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Home » Side Dishes

Polenta Frita (Air Fried+GF)

Published: Feb 24, 2021 · Modified: Mar 11, 2021 by Janelle Hama *This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure

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This crispy air fried polenta frita recipe is wonderfully easy and ideal for a side or part of a larger spread of food. This is a gluten free polenta recipe.

Polenta frita in a stack in a plate with dip in the background

I had a quite a bit of polenta in the pantry that I needed to use up. So I decided to make polenta frita.

What is a polenta frita? It's fried polenta. I got the inspiration for this recipe from a cafe I visited, except theirs contained gluten and were deep fried - ughh gluten the bane of my existence!

Rather than frying polenta, I decided to use my new kitchen favourite gadget; my air fryer . It’s a heck of a lot less oil that is needed, the result is a crispy outside with a soft creamy inside.

😋Why you’ll love this recipe

  • If you love polenta then you'll love it with a crispy skin
  • Gluten free
  • Cheap to make
  • Very tasty!

✔️What you’ll need

flat lay of ingredients

🥘Ingredient Notes

Polenta - use the quick cook variety. Can be found in you local supermarket or grocer and is normally available in a fine or coarse grain. For this recipe I used coarse. 

Vegetable stock - I like to use the Massel brand as it is gluten free, plant based and msg free.

Avocado oil - choose an unrefined brand such as this one.  If you don’t have avocado oil to air fry with, use your preferred frying oil.

🔪Step by Step Guide

Here’s how to make gluten free polenta frita; I do recommend watching the video too.

Step 1 In a pot over high heat bring water, stock, oregano and pepper to a boil

Step 2  Turn heat to med-high and add polenta whilst continuously stirring, until polenta turns thick and gloopy. Less than 5 minutes.

Step 3 Line baking tray with parchment paper and pour polenta into tray. Spread polenta evenly and allow to cool down for 20 minutes at room temperature. Then transfer to fridge to completely cool. 1-2 hours.

Step 4 Once polenta is completely cool, coat polenta in avocado oil cut into desired finger shape.

Step 5 Place gluten free flour into a bowl and dredge each polenta finger. Then brush with oil. (Or if you prefer to you can skip this step, see photos and tips below)

Step 6 Place each polenta frita into the air fryer and fry on high for 10 minutes each side. A total of 20 minutes. Or until golden brown and crunchy. Serve immediately.

close up of non coated polenta frita

Non coated Polenta Frita

close up of coated polenta frita

Coated polenta frita

💡What to serve with?

Serving this polenta frita with a salad is the perfect way to have it. We loved eating it with salad and this creamy vegan dipping sauce and a side of Mexican pickled onions or air fryer sweet potatoes. You could also try making a side of air fryer courgettes.

💭Pro Tips

Serve immediately as it only stays crispy whilst piping hot

Tap off excess GF flour from each finger. Excess flour will leave a mess in the air fryer but also cook unevenly.

Cut polenta fritas as evenly as possible for even frying. You could even cut them up as thin as fries.

Place polenta sticks into the air fryer tray without touching each other as a single layer.

Notes: I did try air frying these without brushing oil onto the GF flour coating, and that wasn't crispy and filled the air fryer with flour.

🍳Variations

Use your preferred herbs and spices to flavour 

Turn the fritas halfway through air frying to ensure they are crispy on all sides.

I did also make a non-battered version, which did also go crispy but weren’t as thick. I just left out step 5. Both equally delicious and the family was divided with their preference. See pic below.

Baking polenta fritas is another option too. Simply bake at 180C (360F) until they are golden brown and crispy. Turn halfway.

air fried polenta in a bowl with one being dipped into eggless mayonnaise in the background

❓FAQ

What is polenta?

Polenta is the same as cornmeal. It is generally yellow maize (corn) that has been ground up. It can also be white maize too. Polenta can be served as a warm porridge or cooled into a loaf which can be then baked, fried, air fried or grilled.

What is quick polenta? 

Quick cook polenta is generally a precooked polenta grain, which is dried and then can be cooked quickly by reconstituting it. It can also be super fine grain of polenta which is quicker to cook.

🥘Related Recipes

Looking for another delicious recipe featuring polenta? Try the best vegan gf cornbread, it has the perfect crumb, is moist and fluffy!

Another great vegan air fryer recipe is this air fryer tostones by The Immigrants Table.

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

close up of air fried polenta

Polenta Frita (Fried Polenta)

This crispy air fried polenta frita recipe is wonderfully easy and ideal for a snack or part of a larger spread of food. This is a gluten free polenta recipe.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Australian, brazilian, Italian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours
Servings: 42 pieces
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 250 g Polenta quick cook variety
  • 2 tablespoon Avocado oil for brushing
  • 1 litre Water
  • 5 g Vegetable Stock
  • 5 g Dried Oregano
  • 5 g Black pepper cracked
Metric - US Customary
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • In a pot over high heat bring water, stock, oregano and pepper to a boil.
  • Turn heat to med-high and add polenta whilst continuously stirring, until polenta turns thick and gloopy. Approx. 5 minutes.
  • Line baking tray with parchment paper and pour polenta into tray. Spread polenta evenly and allow to cool down for 20 minutes at room temperature. Then transfer to fridge to completely cool. 1-2 hours.
  • Once polenta is completely cool, coat polenta in avocado oil cut into desired finger shape.
  • Place gluten free flour into a bowl and dredge each polenta finger. Then brush with oil.
  • Place each polenta frita into the air fryer and fry on high for 10 minutes each side. A total of 20 minutes. Or until golden brown and crunchy. Serve immediately.

Video


Notes

💭Pro Tips
  • Serve immediately as it only stays crispy whilst piping hot. Serve with a delish egg free mayonnaise
  • Tap off excess GF flour from each finger. Excess flour will leave a mess in the air fryer but also cook unevenly.
  • Cut polenta fritas as evenly as possible for even frying in the air fryer. You could even cut them up as thin as fries.
  • Place polenta sticks into the air fryer tray without touching each other as a single layer.
  • Turn on warming function on your oven and place cooked fritas into the oven to stay hot whilst you are cooking your entire batch
  • Outside is slightly crispy and the inside is a creamy polenta texture
N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.

Equipment

air fryer
air fryer
15 inch (38cm) baking sheet tray
15 inch (38cm) baking sheet tray

Nutrition

Serving: 30g | Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


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    Recipe Rating




  1. Frida

    February 25, 2021 at 9:01 am

    5 stars
    I usually just eat polenta as mash and vegetables and sausage (I'm not vegan)
    I made your polenta rezept using chilli flakes not oregano and olive oil. I'm not tried avocado oil. It was a good change from my usual way. I will try it next time with your mayonnaise (never had that)

    Reply

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