Crispy, golden patacones made from green plantains—perfect as a snack or side dish. Serve with guacamole, beans, or ceviche for an authentic Costa Rican treat!
What Are Patacones?
Patacones are green plantains cut into thick slices, fried until tender, then mashed into circles and fried again. They are golden brown, a little bit hard, and can be as small as 2” in diameter to as large as 6” in diameter (depending on the size of the plantain).
In Costa Rica, patacones are most often eaten as appetizers or as a side dish, with dipping sauces such as salsa rosada, refried black bean dip, guacamole, or even Costa Rican chimichurri. You can even sometimes find the patacones topped with traditional Costa Rican ceviche.
It’s becoming increasingly popular in Costa Rica to serve patacones in a similar style to a Mexican tostada or even an open-faced sandwich topped with ceviche, beef in red sauce, or shredded chicken.
Nachos de patacón are also very popular, where layers of ingredients are added to each individual patacón. Either way, patacones are ridiculously delicious and an easy food to replicate in your own kitchen!
It is important to note that patacones (or tostones), as they are called in many Latin American countries, are extremely popular throughout Latin America. So even if you aren’t in Costa Rica, check out the variations worldwide (I especially love the tostones in Puerto Rico!)
Looking for more ways to eat plantains? You can make fried plantains or boiled plantains. Plantains go great with a Costa Rican lunch, casado, or gallo pinto. I even have a roundup of my favorite green plantain recipes in this post.
Authentic Patacones Recipe
Printable recipe below
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- 2–3 cups vegetable oil
- salt to taste
- Tortilla press or pataconera
Instructions
Peel the plantains and cut them into rounds about 1 inch thick. Pour 1-2 inches of oil in the bottom of the pan. Lightly fry plantain slices on all sides until just tender. Remove from heat.
Using a pataconera or tortilla press, smash the plantains into flattened discs.
Add a bit more oil to a skillet (I like to use a cast iron frying pan) and heat the oil over medium-high heat until just shimmering. Gently place the flattened plantains into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 and 1/2 minutes on each side.
Remove the plantains from the oil with tongs and drain them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Sprinkle with salt and serve with chimichurri, Costa Rican refried black beans, guacamole, or salsa rosada.
Substitutions
If you’d like a sweeter version of this recipe, then you can allow your plantains to ripen slightly before preparing them.
Sea salt is a slightly stronger alternative to regular table salt and is great for seasoning your patacones. I also like to add a little garlic salt to the tops, too!
If you don’t have a pataconera or tortilla press, no worries. You can use a Mason jar, a plate, or even a textbook to smash the plantains into their round shape. The most important trick is to make sure you put some plastic or waxed paper on the surface to avoid sticky residue.
Variations
You can boil the first round of plantains in salted water (about 1 teaspoon) until just tender and then flatten and fry them. This cuts down on the fat content in the recipe.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many serving possibilities when it comes to patacones! If you’d like to go the dip route, bean dip, salsa rosada, guacamole, and garlic spread are all fantastic options! Another way to serve your patacones is by piling them with shredded beef and cheese, making them into loaded nachos. Patacones are often served as a side, just like French fries would be in the States.
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