Sweet Plantain Recipe (Vegan)

This Sweet Plantain Recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free. Serve it spooned over yogurt for breakfast, a snack or as a vegan dessert topped with dairy-free coconut cream or ice cream. 

Flavors of Culture: a sweet plantain recipe

If you live with food allergies, you know that adapting recipes is common especially since eating out at restaurants is not always easy.

It’s a wonderful thing to make foods from other cultures in a way that is safe for our allergies while still honoring the roots of the recipe we are adapting. Sharing the cultural history of foods can be a great way to bring family into the kitchen to learn together.

After having tried a plantain dish in a Cuban restaurant, I wanted to explore making them for dessert. My research on the web led to many plantain recipes and even more “fruitful” information. So, I went to work experimenting in the kitchen.

Now, I make this simple recipe at home so that my daughter who has food allergies can enjoy these flavors too.

Sweet Plantain recipe is part of our Flavors of Culture series.

Get to know your plantain

Plantains are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia. They are an edible fruit, full of starch, less sweet than a banana with a thicker skin, longer in size and rarely eaten raw. 

The method of preparation seems to vary by region and culture. Whether you enjoy them fried, baked, boiled or sauteed in both sweet and savory dishes, plantains are one amazing fruit! 

Around the globe with plantains

I didn’t grow up eating plantains and was introduced to them much later in life. So I did a little digging on the history of plantains to get know more about this delicious staple!

According to Wikipedia, plantains are enjoyed globally in South America and the Caribbean; from Haiti to Cuba and various African countries. They are also a staple part of diets in Southeast Asia. 

Just like bananas, many varieties exist but in North America it is common to find green or yellow plantains. Green plantains are less sweet and with time will turn yellow. Once ripened, they sweeten and the color changes from green to yellow to black.

In Bibi’s Kitchen, “The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers From the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean” by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen includes a handful of recipes which highlight plantains as a key ingredient.

For example, “Plantains with Coconut and Prawns” is a savory dish which is shared from a grandmother who lives in Mozambique. The plantains are boiled together with coconut milk, aromatics and prawns.  

Another grandmother serves fried plantains also known as Ndizi Kaanga that can be sweetened with sugar and a splash of rum for a Tanzanian version of Bananas Foster.  

A non-traditional sweet plantain recipe

My version of sweet plantains are a take on fried plantains also known as Amarillitos in Puerto Rican cuisine or Platanos Maduros in Cuban cuisine. Usually the plantain is fried in oil or butter, some recipes add lemon juice and are sprinkled with nutmeg, salt or sugar. 

I lightly pan fry them in coconut oil which imparts a nice flavor. Although, you can use any high heat oil.

Sweet plantains make a delicious vegan dessert

This sweet plantain recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan and refined-sugar free. 

I toss the rounds with cinnamon and salt before frying and drizzle date or maple syrup on top for a refined sugar-free option. 

Some recipes do not use sweetener since a ripe plantain is organically sweet and their natural sugars caramelize when cooked. However, I find that a drizzle of syrup makes them shine as a vegan dessert. 

Serve with dairy free coconut cream or ice cream similar to a bananas foster (with or without the rum). You can also spoon onto yogurt. I love to add granola, seeds or nuts for crunch. 

How do you like to eat plantains?

More sweet plantain recipes

• Platanos Maduros– Deliciously Sweet and Savory
• Venezuelan plantains– Mommy’s Home Cooking
• Sweet Fried Plantains(Maduros)- Salima’s Kitchen

Print

---

Favorite kitchen items to make sweet plantains

---

More Flavors of Culture recipes