Vegetables and starchy roots
Raw green plantain
Raw green plantains have 152 kcal and 2.2 g of fiber per 100 g (3.5 oz), a low energy density.
Estimated satietyHow it is calculated
Estimated satiety: 2 out of 5
| Starting point | +1 |
|---|---|
| Low energy density | +1 |
Our own estimate from the values per 100 g: useful for comparing foods with each other, not a measurement in people. Holt index (1995): this food was not measured.
- Prepared by
- Alex Gonzalez
- Last updated
- Next review
- Sources
- 5 primary and 1 supporting
- Data
- USDA FDC 168215
No clinical review. No advertising from drug companies and no affiliate links.How we work
Nutrition facts
- Calories
- 152 kcal per serving
- 152 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Protein
- 1.3 g per serving
- 1.3 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Carbohydrates
- 36.7 g per serving
- 36.7 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which sugars
- 2.3 g per serving
- 2.3 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fiber
- 2.2 g per serving
- 2.2 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Fat
- 0.1 g per serving
- 0.1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- of which saturated
- 0.1 g per serving
- 0.1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
- Water
- 61.1 g per serving
- 61.1 g per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Source: USDA FoodData Central: Plantains, green, raw (FDC ID 168215), accessed September 23, 2026.
A typical 100 g (3.5 oz) serving provides about 152 kcal, 1.3 g of protein, and 2.2 g of fiber.
What it is and how to eat it
The plantain is a cooking banana, larger, firmer and starchier than the dessert banana, and it is not eaten raw; it is called plátano macho in Mexico, plátano in Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean, and plátano macho or para cocinar in Spain, where "plátano" mostly means the dessert fruit. Green, it is used like a tuber, in tostones or patacones, mofongo, sancocho or simply boiled, and ripe, with black skin, it is sweeter and eaten fried or roasted, as tajadas or maduros. This page covers raw green plantain according to USDA, with 152 kcal, 36.7 g of carbohydrate and 2.2 g of fiber per 100 g; boiled, it has 121 kcal, 29.2 g of carbohydrate and 2.6 g of fiber.
A 100 g (3.5 oz) serving, weighed raw, provides 152 kcal and 1.3 g of protein, so it is the starch part of the plate and goes alongside the protein, which the 2025 nutrition advisory on GLP-1 therapy suggests eating first, such as an egg, beans, queso fresco or chicken. Boiled or roasted it is soft and fits the first few days of treatment, when the same advisory suggests avoiding very fatty foods, and the time after a dose increase. Fried tostones, patacones and maduros soak up oil, so save them for when food is better tolerated.
What the evidence says
A 2013 review in Advances in Nutrition lists raw green banana starch as type 2 resistant starch, the kind that is not digested in the small intestine, but explains that cooking gelatinizes it and makes it highly digestible; the review refers to bananas in general and does not mention plantains, which are never eaten raw anyway. The same review explains that part of the cooked starch becomes resistant again, as type 3, when it cools, especially at refrigerator temperature, although it gives no figures for plantain. With 431 mg of potassium per 100 g raw it is a "source of potassium", which requires 300 mg, but boiled it drops to 289 mg according to USDA, just below that threshold (Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EU) No 1169/2011).
Satiety
The 1 to 5 score is our own estimate: it starts at 1 point, adds points for low energy density, for protein and fiber per 100 kcal, and for the water in solid foods, and subtracts points for drinks with calories. It is useful for comparing foods with each other; it is not a measurement in people.
Frequently asked questions about raw green plantains
How many grams of protein are in a 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of raw green plantains?
100 g (3.5 oz) of raw green plantains has 1.3 g of protein. A typical 100 g (3.5 oz) serving has about 1.3 g of protein. That is 0.8 g of protein per 100 kcal.
How many kcal are in a 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of raw green plantains?
100 g (3.5 oz) of raw green plantains has 152 kcal. A typical 100 g (3.5 oz) serving has about 152 kcal. That is a low energy density.
How much fiber is in a 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of raw green plantains?
100 g (3.5 oz) of raw green plantains has 2.2 g of fiber. A typical 100 g (3.5 oz) serving has about 2.2 g of fiber.
Do raw green plantains keep you full?
Not very filling for the calories they provide: our estimated satiety score is 2 out of 5. It is based on: low energy density. It is an estimate based on its composition, not a measurement in people.
What is a typical serving of raw green plantains?
We use 100 g (3.5 oz) as a typical serving. That amount provides about 152 kcal, 1.3 g of protein, and 2.2 g of fiber. It is a reference for calculations, not a recommendation of how much to eat.
Similar foods
Sources
Sources for the data on this page, with the access date.
- Official databaseU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Plantains, green, raw (FDC ID 168215).accessed .
- Official databaseU.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.USDA FoodData Central: Plantains, green, boiled (FDC ID 168216).accessed .
- Clinical guidelineObesity (Wiley).Mozaffarian D, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: A joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity. 2025;33(8):1475-1503. doi:10.1002/oby.24336.accessed .
- Other sourceAdvances in Nutrition.Birt DF, et al. Resistant starch: promise for improving human health. Adv Nutr. 2013;4(6):587-601. doi:10.3945/an.113.004325.accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (Annex).accessed .
- RegulatorOfficial Journal of the European Union (EUR-Lex).Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (Annex XIII, nutrient reference values).accessed .