12 Best Plantain and Green Banana Recipes: Golden Caribbean Comfort for Cool Fall Days
Blessings, family! The mornings have finally turned cool, and when the weather shifts we reach for the same thing our mothers and grandmothers reached for — plantain and green banana. They are humble, they are filling, and they stretch a meal further than almost anything else on the counter. A bunch that came home green on Monday is ready to fry sweet and golden by Friday, and nothing goes to waste.
That is what we love about this fruit: it gives in its own time. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3) The Most High set a season for everything, and plantain teaches patience better than almost anything else we cook.
So here are 12 of our own plantain and green banana recipes — fried golden in the skillet, boiled and mashed for a hearty plate, and baked into breads, tarts and puddings for the cooler evenings ahead. Every photo below was taken in our own kitchen, and every recipe is one we cook for our own table.
Fried Golden: Plantain and Banana Straight from the Skillet
1. Jamaican Fried Sweet Plantain
Ripe plantain fried until the edges caramelize into sweet, golden ribbons — the side that disappears off the platter before the main plate ever reaches the table.
2. Jamaican Fried Green Plantain (Tostones)
Green plantain smashed flat and fried twice until crisp and salty, perfect for scooping up whatever is simmering on the stove.
3. Sweet Plantain Fritters
Mashed sweet plantain folded into a simple batter and fried into soft golden rounds — warm, a little sticky, and impossible to eat just one of.
4. Authentic Jamaican Banana Fritters
Spotted bananas, a little nutmeg and cinnamon, and a hot skillet. The easiest way to turn overripe fruit into something worth waking up for.
Green Banana Plates and Cozy Morning Comfort
5. Jamaican Green Banana Chips
Thin green banana slices fried crisp and seasoned simply — a homemade snack that beats anything that comes in a bag.
6. Garlic Mashed Green Banana
Green bananas boiled tender and mashed creamy with garlic. Humble, filling, and the kind of plate that carries you through a long day.
7. Jamaican Plantain and Banana Porridge
Thick, warm and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg — this is the breakfast that makes a cool morning feel like home.
8. Jamaican Callaloo Plantain Bread
Sweet plantain and fresh callaloo baked into one tender loaf — a Jerk Tavern original that never lasts more than a day in our kitchen.
Sweet Plantain and Banana Bakes
9. Jamaican Plantain Tarts
Flaky pastry folded around a sweet, spiced plantain filling — the bakery classic, made at home while the oven is already warm.
10. Sticky Plantain Pudding
Ripe plantain baked into a rich, sticky pudding and finished with warm caramel sauce. Dessert for the first truly cool evening of the season.
11. Cream Cheese Banana Bread
Banana bread with a soft ribbon of cream cheese running straight through the middle — the loaf to have waiting when the house smells like fall.
12. Peanut Butter Butterscotch Banana Squares
Banana, peanut butter and butterscotch baked into soft squares that pack beautifully for lunch boxes and church gatherings.
Whichever one you start with, cook it slow and let the plantain get as dark and golden as it wants to be. That is where the sweetness lives.
A Word of Wisdom
Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
Joel 2:22
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