You'll love these irresistible Polenta Fries! They're full of flavor from Italian herbs and are baked so they get crispy on the outside and wonderfully soft inside. Perfect as a super-easy side dish or appetizer.
Have you tried Polenta Fries yet? They're a super popular alternative to potato fries on many restaurant menus, but now you can make your own at home from scratch!
Plus, they're really easy to make and you can even prep them ahead of time (perfect for a dinner party, Thanksgiving or Christmas!).
These polenta chips are baked, so they get nice and crispy on the outside but stay nice and soft on the inside.
Cheese, herbs and garlic give them loads of great flavor.
Why you'll love this recipe
Polenta fries are vegetarian, gluten-free and easily vegan.
Polenta (cornmeal) doesn’t have a huge amount of flavour itself, but, like tofu, it can be seasoned however you like. Get creative with herbs and spices.
Polenta chips are a great alternative to using potato.
They have a lovely soft inside and the outside gets beautifully crispy.
Prep the polenta ahead of time and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then, just cut and bake when you're ready to enjoy them.
You only need 6 simple pantry ingredients.
Ingredients
Make these tasty polenta chips with just a few pantry ingredients!
Polenta - I use quick-cook (aka instant) as it's faster. You can also use pre-cooked, just cut into fries and toss with the herbs and cheese, then brush with oil and bake. If you use non-instant Polenta, you'll need to cook it on the stove a little longer. Just keep cooking until it's thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan. It could take 25 minutes.
Vegetable stock / broth - Use your favorite as it will add flavor to the polenta.
Parmesan - I use vegetarian parmesan as I'm veggie. To make it vegan, try my vegan parmesan cheese or use nutritional yeast.
Herbs & spices - I've gone for dried Italian herbs (oregano and thyme) and garlic powder, but you can adapt the flavor to whatever herbs you have. Rosemary or Herbs de Provence are also tasty.
What is polenta?
Polenta is a maize / corn grainy flour that is used in Italian cooking.
It can be served as a hot, thick savory porridge. When allowed to cool it solidifies into a block that can be cut and baked, fried, or grilled
Tips
The polenta will need to firm up in the fridge, which will take a few hours. You can leave it overnight, too, so it's perfect as a make-head recipe. When you're ready, just cut, bake and eat!
You can also use pre-cooked polenta (the stuff in the tube). Just cut it into fry shapes and toss with the herbs and cheese, oil lightly and bake.
Make it vegan: you can easily make this recipe vegan - simply leave out the parmesan, use vegan parmesan or substitute for nutritional yeast.
Serving suggestions
Polenta fries make a great appetizer, side dish or snack. Here are some serving suggestions to inspire you:
Cut into small fries and serve as an appetizer with mini portions of dipping sauce.
Serve with a marina dip.
Try with srirachia aioli to dip.
Dip into salsa or pico de gallo.
Serve as a side dish to Vegan Stuffed Peppers, Portobello Mushroom Steaks or Carrot Lentil Hot Dogs.
Use cookie cutters to cut into stars, hearts or other fun shapes.
Polenta Fries
Equipment
- Pot
- stove
- Baking sheet
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (600ml) vegetable stock
- ¾ cup (120g) quick-cook polenta
- ⅓ cup (50g) grated vegetarian parmesan or omit for vegan
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Add the stock and polenta to a pot, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, whisking, until it’s thick and pulls from the edge of the pan. Stir in the cheese, oregano, thyme and garlic powder.
- Lightly grease a 8x8” baking pan and pour in the mixture then spread out evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely cold.
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C.
- Carefully flip the tray onto a cutting board and cut the polenta into strips the size of fries/chips (or use cookie cutters for fun shapes).
- Place the strips onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and brush or spray each one with oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden, but they won’t darken very much. Delicious fresh from the oven.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Jacque Hastert
This looks incredible! I love the blend of Italian spices and that they are crispy on the outside. I can't wait to make these soon.
Toni Dash
My kids really enjoyed this! It is so good and easy to make!
Jen
I know my kids are going to go crazy over these! Adding that parmesan cheese was such a great choice.
Beth
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! My kids are going to love this!
Michelle
These look and sound delicious! I've never tried polenta fries but I can't wait to make them now!