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Paleo & AIP Plantain Taco Shells have only 3 nourishing ingredients — so they’re simple to make, delicious and better than corn! These tortillas are good for the body, gentle on the gut and beautiful for both Paleo and AIP diets.
This tortilla recipe is also Gluten-free, and Vegan, depending on the fat you choose.
Taco shells, when you haven’t eaten anything like them for (in our case) YEARS, are SUCH a pleasure. And everyone I know who’s eaten these taco shells prefers them to corn tortillas.
How is that even possible? I think it’s because they’re made with plantains, and plantains are awesome … And sometimes the foods allowed on restricted diets still happen to be the most awesome foods!
Jump to Recipe
Plantain taco shells were a big hit at a recent cookbook retreat I went on. I thought of my egg-free son and my Paleo kids, each with their own eating restrictions. And I came home to make them all a big taco feast. Now my only job is to keep making this dinner again and again and again. It’s on repeat. (This recipe, by the way, was created by one of the cookbook authors, Tiffany Firestone.)
Ingredients in Plantain Taco Shells
Just 3 ingredients:
- plantains — These should be medium-ripe: so yellow with brown spots.
- nourishing fat — Coconut oil, avocado oil or lard (for non-vegan) are three options.
- water — Water is used to blend the batter.
- sea salt — This one’s optional.
Wow, so easy! 🙂
How to make Plantain Taco Shells and tortillas
- Peel and chop plantains.
- Add them to the blender with fat, water and optional salt. Purée on low speed until you have a smooth batter.
- Scoop onto parchment lined baking sheet. Use the back of a wet spoon to smooth into thin tortilla shaped disks.
- Bake 10 minutes, then flip, and bake 5 minutes more. (In the recipe below, I give some added details.)
Serve, filled with yummy AIP Mexican Ground Beef or other favorite fillings.
What are some tips for great plantain tortillas?
After baking the tortillas, you have the option of draping them over your oven rack to crisp them up and dry 
them a bit, to create crisper taco shells. If you choose this option, just watch they don’t burn in the oven. Plantains are sensitive that way.
Enjoy all the topping options that your diet affords: fresh radishes, green or purple onions, fresh cilantro, wilted cabbage slaw, fresh lime juice etc.
Salsa when you’re AIP…
I know: with good seasoned meat, tortillas and fresh cilantro … the only thing you’re missing is salsa!
Now you can enjoy Nightshade-free Strawberry “Pico de Gallo” Salsa. This gorgeous treat goes perfectly on tacos, and you won’t miss the tomatoes.
Paleo & AIP Plantain Taco Shells (no corn; 3 ingredients!)
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 2 plantains medium ripe
- 4 Tablespoons oil lard, coconut oil, avocado oil etc.
- 4 Tablespoons water
- a few pinches sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove peel from plantain. Chop into small pieces.
- Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender or food processor, for about 60 seconds. You may have to stop the blender a few times, scrape down the sides, and blend again. I find that a low speed works best.
- Spoon ¼ cup of the batter at a time onto parchment paper. Use the back of a wet spoon to smooth out batter, and create round tortilla circles about 5 inches wide and ⅛ inch think. This will make about 8 5" tortillas.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip, and then bake an additional 5 minutes. (The easiest way to flip them is: Remove the parchment paper with tortillas sticking to them, and set aside. Line baking sheet with second sheet of parchment. Flip the first piece upside down onto it, with tortillas sticking to it. Then just slowly peel the top layer of parchment off the tortillas. They'll now be upside down and ready to bake for the second time.)
- You can enjoy them as soft taco shells, or make hard shell tacos by gently folding them into the shape of taco shells and hanging them over the oven rack, and baking an additional 4 minutes, or until firm. **Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.**
Nutrition
You can Pin this recipe here:
Carol @studiobotanica says
LOVE tacos! Will try these ~~ new territory: Plantains!! I’m sure they will be amazing!
Megan Stevens says
IKR, Carol? We didn’t used to eat them until we went Paleo, and I have an egg-free guy who loves them. But my whole family devours them. Plus they’re so versatile for baking.
linda spiker says
This is an amazing idea! I love these healthier alternatives to corn!
Megan Stevens says
Me too, Linda! (Now I just need a good sub for polenta!!)
Daniela Modesto says
This is so insanely genius! I want to run home and make them right now! What a fantastic alternative. I’m printing the recipe 🙂
Megan Stevens says
Great, Daniela! :))
Raia Torn says
Those shells look so delicious! I’ve never made anything with plantains before, now I want to… 😉
Megan Stevens says
Raia, I discovered plantains because they work really well with egg-free baking, and my boys LOVE them. So yeah, enjoy…especially with egg-free. 🙂
Lindsey Dietz says
I’m so excited about these! We can (happily) eat corn, but I’m always willing to try new things, especially healthier new things! And tacos are a favorite food for everyone in my house, so these will be a hit!
Megan Stevens says
Yay, awesome!! Enjoy!
Tessa@ Tessa the Domestic Diva says
love your pictures!! And I KNOW how amazing these little tacos are!
Megan Stevens says
Thank you, Tessa!! What fun we had, and it was so nice to meet you in person!! <3 xo!
Sophia A Hayes says
Hi Megan! These look amazing! How long do you think they will keep?
Megan says
Hi Sophia! 🙂 They can actually be frozen, so they keep well. But the recipe doesn’t make a huge amount, so you just may eat them all in one meal, if you have a helper. (2-4 servings, 8 small tacos)
Rita says
Hello! Omg I made these tonight and they are seriously so good! Better than any wraps I’ve tried- store bought or homemade. The plantain gives a slight sweetness and the wraps don’t fall apart when you eat them. I filled mine with grilled portobellos, peppers, onions, avocados, cashew sour cream etc. Well done!! The recipe is so simple and they were super easy to make.
Megan says
Yum!! Your fillings sound so good with the shells. I’m so glad you loved them, and thank you for sharing!! 🙂
Kiran Dodeja Smith says
These look amazing! I don’t do grains and try to avoid corn, so these are right up my alley. Can’t wait to try!
Jessica says
These are so clever. I love finding new ways to eat familiar foods. Can you tell me more about the texture and crunch? I’m excited to try these out…thanks for creating such a unique way to enjoy a familiar food!
Megan says
Hi Jessica, sure. So the first batch tortillas are soft and pliable. If you hang them over your oven shelves, they dry out more and become a little chewier and crunchier, but they’re still soft. Thanks for your sweet comment! 🙂
Becky says
This is absolutely delicious. First time since going AIP that I don’t miss taco shells. I will definitely make this again. Hardest part was waiting patiently for them to come out of the oven!
Megan says
Great! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
katherine says
Could these be made with plantain flour, Megan? Thanks!
Megan says
Hi Katherine, I haven’t tried that, and not without adding water or other ingredients. Plantain flour is dehydrated, whereas whole plantains get pureed in this recipe. They have more water content etc. It’s possible to create taco shells out of plantain flour, but I haven’t tweaked this recipe with that variation to know if and how to make it work.
Sarah says
Would plantain flour work? Not sure were i got it ,but I have a bag?.
Megan says
Hi Sarah, no, unfortunately not.
Alex says
What a lovely recipe!
Wondering if we can customize it to VAD with medium-ripe bananas instead of plantains?
Megan says
Thank you! Sadly, no. I don’t think it will work. Plantains are much starchier, so I don’t think bananas will work here. Can you guys tolerate tapioca flour or psyllium husk?
Alex says
Hello Megan,
Not tapioca for us since my daughter cannot have potatoes per Dr. Zeff. We seem to tolerate psyllium. Should we add psyllium to the bananas to make the batter more starchy?
Megan says
Hi Alex, yes, it wouldn’t add starch, but it would add stretch, kind of like gluten. You’d need to play a bit to create the right ratio: add both a little psyllium and some water, and see how it goes. After adding those, allow about 5 minutes for the batter to thicken more, so it should start out slightly thinner than seems ideal. I’d love to hear how it goes if you figure it out.
Alex says
Thanks, Megan! We will experiment. Very much appreciate your advice on all the questions.
Megan says
Great, and happy to help!
Deborah Lee says
Made these last night and they were yummy! I was thinking of putting the leftover ones on a hot griddle to warm them up. What do you think?
Megan says
Great, Deborah, so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 Yes, I think that’s fine. I would slowly heat them on the griddle, personally. Or start on medium-high heat, and then lower to low heat to heat them through.
Nicole says
Wow – I’m going to try these! Is it possible to freeze these?
Megan says
I think you could. I’d layer with parchment, and then into a freezer container. Then defrost separately, reheat the same way they cooked. 🙂
Colleen says
This recipe looks delicious!! I was wondering about the calorie content, is it 466 calories for 1 tortilla or the whole batch? Thanks in advance:)
Megan says
Thanks, Colleen! The whole batch; thanks for clarifying!
leah says
I have never commented on a recipe before. This recipe is so amazing. My husband loved it. It is a wonderful addition to doing the Whole 30 – eating something handheld just feels great after so much cauliflower rice and meat. These are fairly easy to make. I made a large batch so that we could heat them in a pan for a couple of dinners for the week. Seriously, so good. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Megan says
Hi Leah, so great to hear! YAY! Thanks for sharing your experience, and I’m so happy the recipe is helping you feel satisfied and successful on Whole30. 🙂