Piononos (Sweet Plantain Rings Stuffed with Beef)
Strips of fried ripe plantain curled into rings, filled with savoury picadillo, sealed with beaten egg and fried until golden. Sweet and savoury in every bite. Makes 12.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the picadillo
Heat the olive oil in a 24-26 cm (10-inch) frying pan over medium heat and cook the for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the minced beef and and cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, breaking it up until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce and olives and cook over medium heat until the mixture looks dry, then let it cool.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp
- 350 g minced beef
- 1 tsp seasoning
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 6 chopped olives
✅ Done when: meat reaches 71°C/160°F internally, is no longer pink, and the mixture looks dry, not wet
Slice and fry the plantains
Peel the plantains and cut each one lengthways into 4 long strips. Heat 3 cm of oil in a pot to 170°C (340°F) and fry the strips for about 2 minutes per side until golden and soft, then drain on paper towels.
- 3 plantains
- 750 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: strips are golden and soft, easily bend without breaking
Shape the rings
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Fill
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Coat in egg
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Fry and serve
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Make the picadillo
Heat the olive oil in a 24-26 cm (10-inch) frying pan over medium heat and cook the for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the minced beef and and cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, breaking it up until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce and olives and cook over medium heat until the mixture looks dry, then let it cool.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp
- 350 g minced beef
- 1 tsp seasoning
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 6 chopped olives
✅ Done when: meat reaches 71°C/160°F internally, is no longer pink, and the mixture looks dry, not wet
Slice and fry the plantains
Peel the plantains and cut each one lengthways into 4 long strips. Heat 3 cm of oil in a pot to 170°C (340°F) and fry the strips for about 2 minutes per side until golden and soft, then drain on paper towels.
- 3 plantains
- 750 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: strips are golden and soft, easily bend without breaking
Shape the rings
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Fill
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Coat in egg
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Fry and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Piononos are named after a small rolled Spanish pastry from Santa Fe, near Granada, itself named after Pope Pius IX (Pío Nono). In Puerto Rico the name was given to these rings of sweet plantain stuffed with picadillo.
They're a favourite at parties, bakeries and criollo restaurants.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The sweetness of ripe plantain with savoury beef is a classic Puerto Rican flavour combination.
💡 Fun Fact
There's also a Puerto Rican 'pionono' dessert: a rolled sponge cake filled with guava, closer to its Spanish ancestor.
Puerto Rico
18.47°N, -66.11°W
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