Kelewele

Name: Kelewele
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 plantains, ripe (yellow with black spots), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 1 fresh ginger, finely grated; 1 tsp cayenne / chilli powder; ¼ onion, grated (optional); 2 cloves, ground (optional); ¾ tsp salt; 750 ml neutral vegetable oil; 60 g roasted peanuts (optional)

Vegetarian

Cubes of ripe plantain tossed with fresh ginger, chilli and salt, then fried until caramelised and crisp at the edges. A classic Ghanaian evening street snack.

Kelewele is a Ghanaian street food, ready in about 45 minutes and made with plantain and fresh ginger. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Waakye, Kelewele & Fried Yaw — Representative photo. *Waakye,_Kelewele_&_Fried_Yaw.jpg: Mac-Jordan Degadjor / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Rest: 15 min
Total: 45 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 357

Ingredients

4 servings

4 (720 g) Plantains (opens in a new tab), ripe (yellow with black spots), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
1 (15 g) Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), finely grated
1 tsp (2 g) Cayenne / chilli powder (opens in a new tab)
¼ (28 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), grated (optional)
2 (0 g) Cloves (opens in a new tab), ground (optional)
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
750 ml Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)For deep-frying; about 60 g is absorbed.
60 g Roasted peanuts (opens in a new tab) (optional)Served alongside in Ghana.Contains peanuts

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Toss the plantain (opens in a new tab) with the ginger, cayenne, onion (opens in a new tab), ground cloves (opens in a new tab) and salt. Leave for 15 minutes.
- 5 min
- Grater (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Heat the oil to 175 °C and fry the plantain (opens in a new tab) in batches, stirring now and then, until deep golden-brown with darker caramelised edges.
- 15 min
- 175°C
- medium-high heat
- Wok (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Fry in small batches so the oil doesn't bubble over; never leave hot oil unattended.
3
Step 3
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, with roasted peanuts (opens in a new tab) if you like.
- 1 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Ghana · Commonly attributedMore food from Ghana
Dish: Snack · Street food · Finger food · Side dishes
Cooking method: Deep-fried, Marinated / cured
Taste: sweet & spicy, aromatic / warmly spiced, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Street food · Child-friendly
Cook more with: Plantain · Fresh ginger · Cayenne / chilli powder
Techniques: Deep-frying · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts

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

357 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 200 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 3%
Carbohydrate 61%
Fat 37%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	357 kcal	178 kcal
Protein	2.5 g	1.2 g
Carbohydrate	58.3 g	29.1 g
Net carbohydrate	55.1 g	27.5 g
Sugars	31.6 g	15.8 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.3 g	1.6 g
Fat	15.7 g	7.9 g
Saturated fat	1.1 g	0.6 g
Trans fat	0.1 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	445 mg	222 mg
Salt equivalent	1.1 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 902 mg
Calcium: 7 mg
Iron: 1.1 mg
Magnesium: 67 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 111 µg
Vitamin C: 34 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 41 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.
Optional ingredients are not included: onion, cloves, roasted peanuts.
“—” 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

Let the plantain sit in the spice mix for the full 15 minutes so the ginger flavours it through.

Common mistakes

Using green plantain — kelewele needs ripe, sweet fruit to caramelise.

Serve with

Serve with roasted peanuts, or as a side to red red or grilled fish.

Storage

Best eaten immediately.

Reheating

Re-crisp in a hot oven or air fryer.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. 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, ripe (yellow with black spots), peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes4 piece · 720 g
Fresh ginger, finely grated1 piece · 15 g
Roasted peanuts (optional)60 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

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