Vegan Polenta

Grits
Drbouz/E+/Corn Meal
Prep: 1 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 26 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Vegan polenta is quick and easy to make with this recipe. You can enjoy it as a hot, creamy dish in under 30 minutes, or chill it to make a polenta loaf to use as the base of other recipes.

Creamy quick homemade vegan polenta is great for breakfast. Add as much vegan margarine as you'd like if you're not worried about your vegan polenta being low-fat. You can also use this polenta as a side dish to accompany other dishes for lunch or dinner.

You can make the polenta with water or add flavor by cooking the cornmeal in vegetable broth. Use your homemade broth or packaged broth.

Polenta comes from Italian cuisine and is made with coarsely ground yellow corn, giving it texture. In contrast, grits are seen in Southern cuisine and are made with finely ground white corn (hominy).

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water, or vegetable broth

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • 1/4 cup soy milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons vegan margarine

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring water or vegetable broth to a slow simmer. Stir in the cornmeal.

  3. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom to avoid burning the cornmeal mixture.  If it starts to clump, add a little water at a time to thin it.

  4. When the cornmeal is smooth and thick, stir in soy milk and remaining ingredients (garlic powder, nutritional yeast, vegan margarine, salt, and pepper) before removing the pan from the heat.

  5. Serve and enjoy your creamy polenta.

Tips

  • This recipe makes four servings, so if you are solo, you are likely to have leftover polenta after enjoying it for breakfast. That's no problem as there are many ways to use it and it will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Here are some ideas for using the leftover polenta.
  • Pan-fried polenta with olives: Fry thick polenta to toast it and serve it topped with olive tapenade, caponata, vegan cheese, or a balsamic-based tomato sauce. You can arrange it on a platter with a variety of toppings as an appetizer plate for a party, potluck, or luncheon.
  • Vegan chili and polenta casserole: If you have leftover creamy polenta, you can spread it over chili and bake it as a casserole. This casserole is a family-pleasing dish that is ideal for a winter meal or to take to a summer potluck.

Variations

  • If you don't want creamy polenta, omit the soy milk and add only the garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and the desired amount of vegan margarine, salt, and pepper.
  • For a thick polenta loaf, press it into a lightly greased loaf pan and chill until firm.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
190 Calories
8g Fat
27g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 190
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 177mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 27g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 172mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)