This Plantain Salad With Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing is the ultimate flavorful and filling summer salad. It is full of flavorful sweet plantains, high-protein black beans and quinoa, creamy avocado, and so much more! This plantain salad recipe is the perfect flavorful salad to try when you need to mix it up!
Plantains are one of my favorite foods. I love fried plantain, sweet plantain, and even green plantain!
My go-to meal using plantains is my Sweet And Spicy Vegan Kabobs! As much as I love that recipe, I need a lazy way to enjoy my favorite food. This plantain salad is the best of both worlds; it's delicious and super easy to make!
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Jump to:
- Ingredients For This Plantain Salad:
- How To Make This Plantain Salad:
- Easy Substitutions:
- Plantain Salad Variations:
- What You Will Need To Make This Plantain Salad:
- How To Store This Plantain Salad:
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Related Recipes That Use Plantains:
- Plantain Salad With Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Recent Salad Recipes:
Ingredients For This Plantain Salad:
Although this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, it's actually incredibly simple to make. These ingredients are available at almost all grocery stores and are super affordable.
For The Plantains:
- Ripe Plantains - It is crucial to use ripe plantains and not green plantains. Green plantain contains much more starch and therefore is much chewier. Ripe plantains are naturally sweet and soft when cooked.
- Smoked Paprika - Smoked paprika is one of my favorite spices. It adds a deep smoky flavor to whatever you make. I think that the smoky flavor adds the perfect flavor to the sweet ripe plantains.
- Garlic Powder - Is there anything that doesn't taste good with garlic powder? I love adding garlic powder to everything I roast.
- Onion Powder - Just like garlic powder, I love adding onion powder to anything I roast.
- Cayenne Pepper - This ingredient is completely optional. If you like spicy food, add it, if not, feel free to omit it.
For The Salad:
- Romaine - Feel free to use any green. I love using leafy greens like spring mix in this salad for a nutrient boost.
- Cherry Tomatoes - You can use any variety of tomatoes, however, I always prefer using small tomatoes like the cherry in salads, because they don't cause the rest of the salad to get soggy.
- Quinoa - Is one of my favorite whole grains to use in recipes, because it is full of fiber, and a complete protein. Brown rice, or millet also works great in this recipe.
- Black Beans - Any bean variety works great in this plantain salad. However, I love using black beans. If you're not a fan of beans, you can also use tempeh, or tofu for a plant-based protein option.
- Avocado - This is optional since the cilantro lime dressing is avocado-based, but who doesn't love extra avocado?
- Corn - You can use fresh corn on the cobb, or you can use frozen, canned corn for a quicker option.
- Red Onion - You can use any onion variety. I love using red onions because they contain extra antioxidants.
For The Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- Avocado - One of my favorite oil-free dressing bases. Avocados are naturally high in healthy fats but are also high in fiber and macronutrients which make them a great option for plant-based salad dressings.
- Lime Juice - Make sure that you juice fresh limes, and don't use pre-made lime juice. Pre-made lime juice is often full of artificial ingredients and preservatives. Do yourself a favor and use nature's best: fresh limes!
- Cilantro - Adds the perfect flavor and extra nutrients.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make This Plantain Salad:
This Plantain Salad is my go-to salad because it's so easy and so delicious. It uses simple ingredients and requires hardly any cooking.
- Begin by preheating the oven to 400. While the oven is preheating, cut the plantains into rounds. Place the sliced plantains on a baking sheet and top with the spices. Toss the plantain slices with the spices and ensure that everything is evenly coated. Place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the plantains are in the oven, cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the remaining vegetables (if using fresh corn make sure to boil it at this point). Dice the onion and avocado, cut the cherry tomatoes in halves, and the corn vertically.
- Roughly chop the romaine and add to a large bowl. Strain and rinse the black beans and add to the bowl. Add all the fresh vegetables and plantains and quinoa.
- Make the cilantro lime dressing by combining all ingredients together in a blender and blending until smooth.
- Pour the avocado cilantro lime dressing over the salad ingredients in the large bowl and toss. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Easy Substitutions:
This plantain salad recipe is so great because there are so many easy substitutions that can be made to it if needed.
- Protein - You can substitute the black beans for a variety of proteins. I personally love using black-eyed peas, however, tempeh, tofu, or any bean will work great as well.
- Acidity - If you forgot to pick up limes, you can use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as a 1:1 substitute. Although it will not have quite as perfect of a flavor, it'll still work great!
- Onion - Any onion variety will work.
Plantain Salad Variations:
Salads are great because you can play around with the recipe so much. I love adding new ingredients to this salad whenever I make it!
- Fried - Fried plantain is fantastic. However, it's not traditionally very healthy. Although I don't recommend frying the plantains, you can bake them with olive oil or coconut oil to achieve a fried plantain taste.
- Spicy Plantain Salad - Adding some red pepper flakes to the avocado cilantro lime dressing and cayenne to the plantains is a great way to kick the spice level up a notch. You can also add hot peppers like jalapenos to the dressing.
- Banana - You can also make this recipe using green bananas or burro bananas for a different variation.
- Sweet Potato - If I am not in the mood for plantains, I sometimes make this salad using sweet potatoes. This adds a beautiful array of colors.
What You Will Need To Make This Plantain Salad:
This plantain salad recipe is perfect because it doesn't require a lot of equipment, and it's super easy to make.
- Chefs Knife - You will need a sharp knife to prepare all the fresh vegetables.
- Cutting Board - It's best to have a thick wooden cutting board, however, any cutting board will work.
- Baking Sheet - You will need a baking sheet to bake the plantains.
- Medium Saucepan - You will need a saucepan big enough to cook the quinoa in.
- Large Bowl - A large salad bowl is needed to toss and serve the salad in.
As always you can find all my go-to equipment on my Amazon storefront or my affiliate page.
How To Store This Plantain Salad:
This plantain salad is not something I would recommend storing for too long. Just like most salads, this salad can become a little soggy if it is stored in the fridge for extended periods of time.
If you use firm plantains it will keep better than sweet plantains, because they aren't as soft and mushy to begin with. Either way, I recommend storing the salad in an airtight container, and, if possible, waiting to put the dressing on top until right before eating. I wouldn't recommend storing this salad for more than 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Trying to find the perfect plantain can be quite tricky. If they're not ripe, they can be super starchy, like a potato. This is not all bad, I do love an under-ripe green plantain, however, for this Plantain Salad recipe, it's important to use perfectly ripe sweet plantains.
Unlike some other fruits and vegetables, plantains can be very tricky to tell if they're ripe or not. Ripe plantains don't appear ripe, they actually appear almost rotten. You can tell if a plantain is ripe by looking for black spots. You want the plantain to be mostly covered in black spots and look like it has had a rough beating.
When you open a ripe plantain it will be soft, but not soft like a banana. It should still be firm but have a little give to it.
If you've had plantains before, there's a good chance the plantains you had were fried. Frying plantain is the most common way to cook plantains. It sure is delicious, however, it is not the healthiest way to prepare plantains.
If you generally like to avoid unhealthy oils like canola oil like me, I recommend trying out different healthier ways to eat plantains. My favorite way to cook plantains is with the air fryer. The air-fryer creates the perfect crispy outside, and a warm creamy inside. The only issue with cooking plantains in the air fryer is that sometimes ripe plantains can get super sticky, and they're hard to remove from the air fryer.
My second favorite healthy way to cook plantains is with silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats preserve the lovely textures of foods without anything sticking. The food still gets crispy as if it were being baked with oil, but it is a completely oil-free method!
Plantains may look just like a banana, but they are very different. Unlike a banana, it is not common to eat plantains raw, especially unripe plantains. Technically you can eat a ripe plantain raw, however, it is not recommended. Plantains are a starchy food much like a potato, and the sweetness of the plantains does not develop until they are very ripe. Therefore if you do decide to try plantains raw, I recommend waiting until they are super ripe.
Related Recipes That Use Plantains:
Love plantains, but don't know what to do with them? Try these recipes!
Plantain Salad With Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
For The Plantains:
- 4-6 plantains depending on size
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne optional
For The Salad:
- ½ red onion
- 1 avocado
- 3 cobbs corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 box
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 3 heads romaine
- 1 can black beans
For The Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 1 avocado
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup cilantro
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 400. While the oven is preheating, cut the plantains into rounds. Place the sliced plantains on a baking sheet and top with the spices. Toss the plantain slices with the spices and ensure that everything is evenly coated. Place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the plantains are in the oven, cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the remaining vegetables (if using fresh corn make sure to boil it at this point). Dice the onion and avocado, cut the cherry tomatoes in halves, and the corn vertically.
- Roughly chop the romaine and add to a large bowl. Strain and rinse the black beans and add to the bowl. Add all the fresh vegetables and plantains and quinoa.
- Make the cilantro lime dressing by combining all ingredients together in a blender and blending until smooth.
- Pour the avocado cilantro lime dressing over the salad ingredients in the large bowl and toss. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recent Salad Recipes:
Looking for more delicious vegan salad recipes? Try these salads!
Holly
Wow, what a salad! The plantains are amazing and totally bring it all together. And the presentation - gorgeous!
Natalie
This salad is something everyone must try! So many colors, so healthy with amazing flavors, wow!
Tina
What an amazing salad! I've never thought of adding plantains to a salad...so good!!
Juliette
This vegan plantain salad looks wonderful, full of fresh and delicious flavours with a creamy avocado lime dressing. Thank you.
Jess
This salad is both beautifully and delish
Andrea
this plantain salad turned out so so delicious! the plantains really bring everything together!
eileen
I never bought or ate a plantain
Is there anything I need to know before buying?
Thank You
Katie
They're the best! Check out the "How to tell if a plantain is ripe" section! Aside from that they're pretty straight forward.
nancy
now i wonder why i haven't made anything with Plantains before. this Plantain Salad is life!
Jacqui
I love this recipe! It’s one of my favorite things to make during the week now.
nancy
i rarely make Plantains but I think things will change now that I have this receip. So delicious and satisfying
Tavo
The Plantain Salad with Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing is an absolute delight, capturing the essence of fresh, vibrant flavors perfectly. The richness of the plantains complemented by the creamy avocado and tangy lime dressing, offers a harmonious burst of taste, making each bite a delightful experience.