Tostones have to be one of my favorite things in life to eat. Dare I say that I actually like Tostones more than maduros aka plantains? I know, I know– we can debate this forever. Nonetheless, one of the very first things that I did when I bought my new air fryer was try and make tostones. Please tell me that I am not the only one?

Now imagine my horror when I made tostones in the air fryer and it was a total FAIL! Yes, my first attempt at making tostones in the air fryer was a huge flop. Not to mention my second, third, fourth, and even fifth attempt. Now here’s why making tostones in the air fryer is tricky — the green plantains dry out and become rubbery! Nothing that I didn’t ever gave me tostones that I truly liked. They were all simply, meh. I actually gave up trying to make tostones in the air fryer.
Everytime I made tostones in the air fryer they’d come out too dry, too undercooked and overall not enjoyable to eat. Then it occurred to me– perhaps making air fryer tostones requires more patience, lower heat, longer cook time, and more oil. Once I tweaked the setting on my airfryer, I nailed it!
Now I’ll be 100% honest and transparent– making Tostones in the air fryer is pretty cool. However, in order to get perfect golden tostones, you may need to use more oil than you’re used to when using an air fryer. I honestly couldn’t find a way around this– and TRUST ME I tried! The oil and lower heat setting was the trick to getting the tostones just right. So many people made it seem like making tostones was as easy as tossing the platanos in oil, popping them in the air fryer, and BOOM — go. I personally found that this wasn’t the case. If you’re picky like me and won’t settle for anything other than perfect tostones, then definitely give this recipe a try!
If you really want to make the best tostones, don’t be afraid to use a tostonera, which is tostones press. It’s super easy to use and a great way to get the kids. Don’t have a tostonera? No worries, you can use the bottom of a cup, which is how my grandmother did it for YEARS! I walk you through both methods in my latest video!
If you’d like to see a step-by-step tutorial on How to Air Fryer Tostones, visit my YouTube Channel: Chef Zee Cooks.
Before I go, just know that I’m currently OBSESSED with my air fryer. I’ve accumulated quite a few in the last year (don’t judge me), and my Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer is the one that I keep coming back to. When working with your airfryer, try your hardest to match your settings to mine. No worries if you don’t have the same exact device as mine. In the end, as long as the settings match your results should be similar.
And now, let’s cook!
Ingredients
Instructions