Caramelized Plantains

Cooked sweet plantains in the frying pan.

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5 from 9 votes

Caramelized Plantains

Try these delicious caramelized plantains (plátanos en tentación), made with simple ingredients, ready in 15 minutes.

Prep Time3

Cook Time12

Total Time15

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Latin, Panamanian

Servings: pieces

Calories: 79kcal

Author: Nadja Belgrave

Equipment

a chopping board
Paring knife
Frying Pan

Ingredients

1 Ripe plantain (yellow)
1/2 tablespoon Ghee or butter
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Apple sauce

Instructions

Prep

Peel the plantain by cutting both ends and score lengthwise. Then remove the peel with your fingers. It would be as peeling a banana.
Cut the plantain in 4 or 5 pieces. Approximately 2.5" each piece.

Cooking

Heat the frying pan on medium heat. Add the ghee or butter and the plantains. Fry them up, so they brown on all sides. (Approx 3 minutes)
Next, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and apple sauce. Keep mixing until you coat all the plantains with the sauce.
Add a little water and cover for a few minutes or until the sticky apple caramel sauce has thickened. (Approx 3 minutes)
Serve and Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Want it less sweet, reduce by half the brown sugar.
Don't have ghee, add some butter and a mild flavor oil to fry the plantains in. We will add the oil so that the butter doesn't burn.
Don't have apple sauce, you can just leave it out. The traditional recipe is just butter, cinnamon and sugar. I added the apple sauce to give it a flavor twist.
Ripeness is Key: Choose ripe plantains (plátanos maduros) with mostly yellow skin and some brown speckles. These will be sweeter and caramelize better than green plantains.
Even Thickness: Slice the plantains into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking and caramelization.
Controlled Heat: Use medium heat to prevent burning. The plantains should caramelize slowly, developing a deep golden brown color.
Don't Crowd the Pan: Cook the plantains in a single layer to allow for even browning and caramelization. If overcrowded, they will steam instead of caramelize.
Butter or Oil? Both work! Butter adds a richer flavor, but oil prevents sticking. Choose based on your preference, or use half of each.

My plantains are still hard after cooking. What should I do?

No worries! This can happen if your plantains aren't quite ripe. Cook them a bit longer and add a splash of water with some extra applesauce. This will help soften them up.

Nutrition