good!}.
This cookbook is for everyone, even those who do not eat Paleo.
You’ll find gorgeous, bold, full-color photography throughout Latin American Paleo Cooking plus nourishing, whole food recipes with crazy good flavors.
What you’ll find inside Latin American Paleo Cooking:
- Over 80 traditional recipes made Paleo, with over 90% being AIP or easily adaptable.
- Gluten-free, Dairy-free & Nut-free Recipes; all but 1 recipe are egg-free.
- The countries represented in the cookbook include: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Brazil.
- Chapters include: Platos de la Familia (Family Dinners), Comida Fiesta! (Party Food!), Rapido y Facil (Quick and Easy), Accompañantes (Sides), Un Poco Dulce (A Little Sweet) and Lo Esencials (The Essentials).
This cookbook would make a lovely addition to any home collection plus it’s a perfect gift for any foodie who loves to cook from scratch. It’s available NOW for pre-orders and releases on August 22, 2017. That’s just around the corner!
Ordering now helps you lock in the lowest rate between now and the release date PLUS you really help out the author too. Pre-orders are tremendously important for authors and it’s a lovely way to help support them.
Go grab a couple of green plantains and make these unbelievable, easy 3 ingredient Paleo tostones soon!
Easy 3 Ingredient Paleo Tostones

Easy 3 Ingredient Paleo Tostones
"Green plantains that are fried, smashed and fried again are called tostones in some parts of Latin America and patacones in others. To make preparing these crispy bits of starchy deliciousness much easier, I recommend spending a few dollars on what is called a tostone press, which you can order online or pick up at your local Latin American grocery store. You can also use a sturdy glass or jar or even a flat meat mallet, too. Tostones can go well with just about any main dish or can be eaten as an appetizer or snack—think of them as hearty chips."
Recipe reprinted with permission from Latin American Paleo Cooking by Amanda Torres with Milagros Torres, Page Street Publishing Co. 2017. Book Cover Photo credit: Toni Zernik
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- 4 to 6 tbsp (56 to 84 g) fat of choice (coconut oil, lard or avocado oil)
- Coarse sea salt (<-- this is my favorite sea salt)
- 1 to 2 tbsp (1 to 2 g) chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Slice the tips off the plantains with a knife, then cut 1 or 2 slits in the skin down the length of the plantain. If the peel does not lift off easily you can loosen it by soaking the plantains in a bowl of water with about 1 tablespoon (6 g) of salt for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Slice the peeled plantain crosswise into disks . to 1 inch (2 to 2.5 cm) wide.
- In a large skillet, heat your fat of choice over medium heat until shimmering, 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully add the disks to the heated fat, cooking on each side for 2 to 4 minutes, or until they have turned a darker, more golden color. Do not allow to brown.
- Remove the disks from the oil and flatten, using a tostone press (recommended) or a sturdy glass/jar or flat meat mallet. If using a tostone press, place the disk in the recessed circle and then clamp down the lid on top.
- Return the flattened plantain disks to the hot oil and fry for an additional 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until crispy and browned. You will likely need to work in batches to fry the flattened disks.
- Add extra cooking fat as needed, because these will absorb quite a bit of fat as they cook. Top with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt and a garnish of cilantro and serve immediately; tostones do not reheat well. Serve with your favorite main dish.
Notes
- AIP compliant: No adjustments necessary!
- If using a Tostone press {known as a tostonera}, make sure to use a FLAT one, not one that says it is for stuffed tostones.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 342Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 7gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g
This nutritional information was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Oh my goodness, Emily, I can tell how perfectly crispy these are! We eat a lot of plantain chips in my home so I’ll need to try these!
I hope you get to make some Christina! 🙂 They’re so delicious!
I can’t wait to try these on my kids who think they don’t like plantains!
LOL I hope they enjoy them! 🙂
Those look unbelievable! They look so crispy I thought you had dipped them in a batter!
Right?! No batter at all, just perfect, crispy, goodness 🙂
I’ve never tried plantains before, but I always think about getting some when I see them at the store. I’m just never quite sure what I would do with them. This recipe sounds so easy to make, and I bet they are delicious dipped into queso blanco sauce!
So yummy dipped in queso blanco sauce!!! I hope you get to make some. 🙂
I’ve always been so intimidated by tostones because I’ve never had them before, but this is so easy! I can’t wait to dive into Amanda’s book too!!
That’s what I thought too! But they’re super easy, and you’re going to love them Renee! 🙂
I’m so excited about this cookbook! And these tostones look so delicious! I need to get some plantains and try them.
Isn’t her cookbook awesome Raia?! 🙂
These look so crispy and delicious! I have never had them and I feel like I’m missing out.
They’re super yummy, I hope you get to try some Jessica. 🙂
Yum! I’m seriously obsessed with tostones and I love to make giant ones and use them as sandwich buns. Love how simple these are!
Oh my goodness that is a FABULOUS idea!!! I’m going to have to that!
I’ve never made these. I can’t wait to try the recipe AND immerse myself in Amanda’s new book!
Thanks for sharing!
Her book is so lovely! You’re going to love it Carol!
Wow – these look so good and I can’t believe how easy they are to make! I absolutely love plantains, I’ll have to try making these myself!
I hope you get to make some Monique, they’re so delicious. 🙂
OMG, my mouth is watering just reading this. So you seriously just slice and fry? That sounds so easy!! My local Sprouts carries plantains, but I never knew what I could use them for. I’ve got to try this!
It’s SO easy! I hope you get to try making some. 🙂
These look completely addicting, and ready to be dipped right into a bowl of guacamole!
Yes! That sounds so good! Perfect with guacamole for sure! 🙂
We’re usually in the Caribbean over Christmas and I agree – fried plantains make it easy to forget about the usual Christmas fare we’re missing. These look so crispy and delicious! Now I need to try to make them at home!
Right?! That’s so fun that you travel there during the holiday season! I hope you get to make some soon Corrine 🙂
Dang! I’ve never made these before, but those look so good I must try!
I hope you get to try some Tina! 🙂
I’ve never tried plantains before but now I really want to! These sound really good.
I hope you get to try some! 🙂
Love tostones and love that book!! So glad you finally made your own <3
Isn’t her book awesome?! 🙂
My goodness! These tostones are too good to be true ! I’m loving it !!
🙂 they’re so yummy!
OMG! I love tostones. I need to make these.
I hope you get to make some soon Katja! 🙂
Great to see such adventurous options that are Paleo friendly – love it!
Yes! It’s fun to have different flavor options and a lot of variety 🙂
I’ve never tried cooking with plantains! I can’t wait to get some and try this out!
I hope you get to try some! They’re delicious 🙂
I love how easy this is! I have a green plantain on my counter waiting to turn into this 🙂
Oh yum! I hope you get to enjoy some. 🙂