This Peruvian-style oven-baked plantains recipe offers a healthy and delicious way to experience a classic Peruvian dessert.
Oven-baked plantains are one of my favorite desserts in almost any country where they grow fresh. Heck, even at home in Canada I’m known to whip up a batch from time to time just to relive the magical travel memories from countries I’ve visited such as The Philippines, Costa Rica, and Egypt.
But there is no destination that creates a baked plantains recipe better than Peru. The methods for preparing sweet, ripe plantains result in a moist, refreshing Peruvian treat, which, in my opinion, might be one of the best healthy desserts ever.
In fact, when I returned from my travels in Peru, my lust for plantains became a near obsession. I was whipping up oven-baked plantains left right and center to the point that my kitchen was starting to look like a banana plantation.
What Are Oven-Baked Plantains?
Fried plantains and plantain chips are delicious, but they are very different from oven-baked plantains. Plantain chips are thinly-sliced and, when cooked correctly, are crisp and offer a pleasant crunch when eaten. They’re great for eating on their own or dipping in sauces.
The perfect baked plantains recipe aims for a thicker cut that allows the soft and moist centers to remain tender and juicy while the outer surfaces achieve a pleasant caramelization with a light sugary crisp at the corners.
Our Perfect Baked Plantains are thicker than plantain chips, allowing the soft sweet centers to stay tender, while the exterior surfaces turn golden and crispy around the edges.
The result is an addictive and versatile gluten-free snack that can be enjoyed with sauces such as salsa, chocolate or dulce de leche, flambeed, or topped with ice cream.
Tips For Cooking Oven-Baked Plantains
Peruvian-style plantains are a healthy and delicious treat, and this oven-baked plantains recipe is easy too. In fact, it only requires three easy-to-find ingredients.
- Fresh, ripe plantains
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
How To Tell If Your Plantains Are Ripe
It’s important to use ripe plantains when making this recipe. The added sugar content helps with everything from flavor to caramelization. To tell if your plantains are ripe you’ll want to look for a plantain with skin that is bright yellow to dark yellow with black spots. The more ripe your plantains, the sweeter the final dish will be.
How to Make Amazing Baked Plantains
Making baked plantains is quite easy. Simply follow these simple steps:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
- Carefully peel off the skin of the plantains making sure not to crush or squash the soft, ripe insides.
- Cut the plantain into quarter inch to one-third inch slices.
- Coat the plantains slices in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place the plantains slices in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet ad bake in the oven until the plantains become lightly crispy at the edges.
Once your oven-baked plantains achieve your perfect level of crispness, pull them out for a sweet and salty snack. Personally, I prefer to eat oven-baked plantains warm however, others prefer them at room temperature, or even cooled for a refreshing summer treat.
If you make a large batch, you can always reheat plantains by baking them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until have regained their warmth.
My Peruvian-Style Oven-Baked Plantains Recipe
Peruvian-Style Oven-Baked Plantains Recipe
This Peruvian-style oven-baked plantains recipe offers a healthy and delicious way to experience a classic Peruvian dessert.
Ingredients
- Ripe plantains (Look for bright yellow to dark yellow with black spots)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully peel the skin from the plantains. Be careful not to squash or crush the fruit.
- Slice the plantains into 1/2 inch to 1/3 inch pieces.
- Coat the plantains lightly with olive oil
- Add sea salt to taste.
- Bake 10-15 minutes until the edges of the plantains have a light, golden crisp.
Notes
For a sweet twist, consider adding cinnamon or nutmeg to your oven-baked plantains. You might also want to take a tangy approach by adding some cayenne pepper, cumin, or nutmeg.
Another great way to approach this is as a dessert. Try topping it with vanilla ice cream or dulce de leche for a sweet and delicious treat.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 218Total Fat: 0.7gSaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 7.2mgCarbohydrates: 57gSugar: 27gProtein: 2g
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