Smooth, Easy Slow Cooker Polenta You’ll Love

No constant stirring. Just dump and go.

Cooking doesn’t have to be exhausting to be nourishing. This easy slow cooker polenta is perfect for days when your energy has flatlined, but you still want a warm, comforting, and homemade meal. And the best part is, there’s hardly any stirring involved.

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This is creamy, hands-off comfort food at its best.

On the Menu

When I was little, my parents were piss poor. There, I said it.

In fact, they were so poor, my mum would often skip supper so my older sister and I could eat. Brown beans with a sliver of bacon and maybe even a dollop of mayonnaise were a staple. Just that. No extras.

BUT…

Our Italian neighbours knew and, being good people, they found ways to help. The woman would come to our door, saying, ‘I cooked too much. Would you like some spaghetti?’ or whatever they had that day. Or they’d invite us over to have supper with them.

That’s how I was introduced to polenta. And pasta, and wine… Yes, really. Wine. This was the early sixties, and these people were Italian after all.

But I digress.

Soft, creamy polenta—no stirring, no pain

Ever tried making polenta the traditional way? I did, and by the time I was halfway through, my feet were burning and my arm felt like it was about to fall off.

These days, when I make polenta, I do it in my slow cooker. You basically just throw in the ingredients and let the slow cooker do the hard work for you. There’s no babysitting a hot pot on the hob, no constant stirring. Exactly the kind of cooking a spoonie can actually manage.

Because no spoonie ever said, ‘Yes, I want to stand at the hob forever and stir a pot until my shoulder dislocates—and then keep stirring anyway.’

What goes into this lovely, creamy polenta?

To make this polenta recipe, you only need a handful of ingredients, which you probably already have on hand. The most important one is, of course, polenta flour—also called maize, cornmeal (UK), or corn flour (US).

The most important thing to remember is that you need a coarse or medium grind (coarse works best), because if you use a fine grind, you’ll end up with a nasty, gummy mess instead of the soft, creamy porridge we want.

Other than that, you’ll need water, a little salt, some olive oil (optional) and some grated (vegan) Parmesan.

Variations

While the basic polenta recipe will result in a lovely, creamy base for all sorts of dishes—both sweet and savoury—there’s plenty of room to play and let your imagination run wild.

Here are some ideas to jump-start your creativity.

Add garlic, rosemary, and thyme into the mixture
Throw in a handful of dried mushrooms before cooking
Stir in some paprika and dried basil with the other ingredients

Like it sweet? Try adding ¼ cup of white sugar and some lemon zest—or freshly grated ginger.

Serving Suggestions

I’m a simple guy, so I usually like to keep my meals simple, too.

Here are some of my favourite ways to eat polenta:

Topped with mushrooms, spinach, and chopped nuts. And lots of grated Parmesan, of course.
Topped with halved cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, chickpeas, spinach, and a generous dollop of cashew cream (as in my Gluten-Free Creamy Pasta with Chickpeas & Spinach recipe)
Breakfast Polenta: heat up some leftover polenta with a splash of (dairy-free) milk (takes all of five minutes, but you will need to stir!), and serve in a bowl with your favourite toppings (I like berries, chopped nuts, a sprinkle of hemp seeds, and a little maple syrup).

easy slow cooker polenta, served on a black plate

Spoonie Notes

This recipe is gentle on the stomach, allergy-friendly, gluten-free, and requires almost no effort. Just five minutes of prep, where you dump all your ingredients in the slow cooker.

Storage

Store your cooked polenta in the fridge for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months. Always check for signs of spoilage (e.g. mould, funny smells) before use.

Since polenta hardens into a loaf, I typically store mine in a rectangular, shallow glass container, so I can either slice or cube it and bake it in a pan, the oven, or my air fryer.

Allergy Information

Free from: dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, soy, sesame
Always check labels for allergens

Easy polenta recipe