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With a golden brown crisp exterior and creamy interior, these baked polenta fries are not your average French fry. They’re appetizer royalty! And the Parmesan aioli dipping sauce? So good it can be eaten with a spoon. I make these regularly as a fun appetizer or side dish for steak.
I’m always looking for ways to upgrade a classic dish. And these crispy fries are my favorite way to upgrade classic Steak Frites.
Corn in any form pairs wonderfully with steak—cheesy grits, easy Blackened Sweet Corn or Skillet Cornbread are all favorites. But why not get the best of both worlds with corn polenta fries! Below is my test-kitchen approved recipe.
This recipe article was originally published in April of 2021, it has since been updated with helpful tips, clearer instructions, step by step photos and a recipe video.
What are Polenta Fries?
Polenta Fries are made from cutting cooked and cooled polenta into fry-shaped batons and either deep frying or baking until golden and crispy. They resemble potato fries, but are made from cornmeal instead.
This dish is made all over the world and can be called polenta sticks, Sgagliozze (Italy), Funchi Hasa (Dutch Caribbean), Crispy Fried Cou Cou (Trinidad), and more.
Why You’ll Love These Crispy Polenta Fries
For starters, it’s a great way to use up leftover cooked cornmeal. Second, it’s endlessly versatile. Add jalapeños, garlic, onions, spices, and more to the cornmeal to change the flavor profile. And finally, the dipping sauces! Polenta fries are a fabulous vehicle for a good sauce.
Ingredients in Polenta Fries Recipe
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for the recipe. For ingredient amounts, jump down to the recipe card.
- Yellow cornmeal: use regular cornmeal—like the stuff you’d use to make cornbread.
- Grated Parmesan: get pre-grated Parmesan from the grocery store or buy a large chunk of Parm and process it in a food processor until ground. I don’t recommend grating it on a microplane since the shreds will be too thin and light.
- Olive Oil: use a quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best taste.
What Kind of Cornmeal to Use
Cornmeal that’s labeled as “polenta” is more traditional. As is coarse or medium coarse ground corn grits. Other recipes will tell you to avoid cornmeal altogether but after testing this recipe multiple times, I’ve found the fine-grain texture of cornmeal lends itself to crisping nicely in the oven.
I don’t recommend using ready-made polenta that comes in a tube, but if you’re short on time or have it in your pantry needing to be used up—go for it! Simply cut the polenta out of the plastic packaging and cut into fries. Bake as directed in recipe.
How to Make Polenta Fries
Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for the recipe. For ingredient amounts, jump down to the recipe card.
- Cook the cornmeal on the stove top until thick and creamy. Stir in the Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper.
TIP: It’s essential that you stir the cornmeal continuously to avoid scorching the bottom of the pan. An added bonus of using cornmeal is that the cook time is brief.
- Spread the cornmeal mixture evenly into a greased 8½×12-inch baking sheet (quarter sheet pan).
TIP: If the mixture is loose enough, use an offset spatula to spread it. If it’s fairly firm (due to cooling quickly) use your hands to press it into an even layer.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the polenta. This seals the surface and ensures a dry skin doesn’t form on the polenta.
- Refrigerate polenta for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). If you’re making these all in one day, preheat the oven while the polenta chills.
- Turn polenta out onto a cutting board by placing a cutting board over the sheet pan and flipping upside down. You may need to tap it against the counter to get the polenta to release.
- Cut the polenta into thin fries then arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
- Bake until golden brown! While the fries bake, whip up the sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients together. Easy!
How to Make Polenta Fries Ahead of Time
To get a jumpstart on the cooking process, cook the polenta and spread it onto the baking sheet as directed. Press a layer of plastic wrap against the cornmeal (so it doesn’t dry out) and store in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Do not freeze or refrigerate polenta fries after baking. The chilling negatively impacts the texture and crispness of the fries.
If you need to reheat the polenta fries because they’ve sat out for a bit, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 375ºF oven until warmed through and re-crisped.
Golden Polenta Fries Recipe Variations
- Make them vegan: use vegan cheese in place of the Parmesan and serve them with vegan mayo.
- Swap the Parmesan in the dipping sauce for blue cheese or gorgonzola.
- Add some cayenne pepper to the polenta for a little kick of heat.
- Add finely chopped fresh herbs to the polenta mix such as oregano and rosemary.
Dipping Sauces
These golden polenta fries are versatile and pair well with a variety of dips. For a restaurant presentation, sprinkle the baked fries with minced fresh rosemary and Parmesan and serve with sour cream, mayo or Roasted Garlic Aioli.
My favorite way to serve these is with the Parmesan Aioli dipping sauce included in the recipe. Just a few additional ingredients are needed to bring it together. You also can’t go wrong with THE BEST Green Goddess Dressing.
Sauces & Dressings
Roasted Garlic Aioli
Sauces & Dressings
Gochujang Aioli
Sauces & Dressings
Buttermilk Green Goddess Dressing
Sauces & Dressings
Chimichurri Sauce
How to Store Golden Polenta Fries
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet with a bit of oil or in a 300ºF oven until warmed and re-crisped.
Golden Polenta Fries Recipe
Description
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Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, divided
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh garlic
Instructions
Polenta Fries
- Coat an 8½×12-inch baking sheet (quarter sheet pan) with nonstick spray.
- Boil water in a large saucepan over high heat. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook polenta until thick and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, 3–5 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in ½ cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread polenta evenly onto prepared quarter baking sheet. Press plastic wrap onto surface; chill until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Heat oven to 400° with rack in center position. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- Uncover polenta and turn polenta out onto a cutting board by placing a cutting board over sheet and flipping upside down; tap to release polenta from sheet. Cut polenta into 4×½-inch strips. Separate fries and arrange on prepared baking sheet in a single layer; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake fries 30 minutes, then flip and continue baking until brown, 10–20 minutes turning fries every 8 minutes or so to achieve even browning.
Parmesan Aioli
- Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, chives, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, and garlic; season with black pepper to taste.
- Let fries cool briefly on pan to crisp before serving with Parmesan aioli.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
This is delicious! I split the liquid into half chicken broth, half water, and also reduced the water a bit further as I added some green chile to give this a southwest edge.
These are great! I added whatever spices I wanted (1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, and some pepper). I also tried baking them in my air fryer, and they get crispy in ~8 minutes! The oven dries them out less though; I want fries not crackers haha. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Heather, such great info here! Thanks for the info on the airfryer. I bet that spice combo was delicious—a versatile blend so you can serve the chicken in a variety of ways.
An awesome way to use up old cornmeal, however I thought that when my fries first came out of the oven they were kind of tough on the outside and it made it pretty hard to chew honestly. Definitely should’ve added more salt also… but I would try this recipe again