This vegan polenta recipe is perfectly creamy: no dairy required! Here’s how to turn this Italian standard into a plant-based side dish.
Usually, polenta is filled to the brim with dairy products. But guess what: you can make a creamy vegan polenta recipe entirely dairy-free! Milk, butter, and cheese usually play a big part in getting that signature texture. But here, vegetable broth and cornmeal make for the creamiest vegan polenta you’ll find. Whether you follow a vegan diet on a regular basis or just want to eat more plant-based recipes, this one is for you! Now let’s cook.
What is polenta?
Good question! When Alex and I started cooking I had no idea what it was. I just knew it sounded glamorous! In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Polenta is a humble Italian-style corn porridge. It resembles American-style oatmeal and is often found on restaurant menus. But although it is often prepared by chefs, it is also very easy to prepare at home. All you need is 5 ingredients and 30 minutes.
How to make vegan polenta
This vegan polenta recipe is really simple: you start with a few raw ingredients and they easily turn into creamy Italian porridge. Here’s what you need:
- meal with cereals: Use a medium grind for some texture. We prefer to use yellow cornmeal for the color, but you can use white as well.
- Vegetable soup: Using vegetable broth adds flavor complexity.
- Olive oil: Olive oil adds depth and richness: If you prefer another vegan oil, feel free to use that one!
Some vegan polenta recipes use nutritional yeast to mimic a cheese flavor. You can add this if you like, or even your favorite non-dairy cheese. But you don’t have to add anything to this basic recipe: it tastes delicious with salt and pepper!
We do not recommend substituting oatmeal for cornmeal. The semolina is coarser than cornmeal, which won’t give you the consistency you want. Some packages are also marked with the word “polenta” which you can use as well. But plain old cornmeal will do!
Save the remaining polenta
When this vegan polenta recipe is hot or lukewarm, it naturally gets creamy. As the polenta cools, it will begin to set. If you leave it on the stovetop you will find that it will start to harden. You can easily reconstitute polenta by mixing it with some water and reheating.
If you have leftover polenta, it will harden in the fridge. So you should do the same thing: as it warms up, place it in a saucepan on the stovetop, add a dash of water or almond milk, and stir until it regains a creamy texture.
Polenta is also served cured: you can find this cooked polenta in stores in a tube in the refrigerated section. You can make your own salted polenta by pouring this creamy polenta in an even layer onto a baking sheet and refrigerating. After it has cooled, you can cut it into pieces and fry it in a pan in a little olive oil until golden on both sides: or you can grill it.
Serve up this vegan polenta recipe
We usually serve this vegan polenta recipe as a side dish. But you can do many other things with it! It is perfect as a meal bowl. Here are some ideas on how to serve vegan polenta:
- In company.
- With white beans and tomatoes (without Parmesan).
- Add roasted tomatoes.
- Garnish with mushrooms and beans.
- Add the roasted Brussels sprouts and pecans (omit the parmesan).
- Garnish with roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes.
- Add roasted butternut squash, pecans and sage.
- Garnish with ratatouille.
How would you serve it?
This vegan polenta recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.
The description
This vegan polenta recipe is perfectly creamy: no dairy required! Here’s how to turn this Italian standard into a plant-based side dish.
- 4 cups vegetable soup
- 1 cup medium ground cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Once boiling, stir in the cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, beating constantly to avoid lumps. Continue beating until the polenta starts to thicken (about 1-2 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Reduce the heat so that the polenta is slowly bubbling. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cornmeal loses its raw flavor (taste occasionally to check), about 20 minutes.
- When the polenta is ready, turn off the heat and add the olive oil and more kosher salt and pepper to taste. You can cover it to keep it warm before serving. If the polenta gets too thick, you can add a little water to fluff it up.
- Category: Page
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Italian
Keywords: Vegan polenta recipe
