A type of cornmeal, polenta is a really versatile ingredient. It can be used to give fried food a crisp coating, served as a mashed potato-style side, baked in cakes or used as a pastry substitute.
Try our polenta recipes and check out more storecupboard recipes here.
Ingredients
- We use instant polenta and fine grain polenta
Fried cheesy polenta chips with smoked chilli and lemon
These crispy, cheesy polenta chips with a smoked chilli dip make a great starter or side dish.

Blood orange polenta drizzle cake
Change up the classic lemon drizzle with juicy blood oranges. Our polenta cake is easy to make and the ideal sweet treat to accompany your morning coffee.

Cornbread
Acclaimed New York chef Marcus Samuelsson shares his easy recipe for cornbread from Shoreditch's Red Rooster, which makes great use of polenta.

Crispy polenta halloumi with tomatillo salsa
Check out this fried halloumi recipe with a crispy polenta crumb, served with a quick and juicy salsa.

Kale hush puppies with lemon aïoli
Hush puppies are little American savoury donuts in a polenta batter. Dip these crispy kale snacks into zingy lemon aioli for an easy party snack.

Instant polenta makes a perfect pastry-less tart. Top with pan-fried courgettes and creamy mascarpone and serve with rocket.
Gorgonzola wedges make a quick, cheesy side, ready in under 20 minutes. These polenta wedges come served with madeira mushrooms and crème fraîche.
