Can Dogs Eat Plantains? Cooked, Raw, Chips and Peel

Can dogs eat plantains? Yes, if the plantain is plain, cooked soft, peeled and cut into small pieces, and it stays an occasional treat. The ASPCA lists plantain as non-toxic to dogs. The problems come from how people usually serve it: raw chunks, the tough peel, and anything fried, salted or cooked with garlic and onion.

So the plantain itself is fine. The frying pan is the problem.

Can Dogs Eat Plantains?

The ASPCA's poison control database files plantain under the same plant entry as the banana, and that entry is marked non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. That settles the "is it poisonous" question. Whether it's a good idea depends on the form on your plate.

Garlic and onion matter here because they turn up in so many plantain dishes and seasonings. The ASPCA lists both, along with excess salt, among the people foods to keep from pets. Our guide to human foods that are toxic to dogs covers the rest of that list.

What Are Plantains?

Plantains are cooking bananas. They look like large, thick-skinned bananas, but they are firmer, much starchier and less sweet, which is why they are almost always cooked. USDA nutrient data puts a raw green plantain at about 32 g of starch per 100 g, against about 5 g in a raw banana.

You'll see them in three stages:

• Green: firm and starchy, used for tostones and plantain chips.
• Yellow with some black spots: softer and a little sweeter. This is the stage to pick for your dog.
• Mostly black: very ripe and sweet, the stage cooks use for maduros.

Plantains are mostly starch, and the sugar rises as they ripen. They're also calorie-dense: plain baked yellow plantain has roughly 155 calories per 100 g, compared with about 89 for a raw banana (USDA FoodData Central).

Are Plantains Good for Dogs?

A plantain is a treat, not a health food. A dog eating a complete and balanced diet already gets the vitamins and minerals it needs, so plantain adds variety, not missing nutrition.

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association says treats, including people food, should make up less than 10% of your dog's daily calories and should never replace a meal. Plantain counts toward that 10%, together with every other biscuit and chew that day. Your veterinary team can tell you what that budget looks like for your dog.

Check with your vet before offering plantain if your dog:

• has had pancreatitis or a sensitive stomach,
• has diabetes,
• is on a prescription diet for kidney, heart or other conditions,
• is overweight.

How to Prepare Plantain for Your Dog

1. Pick a ripe plantain. Yellow with black spots is softer and sweeter than a hard green one.
2. Peel it and bin the peel. Use a bin with a lid, because a determined dog will go looking for it.
3. Cook it plain. Boil, steam or bake it until a fork slides in easily. No oil, butter, salt, sugar, garlic, onion or spice.
4. Let it cool, then cut it small. Small pieces or a mash are easier to eat and less likely to be gulped whole.
5. Start with a little. The first time, offer a piece or two and see how your dog's stomach handles it over the next day.
6. Stop if it doesn't agree. Gas, loose stool or vomiting means plantain isn't the treat for this dog.

Raw, Green Plantains and the Peel

Raw plantain isn't toxic, but it's hard to digest, especially when it's green, and raw chunks are more likely to upset the stomach. Cook it soft first.

Remove the peel. It's thick and tough, it isn't food for a dog, and it belongs in that lidded bin. If your dog gets hold of a large piece and then vomits or stops eating, call your vet: the Merck Veterinary Manual lists vomiting and not eating as the most common signs of a gastrointestinal blockage, which is an emergency. Our guide to intestinal blockage in dogs covers what to watch for and what the vet does.

Fried Plantains, Maduros, Tostones and Plantain Chips

This is where most "can my dog have some?" questions end up, and the answer is no. Frying changes the food completely. USDA FoodData Central figures per 100 g:

Plantain chips carry more than four times the calories of boiled plantain and hundreds of times the fat. That matters because the Merck Veterinary Manual names eating table scraps and other inappropriate food as a common risk factor for pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. Its usual signs are loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, belly pain and diarrhea.

Salt is the other issue. The ASPCA warns that too much salt causes thirst and increased urination, and in larger amounts vomiting, diarrhea, tremors and seizures. Tostones are usually salted and often served with a garlic sauce such as mojo, and flavored chips can list garlic or onion powder on the label.

Signs of an Upset Stomach and When to Call

A small piece of plain cooked plantain rarely causes trouble. If your dog does react, it usually shows as gas, a soft stool or a single vomit. Stop the plantain, and call your vet if it doesn't settle.

Call your vet now if your dog:

• vomits more than once, or can't keep water down,
• has a painful, tense or swollen belly,
• won't eat, seems weak or unusually tired,
• strains with little or no poop,
• swallowed a large piece of peel and is vomiting or off food,
• ate chips, tostones or a dish made with garlic or onion, or a large amount of anything fried.

If your dog got into fried plantains or chips:

1. Take away what's left and keep the bag or note the dish.
2. Check the label or recipe for garlic, onion and salt, and estimate how much is missing.
3. Call your vet, or a 24/7 animal poison line: ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. A fee may apply.
4. Don't make your dog vomit or give any home remedy unless the vet or the poison line tells you to.

Plantain Weed, Plantain Lily and the Fruit

Three different plants share the name "plantain", and they are easy to mix up.

• Plantain the fruit (Musa): the cooking banana this article is about. Non-toxic, per the ASPCA.
• Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major): a common lawn weed with wide, ribbed leaves. It isn't on the ASPCA's dog plant list as either toxic or non-toxic. A dog nibbling it on a walk is not a known poisoning concern, but lawns and roadsides may be sprayed with weed killers or fertilizers, which are a bigger worry than the weed. The psyllium fiber sold as a supplement comes from the seeds of other Plantago species (European Medicines Agency), not from the weed in your yard.
• Plantain lily (Hosta): a popular shade-garden plant that the ASPCA lists as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. It contains saponins and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and depression.

We don't recommend using plantain leaves, juice, tea, seeds or poultices to treat a dog at home. A cough, a wound, diarrhea, constipation or a swallowed object is a job for your veterinarian. For other plants to watch in the garden, see our list of yard plants poisonous to dogs.

FAQs

Can Dogs Eat Sweet Plantains?

Sweet plantains are simply ripe plantains. Boiled, steamed or baked plain, a few small pieces are fine. Maduros, sweet plantains fried in oil and often sugared, are a skip.

Can Dogs Eat Plantain Chips?

They shouldn't. Plantain chips are fried and usually salted, with about 30 g of fat per 100 g, and some flavors add garlic or onion. If your dog snatched one plain chip, just watch for an upset stomach. If it ate a lot, or a seasoned flavor, call your vet or a poison line.

Can Dogs Eat Green Plantains?

Not raw: green plantain is hard to digest until it's cooked. Cooked plain until soft, a small piece is fine, though a ripe yellow one is the easier choice.

Can Dogs Eat Plantain Peel?

No. Remove the peel and keep it in a lidded bin. Call your vet if your dog swallowed a large piece and starts vomiting or stops eating.

Is Broadleaf Plantain Poisonous to Dogs?

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a lawn weed, not the fruit. The ASPCA doesn't list it as toxic or non-toxic, and a nibble isn't a known poisoning concern. Don't confuse it with the plantain lily (Hosta), which is toxic to dogs.

Can Cats Eat Plantains?

The ASPCA lists plantain as non-toxic to cats too, but cats need meat and get little from it. A tiny plain cooked piece won't hurt most cats; fried versions and garlic sauces follow the same rules as for dogs.

The Bottom Line

Plain, cooked, peeled plantain in small pieces is a fine occasional treat for most dogs. Keep the peel in a closed bin, skip anything fried, salted or seasoned, and count it in the 10% treat budget. If your dog gets into chips or tostones, or vomits more than once, call your vet.

Sources

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Musa paradisiaca (banana, plantain)
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Hosta (plantain lily)
• ASPCA: Plants toxic and non-toxic to dogs
• ASPCA: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control
• Pet Poison Helpline
• WSAVA: Feeding treats to your dog
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Pancreatitis and Other Disorders of the Pancreas in Dogs
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Gastrointestinal Obstruction in Small Animals
• USDA FoodData Central: plantains (green raw, yellow raw, green boiled, yellow baked, green fried), plantain chips salted, bananas raw
• European Medicines Agency: Psyllii semen (psyllium seed)

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.