Name: Air Fryer Tostones
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise; 1/4 cup ketchup; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 3 green plantains; 4 cups cold water; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil (vegetable, peanut, or coconut oil); coarse salt for sprinkling

1 Whisk together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and garlic powder. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can do this up to 48 hours in advance.

2 Remove the ends of the green plantains with a sharp knife. Score the plantain down its back side and use the fleshy part of your thumbs to push the peel up and away from the plantain.

3 Preheat your air fryer to 350°F.

4 Combine 4 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Slice the plantain into 1 1/2-inch-thick chunks and soak them in water for 20 minutes. (Soaking the plantains prevents browning and keeps the air-fried plantains from drying out while cooking.

5 Remove the plantains from the water and dry each one thoroughly. Toss the plantain slices in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Make sure each plantain is coated in a thin layer of the oil. Transfer the plantains to your air fryer’s basket. Organize in a single layer, leaving a 1/2 inch of space on all sides of the slices to allow the air to circulate properly. Fry until the plantain offers no resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife. This can take anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes per side.

6 Increase the air fryer’s temperature to 400°F. Carefully remove the plantain slices from the basket and smash each one in a tostonera or place your soft plantain between a piece of parchment paper (or a brown paper bag) and smash it with a coffee mug. The plantain should be a flat 1/4-inch thick disc that holds together.

7 Return the smashed plantains to the air fryer basket (you may have to work in batches depending on the size of your basket). Brush a light layer of oil onto the top side of the tostones and fry for 3 minutes on the first side. Flip the tostones and brush once more with a light layer of oil, then fry for the final time for 4 minutes instead of 3 minutes.

8 Immediately after removing them from the air fryer. Serve the tostones with the mayo-ketch sauce while still hot. Did you love the recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!