Creamy Vegan Polenta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is polenta supposed to be creamy? ›

Everyone raves about Italian pasta and pizza, but if you ask me, polenta deserves just as much love. A north Italian porridge made of coarsely ground cornmeal, polenta is wonderfully creamy, with a lightly sweet, buttery corn flavor. Unlike oat porridge, it's not a traditional breakfast food.

Great-tasting, nourishing, and incredibly versatile, polenta (coarse cornmeal cooked with liquid) is every plant-based eater's best friend.

A ratio of five parts liquid to one part cornmeal by volume produces polenta that's fully hydrated and cooked through, without any little raw, gritty bits. An optional presoaking step helps hydrate the cornmeal and cuts down on actual cooking time.

In Italy, polenta is often eaten family-style from a large platter or wooden board, allowing guests to serve themselves at the table. Polenta, slow simmered ground corn, is eaten in many ways, as a main or side dish. It can be served simply, with just butter and cheese, or topped with sauce.

Are Polenta and Grits Interchangeable? Since polenta and grits are both made from ground corn, you can use them interchangeably. Bear in mind that grits are higher in starch than polenta, so if you sub in polenta for grits, you won't have to stir it as frequently, but it won't cook up as creamy as grits.

Polenta is a healthful food choice with several nutritional benefits. Polenta may be good for health as it contains fiber and protein. It is also rich in complex carbohydrates, low in fat, and more. Polenta is cooked cornmeal that can be eaten as a side or used in a variety of recipes, from bread to desserts.

In a large, deep saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. While whisking constantly, add polenta in a slow, steady stream. Reduce heat to medium, cook until thickened, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese, heavy cream, and butter.

Fortify your base. Polenta is usually made with water or milk, which results in a more neutral flavor. Next time you make it, try using a liquid with a little more personality: stock, either vegetable or otherwise, and coconut milk will both add depth to the final dish.

Polenta and cornmeal are almost exactly the same product, except for one thing: the consistency of the grain. Polenta is much more coarsely ground, which makes the end product less mushy, and it has a little more bite to it than cornmeal.

Surprisingly, the creamiest polenta comes from the coarsest cornmeal. And the less you stir it, the better.

Can you use milk instead of water in polenta? ›

For the liquid you can use water, milk, broth or any combination of those. In my example here I chose to use 2 cups of water, 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of polenta. I opted for half water and half milk because, for me, that is the perfect level of creamy richness. Feel free to play around with how much water vs.

Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.

Polenta should look like loose scrambled eggs in the pan. It will continue to firm up as it sits, so you want it to be loose at this stage. Whisk in 3 Tbsp. of butter and 2 ounces of finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Next is the texture: polenta can retain a gritty feel that seems like it's cutting up your mouth if it's not well done. And finally, there is the stirring: neglect to keep that wooden spoon moving, and you end up with lumpy, clotted polenta.

Polenta isn't grits. In comparison, grits are watery. Polenta should be solid enough to cut with a sewing thread and hold its shape (because that's how Italian grandmothers do it). It'll get so thick that it pulls away from the edges of the pot when you stir it and you'll be sweating bullets trying to get it stirred.