Plantain Croutons (Oven Baked) | Yummy

You can make plantain croutons out of diced green plantains. Simply season them with your favorite spice mix and then fry or bake them until crisp and dry.

Here are several ways you can prepare the plantain croutons:

• frying

  Heat the frying oil in a saucepan to 180°C, add a few croutons at a time and fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Then drain excess oil on kitchen paper.

• roast meat

  Heat the avocado, coconut, or vegetable oil in a pan, add the plantains and cook for 15 minutes, tossing and turning frequently to cook evenly.

• bake oven

  Spread the plantain croutons on a baking sheet and slowly bake at 160°C (320°F) for 40 to 50 minutes until dry.

• air roast

  Heat air fryer to 180°C (355°F), place plantains in basket and air fry for 8-10 minutes.

You must use unripe green plantains to make plantain croutons, not the overripe black ones.

Green plantains are more like a potato than a banana in both flavor and texture.

They’re starchy and don’t taste sweet, which is exactly what you want to make as an alternative to bread croutons.

Trader Joe’s plantain croutons are vegan because they’re made with sunflower oil and spices.

However, not all croutons recipes are vegan, as some butter or fry the croutons instead of oil.

Our plantain croutons recipe is 100% plant-based as we didn’t use butter or dairy, just extra virgin olive oil.

Yes, plantain croutons are gluten-free because they’re made with green plantains instead of wheat bread.

So if you have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, you can replace classic bread croutons with these plantain crunchies instead.

It’s likely that finished plantain croutons, like Trader Joe’s, are deep fried in oil as they are extremely crispy without being burned.

But if you want to make them at home without the hassle (and smell) of frying, try our Oven Baked Plantain Bites!

We used a simple yet delicious rosemary salt and garlic seasoning, but if you’d like to try other great seasonings for your plantain croutons, here are some ideas to get you started:

• herbs of Provence

• Vegan Parmesan or Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)

• Homemade Red Robin Seasoning

• cajun spice

• curry powder or garam masala

• cinnamon and nutmeg

• Zaatar spice

• Ghanaian spice with ginger, cayenne pepper, onion granules

Both plantain croutons and plantain chips are made from green plantains, but the croutons are in the shape of small bite-sized cubes, while the chips are like thin slices.

Also, both plantain croutons and chips are typically deep fried, but you can also bake them in the oven or in an air fryer.

Croutons can be a healthy topping for soups and salads if instead of frying them, you bake them, season them with a little extra virgin olive oil, and eat them in moderation.

A 30g serving of our plantain croutons has only 100 calories and 4g of fat.