Tostones de pana are delicious fritters made from pana, which is called breadfruit in English, pana or panapén in Spanish, and Ulu in Hawaii’s native language. The tostones de pana are fried, smashed, and fried again to make a flat fritter that’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

They can be eaten on their own as a snack, or can be served with a wide variety of foods, from soups and stews to roasted meats, and much more. I ate the tostones de pana with ensalada de pulpo, a Puerto Rican-style octopus salad, which you can get my recipe for here. I used pre-cooked tinned octopus that’s soaked in olive oil for a quick version that’s also very tender. You can buy the tinned octopus online here.

The most common version of tostones, also known as patacones, are made with green plantains. Get my recipe for those here. Tostones de plátano are also eaten with a broad range of foods and can accompany dishes like fried red snapper (also known as chillo or pargo rojo) or pollo guisado, a Puerto Rican style stewed chicken dish. 

What is pana or breadfruit?

Pana, also known as breadfruit, is a tropical fruit that’s native to the tropical regions in Asia, and has been naturalized around the tropical world, especially in the Caribbean and the surrounding tropical regions in the Americas. Breadfruit are commonly eaten in countries like Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and Jamaica. It’s also common in Hawaii where it’s known as Ulu. Pana can be boiled, fried (like these tostones de pana), or even made into breads, cakes, and desserts. 

There’s even breadfruit flour, which you can buy here. It’s a delicious gluten-free flour. When pana cooks, it has a delightfully fragrant smell similar to freshly baked bread. And it’s as healthy as it is delicious–it’s a great source of potassium, vitamin C, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), thiamin (B1), and fiber.

Where to buy breadfruit

Outside of the tropical Americas, you can find breadfruit at Caribbean grocery stores, in neighborhoods where there are a lot of residents from places like Puerto Rico or Jamaica. In places where pana is sold but can’t grow, you’ll often find them at the grocery store wrapped in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.

For this recipe, choose a breadfruit that’s still firm to the touch and is almost completely still green. Stay away from any pana that’s dark or mushy.

How to make tostones de pana

Step 1: Peel and chop your breadfruit

I’ll show you step by step how I peel and chop this pana. Do this very carefully, especially if you’re new to working with breadfruit. 

Using a large, sharp knife and a cutting board, start by slicing the top part off to have a flat base to work with.

Next, I place the breadfruit flat side down and slice it down the middle so it looks like this.

Then, I slice each half into four pieces. I’m only using half the pana for this recipe, but you can use the whole breadfruit if you prefer. I’ll be boiling the other half, but you won’t see that here!

​From there, I slice around the core to remove it.

Then, I slice the skin off of each piece, and remove any parts that have dark brown spots.

From there, I chop the pana into chunks like this.

Step 2: Heat olive oil in a large skillet

Heat about 1/4 inch of extra-virgin olive oil in a wide pan on medium-low heat. I’m using a stainless steel pan, but you can also use a nonstick pan. 

Step 3: Fry the pana chunks

​To start making the tostones de pana, add the chunks into the oil. The oil should be hot enough to bubble and sizzle around them. When you first add them, nudge them a few times with tongs to be sure they don’t stick to the pan.

Turn the pana as each side turns a light golden brown.

​Step 4: Remove the breadfruit from the pan

Remove the pana from the pan with tongs once it’s golden brown on all or most sides and drain them on paper towels. Turn the heat off if there’s no breadfruit left in the pan. 

​Step 5: Smash the pana

I use two plates with flat bottoms to smash them. Check to make sure the plates don’t have any engravings or curvature at the bottom to make sure the pana doesn’t stick. I line the plates with a bit of olive oil to help them not stick. You can also line them with parchment paper. This is the setup I use to smash them:

Place the pana on the top side of one oiled plate. Oil the bottom of another plate that’s the same size or smaller. Using the oiled, bottom side of the second plate, smash the pana until it’s thin. Repeat this with every chunk of fried breadfruit.

Step 6: Salt the pana

While some people like to salt the tostones de pana at the end, I prefer to use hot water and salt to get the salted flavor infused deeper inside the tostones. Mix the hot water and salt in a bowl and dip each fritter in the hot salted water for 2-3 seconds. When you remove them, shake them a bit to remove all the excess water. Repeat this with every fritter.

​Step 7: Fry the tostones de pana

Do this next step carefully since the moisture from the hot water can cause the hot oil to splatter, which is potentially dangerous. You can use a splash guard for frying to protect yourself and others from any popping hot oil. 

Heat the oil in the large pan again over medium-low heat. Using long tongs, add the tostones de pana into the hot pan to cook them a second time. Once they’re golden brown and crispy on the bottom side, flip them so they can cook on the other side.

Once both sides are crispy, remove them from the pan and drain them on paper towels.

Serve them immediately. I ate them with this easy ensalada de pulpo recipe, a Puerto Rican style octopus salad made with tinned octopus in olive oil, for a budget-friendly and healthy main dish. 

How to store tostones de pana

While I prefer to eat tostones de pana freshly made, you can also store any leftover tostones in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. To reheat the tostones, put them in a pan with a tiny bit of oil over medium-low heat. I use spray oil. Cook them on each side until they’re hot and crispy again.