Costa Rican Caribbean Plantintá

Plantintá, also known as “plantain tart,” is a Caribbean-influenced turnover inherited from Afro-Caribbean culture, filled with a sweet ripe plantain paste spiced with cinnamon and vanilla.

It’s a traditional preparation from Limón province, the result of the cultural blend that characterizes Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast.

Costa Rican Caribbean Plantintá

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• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Costa Rican

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 60 ml of cold water
• 1/4 cup of margarine or lard (55 g)
• Flour for dusting the counter
• Fat for greasing the baking sheet

For the filling

• 2 ripe plantains, with peel
• Water for cooking the plantains
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar (60 g)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 5 g of ground cinnamon
• 5 g of nutmeg
• 5 ml of vanilla extract
• A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
• Water for brushing the edges

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Preparation

1. Cook the plantains, boil the ripe plantains with their peel on in the water until soft.
2. Peel and mash, peel them once warm and mash with a fork until you get a smooth puree.
3. Season the filling, add the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring, mixing well.
4. Make the dough, mix the flour with the salt and cold water, working in the margarine or lard at the end. Knead and let rest for a few minutes.
5. Roll out, roll out the dough with a rolling pin on the floured counter and cut small circles.
6. Fill, place a portion of the plantain filling in the center of each circle.
7. Close, brush the edges with water and fold into a turnover, sealing the edges and pricking with a fork.
8. Bake, place on a greased baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C / 350 °F for 30 minutes.
9. Serve, serve warm.

Tips for getting it right

• Cooking the plantains with the peel on helps them keep their natural flavor and moisture.
• The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and food coloring is what gives the filling its characteristic reddish color.
• Pricking the dough with a fork before baking keeps it from puffing up too much.
• Sealing the edges well keeps the filling from leaking out during baking.

Traditional variations

• It’s a recipe inherited from the Afro-Caribbean culture of Limón province.
• Some families use condensed milk instead of sugar for a creamier filling.

How to serve

Plantintá is served warm, as a snack or dessert, with coffee.

It’s a traditional preparation from Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, the result of the region’s cultural blend.

Recommended sides

• Coffee

Did you know?

Plantintá is also known as “plantain tart” in English, reflecting its Afro-Caribbean origin.

The filling gets its characteristic reddish color from the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and food coloring.