Bolitas de Platano are chewy, soft, and juicy plantain balls that you make with only 3 ingredients!
Bolitas de platano are grated plantains that are seasoned and shaped into balls made all over the Caribbean. But this recipe is made in a Puerto Rican style.
In some countries, plantain balls are fried. In Puerto Rico, we cook them in soups. We add them to sancocho soup, to Puerto Rican asopao de camarones or stews.
You can even add them to Puerto Rican beans and have them with white Puerto Rican style rice!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Easy- This is a recipe that is so easy to make that can be prepared in 10 minutes like the shredded plantain fritters and cooked in 15 minutes!
- Different cooking methods- It is a recipe that you boil and even fry.
Recipe Ingredients
- Green plantains- You want to use very green plantains so they can hold their shape when boiling. But if you’re looking to fry this recipe then the plantains can be slightly yellow.
- Salt- I added ¼ of salt that you can substitute for an adobo mix. We don’t need to add a lot of seasonings because the plantain will absorb all the good flavors from the stock you cook them in.
- Sazón– I used ¼ teaspoon for flavor and mainly to give the balls some color. You can substitute the sazon for 1 teaspoon of Puerto Rican achiote oil for color.
How to make Bolitas de Platano
- Photo 1: First peel your plantain by cutting the ends and making a line lengthwise. With your knife, lift the skin and peel with your hands. There are different ways of peeling a plantain, this is just one of them.
- Photo 2: Grate the plantain using a box grater on its smallest grating side. You can also make the plantain dough with a food processor or a blender.
- Photo 3: Season the dough and mix well. I usually taste a little bit of the dough to make sure is perfectly seasoned. Then grease your hands with a little bit of oil, butter, or shortening and shape the balls. Take a tablespoon, scoop the dough into your hands, and shape a ball. The ball won’t but perfectly shaped but that’s okay. Freeze for at least 10 minutes.
- Photo 4: Gently place the balls in your soup. Try to place them at least 1 inch apart to avoid sticking to each other. Cook for 15 minutes or til they feel firm in the middle.
- ☛ Important: Don’t move the bolitas while cooking. Doing so will risk the chance of the balls from falling apart.
Recipe Tips
- Shaping- If you’re having trouble shaping your balls, freeze the dough for 10 minutes before shaping.
- Binding- Some people like to add flour to the bolitas to ensure they don’t fall apart.
- Cooking- You can also cook these plantain balls by steaming them, frying or even air frying them.
- Make ahead- You can make the bolitas ahead by seasoning, shaping, and freezing. Then freeze them in a tray flat, once frozen you can store in a freezer bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should add these balls to your soup because are a great way to add more vegetables. Plus, your plantain balls will absorb the flavors you already have in your soup and will taste delicious. Another great benefit is that It helps to thicken your soup. This is done by releasing starch and tiny bits of plantain while they cook.
You can take two spoons and with the aid of each other make a small oval shape. With one spoon push the dough from the other spoon into your soup. You can also use a greased ice cream scoop or even fill a pastry bag with the plantain and pipe the dough into your soup.
More Plantain Recipes To Try
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Bolitas de Platano (Plantain dumplings)
Ingredients
- 1 green plantain
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sazón
Instructions
- Peel your plantain and cut it in half. This is for better handling. Now grate your plantain with a box grater using the smallest holes side. Add your salt and sazón to your plantain dough. Mix until you see a uniform color.
- First, put a couple of drops of oil onto your hands to avoid the dough from sticking to your hands. Take 2 scoops of a tablespoon of the dough and shape it into small balls. Freeze for 10 minutes so your dough can firm up
- After you take the balls out of your freezer immediately add them to your soup and cook for 15 minutes over high heat. If you are not making a soup you can still cook them. Just take a medium-sized pan over high heat, add water, and boil for 15 minutes or until firm. Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe Notes
- You can use a small blender or a food processor to grate the plantain just make sure that there are no clumps.
- Make the bolitas fairly the same size to ensure even cooking.
- When shaping the balls, grease whatever you’re using to avoid the dough from sticking.
- The serving size is 2 balls for each serving.
Stephenie says
Your welcome Hilda, freezing is great not only to avoid falling apart but also to save to make another time.
Hilda Johannes says
Thank you I never thought of freezing them so they don’t full a part after.