How to Boil Plantains: 5 Easy Steps

You probably agree that fried or boiled bananas do not sound tasty at all. If that’s your case, you have probably never tried plantains. They look like bananas, but they are not, and they are not sweet or tasty if you eat them before cooking. Plantains are common in many countries in South America, but they are also available in many other countries as an imported product, or as a native fruit with a slightly different taste than the original. There are many varieties of plantains, but most of them are located in tropical countries where they thrive with variety.

Yes, you cannot eat plantains raw, but once cooked, they taste amazingly good, and they are great companions with rice, a steak, or traditional beans from South American countries and Mexico. Fried plantains are delicious, but this fruit absorbs too much fat, and it is a very bad idea if you’re trying to control your weight. Instead, boiled plantains still have a similar taste, but they are healthier and more versatile.

How to boil plantains, step by step

There are many types of plantains, but their only difference is their size, consistency and taste. Cooking works almost the same for the majority of them. You can find them in your local market if you’re lucky or live in a tropical country, and recognizing them from bananas can be a bit hard at first.

Bananas often look smooth and shiny while plantains look wilder and do not usually come in a bunch. In most cases, they are larger in size, and you can find yellow or green plantains, or an in-between color. The difference is that green plantains have a harder consistency and cannot be smashed easily. They also taste slightly different.

So, without much further ado, let us review how to boil plantains in a step-by-step way.

Step 1: Cut into smaller pieces

You should start by chopping your plantains into smaller pieces. Be sure to take out both ends, which is the only part you will take out to the thrash. Luckily, they do not have much meat inside.

Step 2: Choose the right pot and boil

You will end up with large pieces of plantain if you chop in half or smaller pieces if you chop in 4 parts. Either way, you need to find the right pot where your plantains will fit without any problem. Pour in sufficient water, and put it to a boil.

Step 3: Continue boiling until tender

Continue boiling until the meat is tender. You can try it with a knife or see the outer peel of plantains and take them out when it looks dark. This usually takes up to 15 minutes, and you can add some salt if you want.

Step 4: Take plantains out and take off the peel

Once the outer cover is dark and the inside is tender, you can drain the water or simply take the plantains out with a knife. After you do, just take off the peel; it will be quite easy, but be careful because it will be hot.

Step 5: Prepare and serve

After you’ve taken out the flesh and it is tender, you can prepare your plantains into different dishes. You can serve them as chopped plantains, or you may also chop them further to break it into smaller pieces. Another idea is making a dish of mashed plantains, which taste amazing if you add some margarine or butter.

How long to boil plantains

As you can see above, it is easy to boil plantains, but you need to be careful because boiling too much can spoil your plantains and turn them into a paste mixed with water. A longer boiling time can be a good idea if you’re cooking green plantains because they are not as tender as the yellow version. But if you’re curious about how long to boil plantains, we’re also adding a useful table with the recommended boiling time for each type of plantain you will find at the market.

Preparation	Boiling time	Recommendation
Green plantains	15-20 minutes	This type of plantain is great for people who suffer from watery stools. It takes longer to cook but the texture allows for easy chopping and preparing after cooked
Yellow plantains	10-15 minutes	This type of plantain is sweeter and very tasty when accompanied with a bit of salt, tomato sauce, or butter.
Ripe plantain	10 minutes	When the outer peel of plantains become dark, their flesh is very tender and cooking time is shorter. They are very good if you want mashed plantains.