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Simple Polenta Pizza

How to make polenta pizza for a gluten-free and vegan dinner!

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Polenta pizza is a quick and delicious gluten-free flatbread, made from cornmeal or polenta. It is a perfect base for all sorts of delicious toppings (see the suggestions above). 

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cup instant cornmeal or polenta
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Toppings (see above for suggestions)

Instructions

  1. Mix the water, cornmeal, and oil in a medium-sized saucepan. If you are presoaking and fermenting the cornmeal, include the soaking liquid and add enough extra liquid to make up 4 cups total. See the section above for more details on fermenting cornmeal before cooking.
  2. Bring the water up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Stir frequently as it thickens to prevent burning to the bottom of the pot. The polenta is cooked when it is as thick as oatmeal.
  3. Season with salt. Spread the cooked polenta out on 1 or 2 non-stick baking sheets. I recommend lining the baking sheets in non-stick parchment paper for easy serving. You can make a single large pizza or a number of smaller pizzas. This batch will make around four 6-inch pizzas. If time allows, let the polenta cool before baking (see the notes for details).
  4. To cook the polenta pizza, add the toppings and broil on low until the cheese has melted and is starting to brown (about 5 minutes, depending on your broiler). If the polenta is cold broil it for a few minutes before adding the toppings to warm it up.
  5. Let the polenta cool slightly to set, then serve with a side salad.

Notes

  • Instant cornmeal is pre-processed to reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 5 minutes.
  • If you are really short on time, feel free to use pre-cooked polenta for a quick yet fancy meal. Just make individual slices rather than a single large pizza.
  • The longer you allow your polenta to cool and set after cooking, the firmer it will be. It’s fine to spread out the crusts on your baking sheets and leave them to firm up for up to 12 hours. Any longer than that you will need to put them in the fridge.
  • If you are using freshly cooked polenta for your crust, then I recommend allowing the pizza to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  • All broilers are different. Keep an eye on your pizza because the exact cooking time will depend on how hot your broiler is.