Did you try our 1-Bowl Easy Black Beans from Scratch yet?
If not, do it now! It’s the perfect time to put those gorgeous black beans to use in this EASY, 10-ingredient Roasted Plantain Black Bean Bowl!
The base of this bowl is rice and beans, but the real star of the show in our opinion is the plantains, which are tossed in coconut oil and sea salt and roasted to perfection at high heat. The result is plantains that are crispy and caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside, and they pair perfectly with the savory, spicy flavors in this bowl.
About Plantains
Plantains are grown and enjoyed in many tropical regions around the world, especially in the Caribbean, Latin America, and West Africa. They are a relative of the banana, but tend to be larger and starchier. Mmmm, starch.
They can be consumed when green (unripe) or yellow (ripe). But in this recipe, we recommend ripe, yellow, spotty plantains for best results. Because that’s when they’re most sweet!
For serving, the sky is the limit when it comes to toppings. In addition to the easy 2-ingredient cabbage slaw, we went for ripe avocado, lime juice, cilantro, and this AMAZING 5-ingredient Habanero Hot Sauce.
It’s super spicy, so watch out. If you’re not up for something spicy, stick with lime juice and guac!
We hope you all LOVE this bowl! It’s:
Hearty
Flavorful
Savory + Sweet
Satisfying
Fiber- + Protein-rich
Easy to make
& SO freakin’ delicious
This would make the perfect meal when you need to feed yourself or your family and friends with something hearty and healthy quick! Once the beans are cooked (or you use canned), your cook time is 30 minutes at most for the rice, which means it’s on the table fast!
If you’re into vegan bowls, also be sure to check out our Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls, Smoky Tempeh Burrito Bowls, Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl, Chickpea Quinoa Buddha Bowl, and Greek Goddess Bowl!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Black Bean Plantain Vegan Bowl
Ingredients
PLANTAINS
- 4 large plantains (ripe // yellow with brown spots), peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch rounds)
- 1.5 Tbsp coconut oil (sub maple syrup or water if avoiding oil)
- 1 pinch sea salt
RICE + BEANS
- 4 cups brown or white rice (or sub cauliflower rice* for grain-free), cooked*
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans (slightly drained)
- Sea salt to taste
- Ground cumin + chili powder (optional)
SLAW*
- 3 cups finely shredded green or purple cabbage
- 1 cup finely chopped green onion
TOPPINGS (optional)
- Guacamole (or ripe avocado)
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Chimichurri
- Salsa
- Roasted Beet Relish
- Habanero Hot Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and arrange plantains on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Prepare brown or white rice according to package instructions. See my preferred methods in notes.
- Prepare beans by warming homemade or store-bought beans on the stovetop in a small saucepan and adding salt as needed to taste. Optional: Season with ground cumin and chili powder to taste. Heat over medium heat. Then, once bubbling, reduce to a simmer to keep warm.
- Toss plantains with oil (or maple syrup/water) and salt and toss to combine. Then bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and slightly caramelized. Set aside.
- Prepare slaw by adding shredded cabbage and chopped green onion to a mixing bowl and tossing to combine (see notes for more flavorful slaw option). Prepare any other desired toppings at this time, such as sauce of choice, avocado or guacamole, or fresh cilantro.
- To serve, layer rice, beans, plantains, vegetable slaw, and any other desired toppings or sauces. We went with habanero hot sauce, lime wedges, avocado, and cilantro.
- Best when fresh, though leftovers keep stored separately in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Video
Notes
*Find our cauliflower rice recipe here.
*Find our new and improved CITRUSY Cabbage Slaw here! Mayo-free and pairs perfectly with this dish.
*As the recipe is written, nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1/4 avocado and the oil but without optional ingredients or sauces.
*Prep/cook time includes cooking rice, warming cooked beans, cooking plantains, and assembling bowls.
Cornelia S. Guest says
Lime, too.
Cornelia S. Guest says
Delicious. Used kidney beans and garnished with avocado and pickled onions. Yum!
Yum! Thank you for sharing, Cornelia! xo
Rebecca says
This was really good. I made the plantain with the coconut oil, salt, AND maple syrup and they were awesome. I didn’t have red cabbage so I made the black beans with lime, cumin, chili and Mexican onion. I served it all with a sweet chili sauce. Sooo yummy!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Rebecca!
Dasha says
I was searching for the vegan recipe including plantains and discovered this website. Love it so much now! My boyfriend and I we eat meat but we are trying to reduce its consumption. There are sooo many interesting vegan recipes and all I tried came out sooo delicious! I don’t really want to eat meat or dairies anymore…
We’re so glad you’re enjoying our recipes, Dasha! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Sophie says
I just made this and it’s great! I fried the plantains instead of baking, and I didn’t do the slaw but did include avocado. I love plantains, especially with black beans and rice so this recipe is perfect! Thank you so much!
Yay! Love your modifications too, Sophie. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Justin says
I love this recipe and use it for lunches often! I do have a question though. I cook the plantains in the oven on parchment paper atop a large cookie sheet. The past few times the they have really stuck to the parchment paper and I’ve had to throw almost half of them out because they have stuck so bad. Do you recommend oiling the parchment paper before putting the plantain slices on them or using another tactic so they won’t stick? I also drizzle maple syrup and coconut oil on them so that may make them stickier and harder to come off? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Justin, we’re so glad you enjoy it! We wonder if it’s the type of parchment paper you are using? You could try oiling the parchment, but it really shouldn’t stick. We use “If You Care” brand parchment baking sheets and haven’t had any issues.
Ann says
My family and I love this recipe! Made the slaw with green onions. Used home cooked black beans and added the cumin and chili powder. Cooked with brown rice which is all we use. 1st time baking plantains and they were delicious! One was slightly green but still baked up great! I am so happy to have such an easy, quick recipe-thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Ann! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Tari says
We had this last night and it was delicious. I had bought yellow plantains for this, but I still let them ripen 4-5 more days to get spots and I baked them a little longer to brown up more. I made your Citrusy Slaw, black beans from soaked dry beans, brown rice, avocado and some leftover spicy red sauce we had from another plantain dish. I like that this recipe is versatile. I want to try your Magic Green Sauce & beet relish next time. I love your recipes, but I do find it takes me longer to make them. I must be a slow cook. lol
I love to use my Instant Pot (I cooked both beans and rice in mine, separately though) and would love to see your creative flare with IP recipes.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tari! Stay tuned for more Instant Pot recipes =)
Jess says
I feel like I found the best time saving hack(s) for this recipe – I use the regular Plantain Chips from Trader Joes and sometime frozen brown rice to make this so much faster to pull together! I have bought fresh plantains for this a few times and it’s so hard to judge when they’re ready – sometimes I’ve waited over a week for them to ripen past green! Really throws off the meal plan so I switched to the chips. I haven’t tried this with the Jerk Plantain Chips, but that could be good too.
Thanks for sharing, Jess! We find it’s best to buy plantains that are already yellow with black spots whenever possible as sometimes the green ones are picked too soon and don’t ripen properly.
Bea says
I LOVE how you use plantains on your recipes! In our Venezuelan cuisine plantain is very popular. We use them in different ways. When I see them on your recipes it warms my heart because it reminds me how I grew up seeing plantains on most of our meals. ❤️It is not a secret anymore!!!
Aw, we’re so glad to hear that, Bea! Thanks for sharing!
Odie says
Me too Bea. Plantains remind me of my mother’s cooking and the food from the Caribbean. Love plantains in any manner, but especially tostones. Can’t wait to try this receipt but now I have to go get the yellow ones with black spots. A special thank you to the MinimalistBaker for all the cooking tips and hacks!
Aw, love that! Thanks for sharing, Odie!
Sarah D. says
This was simple, fast and delicious.
We already had brown rice made & red cabbage chopped up,so all we had to do was prep some of the fresh ingredients (we did limes, avocado, and cilantro), heat up the black beans (so easy) and fry the plantains.
We did the sliced plantains over the stovetop so that the kitchen didn’t get so hot and they turned out great!!
This was simple, delicious, and enjoyed fully! We have added it to our recipe book of favorites :)
As always- thanks again for great tasting meals to follow!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Meg says
Honestly, probably one of the best things I’ve eaten in a LONG time. This is the third of your recipes I made this week :)
So kind! Thanks, Meg!
Tommy Paley says
Hi, am excited to make this tomorrow. I have dried black beans and I’m wondering how much to make.
Thanks!
Hi Tommy, 2 cans yields ~3 cups beans (maybe a little more). So that would be about 1 cup (or a little more) of dried beans. Hope that helps!
Kait says
I made this for dinner tonight and the flavors were a refreshing change from what we have been cooking recently. We will definitely be adding this into the weeknight rotation. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Kait!
Diana Delgado says
I’m half Puerto Rican/half Dominican living in a Belgium, so this made me miss the Caribbean a bit less. I made this dish today and I absolutely loved it! I pickled the cabbage with a bit of salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar and it was a very nice touch! Thanks so much for all your recipes!
So lovely! Thanks for sharing, Diana!
Anne says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a great combination of flavors! I sauteed the plantains instead of baking them because it’s too hot to turn on the oven right now, and they were delicious! I will definitely make this again!
Brigitte says
This was easy to make and will likely end up in our recipe rotation. We had it with homemade tomatillo salsa verde which I’m having a hard to find use for. It was splendid with this dish!
Thanks, Brigitte!
nicola says
Made this last night, easy & delicious! A hit with the family!
Katherine Duckett says
We made this last night and it will definitely be in our rotation of dinners! So good! Love eating something the is delicious and so good for me. The plantains came out beautifully just as directed. I cooked my brown rice in the instant pot with coconut milk and lime juice, and topped the bowls with pickled red onions and cilantro avocado cashew cream. I also threw in a little sautéed kale for some greens (gotta check all the boxes in Dr. Gregors Daily Dozen). Thank you Dana for always having exactly what I am looking for!
Angela says
Hello,
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I am curious to know if you have any ideas on spicing up the ‘slaw’ with a dressing or something. I have been trying to figure out what I could do differently so that it was not just cabbage and green onions. Figured it would hurt to ask the expert! Any thoughts?
Thanks
Elizabeth Hyatt says
This is good for me. I like to eat things that are good for me. So many nutrients, so filling and energizing. This just so happens to also be truly delicious and actually easy to make. It’s so simple and it’s so good. Thannnnkk you!
Fleur Gibson says
Could I use bananas instead of plantain?
Hi Fleur! I personally wouldn’t recommend that, but it *is* the closest match to plantains. I’d think sweet potato would be a better substitute.
Danielle P. says
I bought a dozen discounted plantains this morning and was so happy to find this super simple recipe to roast them! I’ll be making trying it for dinner tonight :-)
Yay! We hope you love it, Danielle!
Danielle P. says
It was fabulous! I tried the maple syrup version last night and will be making the coconut oil version tonight!
Heather says
I made this for the first time tonight, def won’t be the last! I have never made plantains before, this was so easy! I forgot to buy red cabbage, so just threw in green onions. Yum! I also doctored up the beans with Lizano and Cholula sauces which I know is kind of cheating but I was improvising a bit. The next time I make this I will make the hot sauce but if you’re feeling lazy cooking hot sauce in the beans for about 15 mins is a good way to cheat! I love this website so much !!!! I love the simplicity which ends up being the most delicious and I never miss meat because the recipes are so well balanced.
Brady says
I enjoyed this recipe, the plantains added a really interesting dimension! I mixed in nutritional yeast and enchilada sauce to my rice/bean mixture, and it tasted great. One rec may be to flip the plantain coins halfway through, mine totally browned on one side.
Andrea says
Made this recipe and it’s definitely on the favorite list now! It left me inspired to find more plantain recipes. We topped with avocado, lime, and fresh made chimichurri. SO GOOD. Thank you for such amazing recipes – anytime someone mentions plant based eating, I rave about your blog.
Allison Miera says
This was amazing! So flavorful and pretty fast to make. I made it with your chimichurri sauce and it was amazing! My boyfriend loved and it and so did his friend! There are no left overs haha. Thank you!
Natalie says
This is a 5 star recipe!! I made it tonight and I was a little nervous because my plantains were a bit green but they still tasted great! I added a bit of red quinoa to my brown rice and topped with a rather unlady-like drizzle of sriracha (because I didn’t have the fixins for the sauce)!! DELICIOUS! I will be eating this for the next 2 weeks, thanks SO MUCH!!
Thanks, Natalie!
Delina says
great blog
Allie says
OMG! This was out of this world good! I did a rice and quinoa mix. The homemade chimichurri sauce is a MUST as an addition. This was probably the best clean eating bowl I’ve made yet. I’ll be making it on a regular basis. Thank you! ❤️
Yay! We’re so glad to hear it, Allie!
Madison says
Great meal! Didn’t realize how much I liked plantains. I used canned beans and added the cumin and chili powder, but next time I think I will make the beans from scratch. Thanks for the recipe!
Kara says
This was so good!! I topped it with your chipotle aioli and it was perfect. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Allie M says
Loved this recipe it was super easy plus delicious, side note all week I have been trying to make brown rice (trying to get away from white rice) it either comes out too soft or under cooked and the way you suggested to do the brown rice was perfect! I also made the habenro sauce that sucker was spicy I only needs a drop or two but still amazing.
But my question is, my plantains came out dry and stiff. I used maple syrup instead of coconut oil What could have went wrong?
Hi Allie! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe! Regarding your plantains, it sounds like they may have been underripe. Next time, ensure they are ripe, and you’ll find that it makes a huge difference in texture. Hope this helps!
Ami says
Wow! This dish is amazing. Made this as I had all ingredients handy and I will be making this dish a dinner staple. Thank you
Jen says
I made this with beans from scratch (made in an instant pot), and chimichurri (fabulous!!). I used a different slaw recipe but aside from that I stuck to your version. It was delicious! The plantains took longer than fifteen minutes to roast for me, but they were great when done…I then made the mistake of letting them sit in the turned off but still warm oven for a bit after they were roasted though, and this really dried them out…don’t make the same mistake I did!
On another note, I love the new comment/review sorting tabs! And on a last note, I have to say I am stoked to see an entire homepage of recipes that aren’t focussed on chickpeas or sweet potatoes…as a long time follower of your site i had to take a bit of a break as I found that the recipes were starting to get a bit repetative….that being said, everything I make from here is delicious, just personally needed a bit more diversity of choice. Thanks for all you do!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jen! We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Abril says
Funny, this is a typical vegan “casado” or everyday meal here in Costa Rica, just with fancier cooking methods. I love it! We also like to add “pico de gallo”, diced tomatoes with onion and fresh coriander.
Aesja says
Oh. My. Gosh. This was so good! I just made this and ate it for lunch, and I throughly enjoyed it! I used homemade pico de gallo instead of habanero sauce, water instead of coconut oil, and spring mix since I didn’t have cabbage. This is definitely going into the rotation; it’s so flavorful, simple, and filling. Your website has been a life saver since my brother and I went vegan and we’ve made so many of your recipes but never left reviews! Haha thank you so much for the awesome recipes!
Yay! We’re so glad to hear our recipes have been a help for you and your brother! :D
Cori Moen says
Just made this for ME tonight for a lonely dinner as my husband is out of town. I have celiac disease as of two years ago and he is super comfortable with the eating. But Vegan? Not so much. I want a Vegan day a week to start…you’d think I was a mass murderer in his window or something. I bet this would turn him. This is freaking delicious!!!!!!!!
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Cori!
Ang says
Im curious where you bought plantains… I’ve been to Trader Joe’s and vitamin cottage and they don’t have them and suggested bananas which is not the same thing obviously.
Ang says
Never mind!! Finally found them at a Whole Foods!
Ang
Karen Alvarez-Delfin says
Any Latin market should have plantains.
Blaire says
Hi! I made this– it was pretty good! I topped with a tahini dressing and hot sauce, and when I ran out of plantains a fried egg was a nice addition! Speaking of plantains, mine stuck like crazy to the parchment! I recommend greasing the parchment if you want to eat the delicious caramelized plantain bottoms!
Strange! Perhaps the coconut oil is more important for plantains? I’ve found in general they tend not to stick. Thanks for sharing!
Blaire Pingeton says
Just an update! I tried them again and greased the parchment paper, and they still stuck, but definitely less so! I used olive oil instead of coconut only because my coconut oil was solid and I didn’t feel like dirtying another dish to soften it.
Samantha says
Good morning,
I’m having trouble downloading your 20 fan favorites ebook. I’ve sent it to both of my emails multiple times, and it’s not in my promotions tab, inbox or spam folder. Can you possibly help me out? Your recipes are awesome and I just bought your print cookbook.
Thank you!
Hi Samantha! Thanks for reaching out. If you can send an email to support@minimalistbaker.com we’d be happy to help!
Sarah | Well and Full says
Um WHEN is the Minimalist Baker restaurant going to open?? I would pay exorbitant amounts of money to eat this bowl, made by you, and all your other recipes. Just sayin’. ;)
Cori Moen says
I agree. Maybe not exorbitant but a pretty penny!!! Do it.
Christina says
This looks so good. I’ve never had plantains, I can’t wait to try this!
Malena says
Love it! This is the vegan version of my national dish, called pabellón criollo! You are only missing an Arepa! Which by the way is also vegan/gluten free! You should try them!
Yes! Love arepas. Perhaps for a future recipe :D
Jack Smith | BBQRecipez.com says
I love plantains! Can’t wait to try this recipe ♥️
Summer says
I just wanted to say: “thank you” you are so creative! Your recipes are so delicious and extremely healthy. So satisfying to any pallet. You are so awesome.
Lovely! Thanks Summer!
John says
Excellent dish! We thoroughly enjoyed the bowl. I added kernel corn to the beans. It was so nice to have a different meal on a Monday. I will be making this meal part of my family roster! Thanks for sharing your creativity.
thanks for sharing!
Liz says
So can I use bananas?
I personally wouldn’t recommend that, but it *is* the closest match to plantains. I’d think sweet potato would be a better substitute.
Xochi Kaplan says
Hi! This looks amazing, will try very soon.
Just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for all your delicious recipes. I’ve recently gone vegan and you and your website have made it a very easy and incredibly delicious transition.
Keep up the yummy work!
so kind! Thanks for sharing. Hope love this one!
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
Wow, look at all these beautiful colors! Plantains are absolutely delicious, especially when caramelized with cinnamon. I do like the combination of black beans and brown rice a LOT, but I’ve never tried the two with plantains. This would taste so wonderful on a warm spring day for lunch!
Anne says
What is the sauce that you are showing with it?
Anne says
I see it now – it’s the Habanero Hot Sauce!
rosemaree cunningham says
Hi Dana,
Can you suggest a good substitute for the plantains, as I have tried but cannot source them in Western Australia.
Zachary says
Rosemaree,
Since plantains are a little on the starchy side, I would suggest using something like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or you favorite starchy root vegetable. You could roast them in a similar fashion. They all would work nicely in this situation.
Cheers!
Great recommendation! Thanks, Zachary.
Wendy says
Ask for bananas. ??? Ps. I can’t wait to try this recipe! Sounds amazing!
GIOVANNA says
BANANAS
Shannon says
I think you made a mistake with your rice tips. It says bring 10 cups of water to a boil for 1 cup of brown rice!
That’s not a mistake, actually! It’s my preferred method from Saveur! https://www.saveur.com/perfect-brown-rice-recipe
Nicole says
This brown rice tip was life-changing!!! Thank you!!
Frankie Leftwich says
I am so glad I learned how to cook brown rice with a lot of water. It is so much fluffier. Hard to believe I have been cooking rice and making it sticky with less water. Great idea with the 10 cups of water. I don’t even measure it I just put a pan full of water on to boil and then add the rice.
Kaylee says
its not a mistake. she’s talking about a “boil” method, like when you cook pasta, most of the time its boiled in a lot of water. thats why she said, DRAIN and serve :) most people try to make brown rice using the taditional rice method which is by absorption, with closely equivalent grain to water ratios but its actually harder to get it right that way with brown rice. the boiling method they’re talking about is way better for brown rice!
Leona says
Thank you, your comment is very helpful! I can’t wait to try it.
Mina says
I have a really stupid question. If you heat canned beans on the stove, so you heat them with the liquid from the can? I’m so used to draining and rinsing canned beans…..
You can, but I prefer to drain them mostly so there isn’t much liquid left. Good luck!
Sharon says
I actually make creamy black beans all the time using this method a la Orangette: http://orangette.net/2015/03/the-bean-doctor/. Cook down canned black beans and liquid altogether with hot sauce and garlic, and sub coconut oil for the butter to make it vegan. Really good and it’s like quick coconut-y refried black beans! I think that would be great in this bowl–which looks delicious by the way :)
Allison says
Looks awesome! Thanks!