Crispy and irresistible, air fryer polenta sticks are a tasty and quick snack, perfect for a savory break or as a treat to serve with an aperitif. Ready in a few simple steps – especially if you opt for pre-cooked polenta, practical also for croutons, canapés or fried polenta – these polenta sticks usually require deep-frying to become crispy. However, with the air fryer, you can achieve the same delicious result while saving time and calories and avoiding the mess and bad smell typical of frying, all in just over 15 minutes. If you prefer not to use pre-cooked polenta, you can prepare a firm polenta with cornmeal, letting it cool in the fridge overnight; after all, these crispy polenta sticks are also a great solution to use up any leftover polenta from other preparations! Quick and versatile, air fryer polenta sticks will win everyone over at the first bite.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 3 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 132.51 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 22.57 (g) of which sugars 0.25 (g)
- Proteins 1.18 (g)
- Fat 4.73 (g) of which saturated 0.67 (g)of which unsaturated 0.01 (g)
- Fibers 1.25 (g)
- Sodium 307.64 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Air Fryer Crispy Polenta
If you are celiac, make sure the polenta (both pre-cooked and, if applicable, the cornmeal) is labeled “gluten-free.”
- 8.8 oz cooked polenta (or 2.8 oz cornmeal for polenta)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Brush
- 1 Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Paper
How to Prepare Crispy Polenta Sticks in the Air Fryer
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the air fryer polenta sticks, I used pre-cooked polenta, which is purchased at the supermarket in the refrigerated section (also available with the “gluten-free” label). This has the advantage of already having the right consistency to be cut and fried, but if you prefer, you can cook the polenta yourself: to get 250 g of already cooked polenta, you will need about 80 g of cornmeal (traditional or instant). Cook it in boiling water until you obtain a very firm polenta, pour it into a rectangular container lined with parchment paper and let it cool first at room temperature and then in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight.
Then proceed to cut the polenta sticks: first, dry them well with a paper towel (even packaged pre-cooked polenta is always a bit moist), then cut it into slices about half a cm thick, and from these, cut sticks of the same thickness (1). Using a kitchen brush, brush them with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (2).
If you have it, instead of the brush, you can also use an oil sprayer, in which case a couple of sprays will suffice. Line the basket of your air fryer with parchment paper and place the polenta sticks inside, trying to overlap them as little as possible (3).
Cook them at 392°F for 15-20 minutes (it is not necessary to preheat the fryer). Cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of the sticks and their arrangement: it took me 15 minutes, but if your fryer is less spacious than mine and you had to overlap the sticks more, it might take a few more minutes, and it will also be a good idea to stir them halfway through cooking. When they are golden, remove the basket (4) and transfer the polenta sticks to a tray.
Season the polenta sticks with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper and serve them while they’re still hot.
Storage
If there are any leftover polenta sticks, you can store them in the fridge for a couple of days and briefly reheat them in the microwave or in the same air fryer.
Tips and Variations
You can flavor the polenta sticks with chopped rosemary added at the end of cooking. Here’s also a fun idea for an appetizer different from the usual: prepare a cod cream following this recipe and divide it into small glass servings, garnished with a couple of polenta sticks.
