Polenta Pizza Bites
Leave frozen appetizers on ice and reach for a fresher take on snack time with polenta pizza bites! These mini mouthfuls are healthy, homemade munchies made in minutes, all with the nostalgic Italian flavors you crave.
A ready-made tube of polenta goes a long way, transforming into ideal bite-sized rounds to cradle all your favorite toppings whenever cravings strike. Savory red sauce balances out gooey melted vegan cheese, lightly crisped in the oven for the ideal golden-brown finish.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Polenta Pizzas
Start pre-heating your oven and you’re already halfway done! Here are more winning qualities that will have everyone asking for seconds—and thirds.
- Gluten-free: Polenta is made of cornmeal cooked with water, which is naturally gluten-free. Double check labels to make sure it’s not manufactured on shared equipment in the case of severe allergies.
- Three ingredients: Believe it or not, you can count the full number of components in the recipe on one hand!
- Ready in 25 minutes or less: Most of that time is taken up by hands-off baking in the oven. These beauties practically cook themselves!
- Kid and parent approved: Even the pickiest eater adores a classic cheese pizza. They’ll never know they’re getting an extra serving of fiber along with those baked polenta slices.
Key Ingredients
- Polenta: Prepared tubes of polenta can be found either in the produce section near the shelf-stable jars of minced garlic, or in the pasta/dry grain aisles, alongside the rice mixes. You can find some that incorporate other whole grains like quinoa, or more flavorful additions like sundried tomatoes. Just makes sure they don’t include dairy-based cheese to keep it vegan.
- Pizza sauce: Pick a red sauce, any red sauce! Marinara works just as well, as does spicy arrabiata, briny puttanesca, or creamy pink sauce.
- Vegan cheese: Meltable, shredded vegan cheese is best here for a gloriously gooey bite. Mozzarella is classic, though you can use any flavor or brand you prefer.
Topping Ideas
Just like classic full-sized pizza or similarly miniature pizza bagel bites, no toppings are off the table for personalizing your savory snacks! Since it can be daunting to narrow down the options, here are my cheat sheet of tried-and-true go-tos:
- Olives, sliced
- Vegan pepperoni, sliced or diced
- Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- Jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced or diced
- Green bell pepper, diced
How To Make These Polenta Pizza Bites
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for making these polenta pizza bites. It’s so easy and fun!
Step One: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Slice the polenta into 1/3-inch thick rounds. You should end up with about 15 rounds.
Make your polenta pizzas! Add pizza sauce into the center of the polenta using a small spoon (leave the outer edges exposed).
Step Two: Sprinkle with vegan cheese and top with desired toppings. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and polenta is nicely baked. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
You’ll need a bit more advanced planning, but you can totally DIY if store-bought polenta fails to deliver. Simply make your favorite polenta recipe and pour it into a lightly greased baking dish. Let it cool until completely set, then slice it into bite-sized squares. The shape will be less pizza-like, but the taste will be even better!
Yes! Place your fully assembled polenta slices with toppings in an air fryer basket lined with foil and air fry at 370 degrees for about 10 minutes.
If you’re cleaning out the pantry and need something right away, use a generous sprinkle of naturally cheesy nutritional yeast instead of shreds. If you want to get a bit fancier, you can make your own vegan Parmesan from scratch, too.
More Easy Snack Ideas
- Savory Roasted Chickpeas
- Vegan Pizza Rolls
- Vegan Jalapeno Poppers
- Easy Almond Flour Crackers
- Protein Mug Cake
- Zucchini Fritters
- Tofu Fries
Vegan Polenta Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1 18-ounce tube pre-cooked polenta
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- ¼ cup vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded or grated
Optional Toppings:
- Olives, sliced
- Vegan pepperoni, sliced or diced
- Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- Jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced or diced
- Green bell pepper, diced
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) and preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice polenta tube into 15 rounds (about ⅓-inch thick).
- Using a small spoon, add pizza sauce on each polenta round and spread evenly over the round using the back of the spoon, leaving a small border around the edge uncovered. Sprinkle with vegan cheese and top with desired toppings.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and polenta is nicely baked.
Video
Nutrition
Photos by Amanda McGillicuddy for World of Vegan.
Updated on: 8/12/23
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Leave a Comment
These are super interesting & simple to make
These pizza bites are so awesome! Love this as a snack!
I love making these mini polenta pizzas with my family! I am always shocked by how simple they are to make, and my kid loves them!
These are genius for the kiddos! They love them 🙂
Pizza Bite Perfection! I am in love with these little pizza bite. They’re so adorable and super delicious!
Made these polenta pizza bites for a get together and they were a hit … thanks for the recipe!
I make these all the time for our movie nights. Everyone loves them. I top them with sundried tomatoes and diced basil leaves.
Love how easy these polenta pizza bites are! Definitely a new favorite snack!