Polenta Fries Recipe

Polenta fries on a platter with ketchup.

My easy Polenta Fries recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients (most of which are pantry staples), and baked until golden and crispy. They make a fun alternative to classic french fries!

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings servings

Calories 351kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Medium pot
Large sheet tray

Ingredients

2½ cups water (540ml)
1 clove garlic grated
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup polenta (160g)
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (18g)
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons olive oil divided (60mL)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Slowly add the polenta while whisking constantly.
Once the polenta has been absorbed, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until smooth, starchy, and thickened.
Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom of the pot with a rubber or silicone spatula, until the polenta is very thick and the grains have softened.
Meanwhile, grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese and butter.
Pour the polenta into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until completely chilled. (You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate this overnight.)
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the polenta from the pan and cut the slab in half. Slice each half into ½ inch wide by 4 inch long plank-shaped pieces.
Brush a large sheet tray with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the polenta fries in a single layer on the sheet tray, leaving space in between each. Brush the tops and sides of the fries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and crispy all over. Season with more salt, pepper, freshly grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley, to taste.

Notes

Season again after baking. Any additional salt, parmesan, and fresh herbs you want to use will stick best when added while the fries are still hot, right out of the oven.

Nutrition

Thank You! https://financepost.live/polenta-fries/%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-77451":{"type":"food","name":"Polenta Fries Recipe","slug":"wprm-polenta-fries-recipe","image_url":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/polenta-fries-recipe-card.jpg","rating":{"count":0,"total":0,"average":0,"type":{"comment":0,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"2\u00bd","unit":"cups","name":"water","notes":"(540ml)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12053,"id":68,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2\u00bd","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"1","unit":"clove","name":"garlic","notes":"grated","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":14317,"id":61,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"clove","unitParsed":"clove"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","name":"dried oregano","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12051,"id":9157,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"\u00be","unit":"teaspoon","name":"salt","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12051,"id":42,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00be","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","name":"black pepper","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12051,"id":134,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"1","unit":"cup","name":"polenta","notes":"(160g)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12050,"id":16914,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"cup","name":"freshly grated parmesan cheese","notes":"(18g)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12050,"id":1063,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":7,"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","name":"butter","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12101,"id":66,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","unitParsed":"tablespoon"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"4","unit":"tablespoons","name":"olive oil","notes":"divided (60mL)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":12100,"id":133,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"4","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}}],"originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"currentServings":"4","currentServingsParsed":4,"currentServingsFormatted":"4","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"servings","servingsUnitRaw":"servings","originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"type":"recipe","recipeId":77451,"name":"Polenta Fries Recipe","image":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/polenta-fries-recipe-card-330x330.jpg","servings":4,"parent_id":"77447","parent_url":"https:\/\/preppykitchen.com\/polenta-fries\/","cachedAt":1776429757,"modifiedAt":1756456604}}}