Rellenitos de plátano

Name: Rellenitos de plátano
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Guatemala
Ingredients: 6 very ripe plantains; 250 g cooked black beans, drained; 80 g soft brown sugar; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 pinch salt; 2 tbsp oil, for the bean paste; 500 ml vegetable oil, for frying; 60 g caster sugar, for coating

Local name: Rellenitos de plátano

Guatemalan fritters of mashed ripe plantain filled with sweetened black bean paste, fried and rolled in sugar.

Published on 22 April 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#dessert#plantain#black beans#fried#guatemala

Photo: Celina , CC BY-SA 4.0

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 60 min
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Medium

Method

Boil the plantains whole in their skins for 20 minutes, then peel and mash the flesh smooth.
Work the salt into the mash and let it cool until it handles without sticking.
Blend the black beans to a purée. Cook them in the oil with the brown sugar and cinnamon stick for 8 minutes.
Keep going until the paste pulls away from the pan. Lift out the cinnamon and let it cool.
Shape 12 balls of plantain mash, hollow each one, spoon in the bean paste and seal into an oval.
Fry the rellenitos at 170 °C for 3 minutes, turning them halfway.
Drain on kitchen paper and roll in caster sugar while they are still hot.

Sweet black beans surprise people on the first bite, but sugar and cinnamon turn their earthy flavour into something close to Asian red bean paste. The paste has to be stiff, or it escapes into the oil.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 498 kcal
Protein: 6.3 g
Fat: 13.2 g
Carbohydrate: 97 g
Fibre: 7.2 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

My rellenitos burst in the oil, why?

Either the bean paste was too wet, or the plantain mash was still warm and sticky. Cook the paste until it pulls away from the pan and let everything cool before shaping; then seal them carefully, leaving no crack.

Black beans in a dessert, really?

Yes, and it is disconcerting the first time. Cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon into a firm paste, they lose their earthy edge and come close to an Asian-style sweet bean paste.

Can I use less ripe plantains?

No, they must be very ripe: their sugar and softness are what make a mouldable mash. A firm plantain gives a dry, floury mass that cracks both when shaping and when frying.

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