Aloko

Name: Aloko
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 4 plantains, very ripe, peeled, cut into 2 cm chunks; ¾ tsp salt; 600 ml neutral vegetable oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tomato, finely chopped; 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil

Vegetarian

Chunks of ripe plantain fried until caramelised and served with a sharp onion, tomato and chilli sauce. An Ivorian street snack, often eaten with grilled fish or a boiled egg.

Aloko is an Ivorian side dish from Côte d'Ivoire, ready in about 25 minutes and made with plantain and fresh red chilli. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Delicious crispy fried plantains served on a white plate, perfect for a tropical dish. — Photo: Snappr / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 356

Ingredients

4 servings

4 (720 g) Plantains (opens in a new tab), very ripe, peeled, cut into 2 cm chunks
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
600 ml Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)For frying; palm oil is also used. About 40 g is absorbed.Swap: Red palm oil

For the pepper sauce

1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
1 (120 g) Tomato (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
1 (6 g) Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 g) White vinegar (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (14 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Mix the onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab), chilli, vinegar, 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of the salt. Leave to mellow while you fry.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels
2
Step 2
Toss the plantain (opens in a new tab) with the remaining salt. Heat the frying oil to 175 °C.
- 6 min
- 175°C
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended.
3
Step 3
Fry the plantain (opens in a new tab) in batches until deep golden-brown and soft, 4–5 minutes. Drain and serve hot with the pepper sauce.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Côte d'Ivoire · Commonly attributedFried ripe plantain is eaten across West Africa; 'aloko' is the Ivorian name (from Baoulé), and Abidjan's Allocodrome is named after it.Also popular in Burkina Faso, Togo, BeninMore food from Côte d'Ivoire
Dish: Snack · Lunch · Dinner · Side dishes · Street food
Cooking method: Deep-fried
Taste: sweet, spicy (chilli heat), tangy
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Street food · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Plantain · Fresh red chilli · Onion · Tomato · White vinegar
Techniques: Deep-frying

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

356 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 257 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 3%
Carbohydrate 64%
Fat 33%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	356 kcal	138 kcal
Protein	2.9 g	1.1 g
Carbohydrate	61.3 g	23.8 g
Net carbohydrate	57.4 g	22.3 g
Sugars	33.6 g	13 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.9 g	1.5 g
Fat	14.1 g	5.5 g
Saturated fat	1 g	0.4 g
Trans fat	0.1 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	447 mg	174 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	0.4 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 993 mg
Calcium: 15 mg
Iron: 1.1 mg
Magnesium: 71 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 114 µg
Vitamin C: 41 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 50 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Plantains with plenty of black on the skin give the sweetest, most caramelised aloko.

Common mistakes

Overcrowding the oil — the temperature drops and the plantain turns greasy.

Serve with

Serve with grilled fish, a boiled egg, or alongside attiéké.

Storage

Best eaten freshly fried.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Plantain, very ripe, peeled, cut into 2 cm chunks4 piece · 720 g

Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

Garba
Ivorian · 35 min · 643 kcal
Attiéké with grilled fish
Ivorian · 1 h 15 min · 644 kcal
Kedjenou
Ivorian · 1 h 20 min · 583 kcal
Ndambé
Senegalese · 1 h 20 min · 391 kcal · Vegan