Crispy, packed with delicious flavor, and vegan, these Air Fryer Polenta Fries are all you need for your next football watch party!
I love French fries, but sometimes they don’t love me. That's where air fryer polenta fries come in! We are big big fans of polenta in our house. It’s creamy, it can be used as a blank canvas for a variety of vegetables, and it’s so easy to make!
This recipe was originally developed when our kitchen renovation began in January of 2020, right before the world fell apart. I was newly pregnant, and super stressed! I had to get really creative in the kitchen, because we didn't have one for several months! I used the air fryer for SO many things, and now we love it, and use it weekly! This recipe was no different. I had to make myself stop eating them long enough to be photographed!
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MAKING AIR FRYER POLENTA FRIES
- Whisk whisk whisk! Do not walk away from the polenta. If you don’t whisk it very often, the polenta will form large chunks, thus making you unable to spread it and make perfect little sticks!
- Be sure to turn the heat all the way down too low. If not, it might continue bubbling, and it will explode on your hand. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had a hot polenta burn on your hand, but it is NOT fun.
- Make sure to pour the hot polenta in the baking sheet, RIGHT AWAY. If the mixture begins to cool down, it will be nearly impossible to spread.
WHAT MAKES THIS RECIPE SO DELICIOUS?
- Polenta – Don’t go thinking you can use regular white cornmeal grits for this recipe. It will NOT taste the same.
- Vegetable broth – it’s a must to add a bit of extra flavor to the mix.
- Parsley – the BEST finishing touch!
- Coarse Kosher salt – I mean, duh? You gotta have salt for flavor! And do NOT come at me with plain iodized salt. It’s gotta be coarse ground!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER POLENTA FRIES
Cook the polenta: In a medium pot, bring water, vegetable broth, avocado oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder to a boil over high heat. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking often, until polenta is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the parsley.
Prep your pan: Meanwhile, spray a small baking pan (the one I use is 8” X 11”) with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the polenta in the pan, and place in the refrigerator to let cool completely, about 1 hour. You could even leave this to cool overnight if you want!
Preheat the air fryer: Before cutting the pan of polenta into fries, preheat the air fryer. I used the air fryer setting, at 390°F, for 14 minutes.
Cut the fries: Cut cooled polenta into 3 sections, widthwise. Cut each of these 3 sections into 10 equal pieces, to form 30 “fries”. To get 10 equal pieces, I cut each section in half, then cut one small section from the end of each half, about ½ inch thick. From here, I cut the remaining large sections in half, and then in half again. This will give you 10 pieces that are about ¼ – ½ inch thick each.
Fry them up! Brush the inside of the air fryer with avocado oil. Place “fries” in the air fryer, 10 at a time. Let cook for 14 minutes, tossing halfway through. Repeat the process with the remaining “fries”. Once all the fries are cooked, sprinkle with a bit of coarse Kosher salt and fresh chopped parsley. Serve with dipping sauces of your choice.
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ENJOY! And as always let me know what you think in the comments below and over on Instagram @sugarandsalt_co!
Air Fryer Polenta Fries
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Whisk
- sheet pan
- Knife
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup polenta
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley divided
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring water, vegetable broth, avocado oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder to a boil over high heat. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking often, until polenta is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in half of the parsley.
- Meanwhile, spray a small baking pan (the one I use is 8” X 11”) with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the polenta in the pan, and place in the refrigerator to let cool completely, about 1 hour. You could even leave this to cool overnight if you want!
- Before cutting the pan of polenta into fries, preheat the air fryer. I used the air fryer setting, at 390°F, for 14 minutes.
- Once the polenta has cooled completely, cut into 3 sections, widthwise. Cut each of these 3 sections into 10 equal pieces, to form 30 “fries”. To get 10 equal pieces, I cut each section in half, then cut one small section from the end of each half, about ½ inch thick. From here, I cut the remaining large sections in half, and then in half again. This will give you 10 pieces that are about ¼ – ½ inch thick each.
- Brush the inside of the air fryer with avocado oil. Place “fries” in the air fryer, 10 at a time. Let cook for 14 minutes, tossing halfway through. Repeat the process with the remaining “fries”. Once all the fries are cooked, sprinkle with a bit more coarse Kosher salt and remaining fresh chopped parsley. Serve with dipping sauces of your choice.