Crispy baked polenta chips are a tasty alternative to fries or bread—perfect for platters, soups, dips, sauces or burgers. They are easy to make and versatile to suit your taste and dietary preferences.
Polenta chips are a scrumptious alternative to traditional potato fries, with the nutritional benefit of being baked, not fried. They are lower in saturated fat and can be modified to be low in sodium.
Made with polenta, these chips have a crispy exterior and a soft, somewhat creamy centre. Naturally gluten-free, you can season them to suit your taste preferences.
They are also easy to make vegan—I’ve done this many times as my husband only tolerates small amounts of dairy.
Enjoy these baked chips dipped in your favourite sauce, as part of a savoury platter, or as a side to soup or chilli con carne. They are simple to prepare and versatile enough for a midweek meal or to complement a social gathering.
What is polenta? A versatile ingredient
Polenta is an easy, traditional Italian dish made with ground cornmeal, which is typically cooked with water or stock and often flavoured with butter, salt and pepper. Its texture is similar to porridge or mashed potatoes when freshly prepared.
Once cooled, polenta firms up so that it can be sliced then baked, fried or grilled. This firm version is perfect for making baked polenta chips.
Strictly speaking, polenta refers to the prepared dish, while cornmeal is the main ingredient used to make it. However, the terms polenta and cornmeal are often used interchangeably.
In New Zealand and Australia, you’ll commonly find ground cornmeal labelled as “polenta” in supermarkets. While traditional polenta uses coarse-ground cornmeal, for baked polenta chips, a finer variety—labelled as quick-cook or instant polenta—works best. It cooks faster and yields a smoother, creamier consistency before baking.
Where to purchase polenta?
You can find polenta at most supermarkets or wholefood stores. It is typically located near the pasta and rice section or available in bulk bins.
When shopping, look for polenta labelled as “instant” or “quick-cook”.
What you need to make this polenta chips recipe
To enjoy these crispy morsels, you will require:
- Vegetable stock: provides a substantive flavour. You can use liquid stock or add two teaspoons of powdered stock to water.
- Instant polenta: also called quick-cook polenta, just needs to be added to boiling water—no cooking required. Polenta is coarser than most cornmeals and provides a better texture.
- Parmesan cheese: adds flavour and crispiness to the polenta chips. However, for those following a dairy-free or vegan diet, you can substitute it with two tablespoons of nutritional yeast and two tablespoons of olive oil.
- Dried Italian herbs: can be substituted with dried oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme.
- Garlic powder: can be substituted with garlic flakes or onion powder.
- Black pepper: adds a mild heat.
- Salt: always a must for tasty chips; however, how much you add depends on your dietary needs.
- Chilli flakes: although optional, they add a warmth of flavour to the chips.
- Olive oil: for cooking the chips, although spray oil would also work well.
How to make polenta chips
Making polenta chips is simple. Quick-cook or instant polenta needs very little cooking to achieve a gooey, porridge-like consistency. Here are the steps for preparing polenta chips:
1. Cook the polenta
- Bring water or stock to the boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in the polenta until it becomes a thick, gluey consistency, like a gluggy porridge.
- To prepare in the microwave, cook stock or water with polenta on high for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add flavourings
- While the polenta is still warm, mix through the flavourings.
3. Set the polenta
- Scoop polenta into a tray or container lined with baking paper that will serve as a mould.
- Press the polenta mixture down with the back of a spoon and then your hands. Using your hands enables you to press harder and get a smoother surface. You may need to let the mixture cool for a few minutes before doing this.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.
4. Cut into chips
- When cooled, place the polenta onto a cutting board and slice into chips approximately a centimetre wide.
5. Bake
- Spread the chips on a baking tray.
- Sprinkle with polenta on all sides and lightly coat with oil.
- Bake at 220°C (428°F) for 20 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15 minutes until golden and crispy.
Can you make these chips ahead of time? Tips for keeping them crispy
Yes, you can prepare polenta chips ahead of time!
For the best results and to maintain their crispy exterior and soft, creamy centre, it’s best to cook them fresh. I don’t recommend pre-cooking polenta chips.
If you want to prepare them in advance, either:
- Refrigerate before coking: prepare the polenta 1-2 days in advance, refrigerate it to set, and slice it into chips when ready to bake.
- Freeze for later: freeze uncooked polenta chips on a baking tray lined with baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer-safe bag, removing any excess air. For the best taste and texture, cook them within 1-2 months. When you’re ready to cook, defrost the frozen polenta chips overnight in the fridge before baking as directed in the recipe.
Preparing the mixture ahead will save you time while not compromising on crispiness.
Can you reheat polenta chips?
You could, but they can dry out quite a bit. I prefer making them fresh or freezing ahead of time.
Why polenta chips baked, not fried?
We often see “Baked, not fried” on packaging to indicate that a food is lower in fat than the fried alternative. This is definitely the case with polenta chips in comparison to deep-fried chips.
You would consume considerably less saturated fat and salt with these polenta chips than store-bought chips.
Not that you should omit store-bought chips, as the taste doesn’t compare, and all foods fit in a balanced diet.
However, these baked polenta chips are easy to make at home. If you keep a bag of polenta in the pantry, you can whip them up at any time.
What do polenta chips taste like?
Polenta has a slight corn flavour, but it is very mild.
It’s really about the flavours you add to polenta and the crispiness of the outside as contrasted to the soft, doughy centre that makes these chips delicious.
Feel free to adjust the flavour additions in the recipe below to get it just right for you.
What to serve with polenta chips
Crispy polenta chips make a delicious snack with tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, sweet chilli sauce, aioli or pesto.
They are delicious as a side dish to steak, burgers, chilli con carne, leftover bolognese sauce, soups and sautéed mushrooms.
They are a great addition to breakfast, main meal platters or shared plates.
The cooled polenta can be cut into squares for baked polenta slices, which can be served in place of bread on a platter. For example, I have served crispy polenta squares with my baked eggplant on top as an appetiser.
Alternatively, the slab of cooled polenta can be cut into cubes and baked to make polenta croutons—or you can try my crispy croutons made with chickpeas.
Other recipes that are delicious with polenta chips are easy guacamole, sundried tomato hummus or curried broccoli soup.
Have you tried making polenta chips?
I’d love to know if you’ve tried this recipe and how you enjoyed it. Let me know in the comments below.
Baked Polenta Chips
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup vegetable stock (400 mL)
- 1 cup quick-cook or instant polenta (150 g), plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (40 g)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs, oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon if use water rather than stock
- Pinch chilli flakes, optional
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Bring stock to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat.
- Slowly whisk in polenta. In 3-5 minutes, it will thicken.
- Then add all remaining ingredients, except for olive oil, and stir through.
- Scoop polenta mixture into a lined 20 cm square dish that will serve as a mould.
- Press the polenta mixture down with the back of a spoon and then your hands. You can press harder with your hands, but you may need to let the mixture cool a little longer before doing this.
- Place in the fridge to chill and firm up. Allow about 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, preheat oven to 220oC.
- Remove the polenta from the dish and place on a cutting board. It should come out as a firm slab.
- Cut chilled polenta into ‘chips’.
- Dust the chips with the extra polenta. Then brush with the olive oil.
- Arrange chips on a lined baking tray in a single layer, with space between.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Then turn the chips so that the underside is now exposed.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve alongside soup or dips such as aioli or pesto.
Notes
