We got a FUN purely talk today! It is all about our current love — plantains!
Since sharing our most recent way to enjoy plantains, and sharing a ton of pictures on Instagram and Facebook, we have received TONS of people asking us:
What is a plantain?
How to peel it?
How many do we eat?
Why do we eat plantains?
What is the difference between a banana and a plantain?
Today’s post and in the video we plan to answer all of these questions about plantains.
Here is a quick overview about plantains:
- Plantains and bananas look similar.
- Plantains tend to be a bit bigger in size.
- Plantains have a thicker and harder peel.
- Both bananas and plantains are a fruit, although plantains are looked as a vegetable due to being more starchy.
- Most grocery stores have plantains, just might have to ask or look around the produce area.
- You can eat plantains at any stage of ripeness. You can eat green, yellow and black plantains.
- The green plantains are more starchy as the black ones are more sweet.
- Plantains are a great source of fiber (soluble which is the fiber we try to have).
- Good source of vitamins and minerals like potassium, B6, Vitamin A and C, folates, iron and many others
- Less sugar when compared to a banana
One more thing … bananas can be eaten raw whereas plantains have to be cooked.
There are many ways to enjoy plantains. We love them anyway. We have many more ideas already popping in our heads with them. And so many of you have been inspired to create your own recipes using plantains- love seeing that!
Bake them whole and stuft them.
See all our other plantain recipes here.
In the video we also share how to peel a plantain. We also discuss more of why we eat them and how many we eat in a day.
Hope you guys enjoyed our quick video all about plantains!
You all know we love them, do you?
see you guys next time,
xoxo
L&M
purelytwins
26 comments
Kind of excited to watch this when I get home. I’ve been dying to try plantains ever since you’ve become obsessed with them;) I need some in my life stat.
yes you do Lisa 😉 you would love them
im so happy you did this! every time i walk by plantains i think of you girls…but never buy them..because i didnt know if i should get green or yellow. thanks for the tips!
Glad you enjoyed the post and video 🙂 And yes you need to buy some
seriously, love the banana/plantain talk! Good info and even great recipes!
Thanks Lindsay
Great post – I have been wanting to get a plantain and haven’t taken the time to do any research about them. Now I don’t have to!! Next trip to the grocery store is going to include one of these. 🙂
yay!! let us know how you like them
Very interesting stuff. I’m really surprised you guys eat them this much while you’re still healing your gut. I have avoided them due to all the starch in them….that’s hard to digest. How awesome if it works for you, though!
yes we are happy that our bodies due so well with them 🙂
Love it! I’ve made your plantain bread as well as Powercakes pumpkin plantain protein bread…both are so delicious. I had a plantain that was getting too ripe for bread, so last night I sliced it up, sprayed it with coconut oil, and tossed it in cinnamon and a little vanilla stevia. Then I baked the chips at 400 for about 15 minutes…heavenly. I love how they get crispy on the outside and stay soft on the inside. And so sweet!! Thanks for introducing me to them. I never knew what to do with them before! Now I love that I have a cheap and easy way to make grain-free sandwich bread 🙂
yay!! 🙂
Thanks for such an informative post! Now I’m feeling adventurous!!
Oooh, awesome! My husband and I are just getting into plantains. I didn’t know they HAD to be cooked, just that they were much better that way! Chris Kresser is a big plantain fan for safe Paleo starches http://chriskresser.com/?s=plantain . We tried some after a CrossFit workout the other week, just cooked in some grassfed butter and with a little coconut flakes and tiny bit of xylitol on top and they were AMAZING. I’m converted!! Even had to Instagram them! http://statigr.am/viewer.php#/detail/487908708865423528_12753981
wahoo!! yay for more plantain love 🙂
Oh my gosh I just had plantains for the very first time last weekend. So good.
awesome Ashley!! 🙂
I will be buying plantains today! I’ve been wanting to make a plantain type chip or maybe just sauteed. I will check out your plantain chip recipe!
I’m obsessed with plantains! Great source of carbs, up there w sweet potatoes
Good to know about cooking the plantains! I actually can’t eat bananas unless they are cooked. I’m not allergic, but they have always made me sick. I assume the same is true of plantains. I’m going to have to stake out some plantains in my area and try some of your recipes because if you’re cooking the plantains, I probably can eat them.
this may be dumb, but do plantains ripen the same way bananas do? i got a green one at the store because that’s all they had but the recipe i want to make calls for a yellow/black one
it should ripen in a few days, the do ripen similar to bananas, it should get yellow soon
Hi…just discovered your site and am loving it! I am working with a child that needed to come off all grains and gluten so the plantain recipes are working great. He enjoyed a plantain sandwich today! Thanks so much for your work 🙂 I am in Miami where plantains are plentiful and I grew up eating them. Another wonderful way to enjoy them is put the green ones cut up in soups and stews. To peal them easily when very green put them in a bowl with the hottest tap water for a couple of minutes and they peal with no hassle.
Violet so glad you are enjoy the plantain recipes and that the kid you are helping is able to enjoy them too! We love plantains thanks for sharing
[…] Purelytwins.com. This lovely blog, written by twin sisters Lorie and Michelle, introduced me to cooking with Plantains. Plantains make a great substitute for high FODMAP flours and they happen to be a Costa Rican […]
I just found your website and am so interested in using plantains more. My husband is from El Salvador so I know that most people in central america cut them in half, then into little strips, fry them in a bit of vegetable oil (or you can just put them in your nonstick pan with some butter for a crispier / healthier option) and eat them with cream. You can find Mexican or Salvadorean cream in any Hispanic grocery store. For reference you can look up “platanos with cream” to see how it’s done. 🙂